Since we watched a documentary that featured Girl Talk, i knew about their free show for awhile, it's a lot of fun, i've seen them before. I'm going and thought i'd inform the rest of you if you're interested... here's a link that provides directions, date and time:
http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/h2oshows/
It starts at 2pm at McCarren park sunday aug 23rd, there's also dodge ball, basketball and of course music! and besides that one sunday they are holding free shows every sunday through the 30th of august. take advantage .. its FREE fun! =)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
VIRTUAL REALITY ....does it really impact one's reality?
ROOTS CAMP
I must say that this is the first time i have ever seen or heard about Second Life and i'm not shocked that there is now such a site that one can go on and be in a virtual reality aka "Second Life." I find this virtual reality to resemble a video game like atmostphere with each island resembling some what of a different bored. I know in wii for example you can create a character that looks like you and thats what it reminds me of.
Getting back to second life, the Roots camp is a good idea only for the idea that it is almost impossible for these people to meet up once a week in reality like they do in second life. This can be effective in reality if these users that are in these activist groups use what they learn from chatting in second life together in their actual reality. So in essence, yes this is a good idea to help throw around ideas from one to another and bring awareness to other people but overall the only way to have an impact on people is to protest in your REAL life.
The downfall of this is that some people may subject themselves to sitting in front of the computer to think that they are actually making a difference by protesting and supporting activists groups. But in reality it all boils down to the mere fact that if you are not doing all of these things in person it may not make any difference. I mean, who knows what the future brings, maybe this second life or virtual reality will have an impact because of groups like the Roots camp meeting online and stirring up ideas together once a week will increase effectiveness in our reality.
I must say that this is the first time i have ever seen or heard about Second Life and i'm not shocked that there is now such a site that one can go on and be in a virtual reality aka "Second Life." I find this virtual reality to resemble a video game like atmostphere with each island resembling some what of a different bored. I know in wii for example you can create a character that looks like you and thats what it reminds me of.
Getting back to second life, the Roots camp is a good idea only for the idea that it is almost impossible for these people to meet up once a week in reality like they do in second life. This can be effective in reality if these users that are in these activist groups use what they learn from chatting in second life together in their actual reality. So in essence, yes this is a good idea to help throw around ideas from one to another and bring awareness to other people but overall the only way to have an impact on people is to protest in your REAL life.
The downfall of this is that some people may subject themselves to sitting in front of the computer to think that they are actually making a difference by protesting and supporting activists groups. But in reality it all boils down to the mere fact that if you are not doing all of these things in person it may not make any difference. I mean, who knows what the future brings, maybe this second life or virtual reality will have an impact because of groups like the Roots camp meeting online and stirring up ideas together once a week will increase effectiveness in our reality.
Final Exam Part II
FINAL EXAM
Part II
Choose ONE of the following three media. Circle your choice:
Print/Written Word+Images
Radio/Sound
Television/Moving Image
For the medium you chose, answer only THREE of the following six questions.
Be sure to read the questions carefully and answer fully. Write in complete sentences with proper grammar and spelling. Do not include additional information beyond succinct and complete answers to the three questions you choose. I am looking for clarity, critical thinking and your ability to synthesize information from our course. As a guideline, two short paragraphs should be adequate to answer each question.
Circle the three questions you will answer, and write your answers on a separate sheet of paper. Please write clearly. Do not forget to write your name and number the questions you are answering. You may use your own notes during this part of the exam, but may not have out the textbook or other readings.
1) Describe one example of a technological development in this medium that affected its distribution. How did this development define or change how people access this medium?
2) Describe one major anxiety that arose with the growth of this medium. Describe one new anxiety that has arisen with the distribution of this medium on the Internet.
3) Choose an industry that produces mass media in this medium (for example, you might choose the newspaper industry if you are writing about print). Describe one example of how media consolidation has affected this industry. Describe one example of how distribution of this medium on the Internet has affected this industry.
4) Describe one way that mass media producers in this medium delivered information before the Internet. Describe one way that mass media producers deliver information using the Internet today. How do you think that this newer method of distribution has altered the way people consume information?
5) Describe one way that everyday citizens (who are not necessarily employed by media companies or endowed with big financial backing) were able to participate in this medium before the Internet. Describe one example of how everyday citizens can use the Internet to participate in this medium today. Do you think that an everyday citizen’s voice has more or less influence today? Why?
6) Briefly describe one example of this medium that we listened to, looked at or watched in class. What about this example did you find interesting and why? What does it demonstrate about the relationship between media and culture or society?
Part II
Choose ONE of the following three media. Circle your choice:
Print/Written Word+Images
Radio/Sound
Television/Moving Image
For the medium you chose, answer only THREE of the following six questions.
Be sure to read the questions carefully and answer fully. Write in complete sentences with proper grammar and spelling. Do not include additional information beyond succinct and complete answers to the three questions you choose. I am looking for clarity, critical thinking and your ability to synthesize information from our course. As a guideline, two short paragraphs should be adequate to answer each question.
Circle the three questions you will answer, and write your answers on a separate sheet of paper. Please write clearly. Do not forget to write your name and number the questions you are answering. You may use your own notes during this part of the exam, but may not have out the textbook or other readings.
1) Describe one example of a technological development in this medium that affected its distribution. How did this development define or change how people access this medium?
2) Describe one major anxiety that arose with the growth of this medium. Describe one new anxiety that has arisen with the distribution of this medium on the Internet.
3) Choose an industry that produces mass media in this medium (for example, you might choose the newspaper industry if you are writing about print). Describe one example of how media consolidation has affected this industry. Describe one example of how distribution of this medium on the Internet has affected this industry.
4) Describe one way that mass media producers in this medium delivered information before the Internet. Describe one way that mass media producers deliver information using the Internet today. How do you think that this newer method of distribution has altered the way people consume information?
5) Describe one way that everyday citizens (who are not necessarily employed by media companies or endowed with big financial backing) were able to participate in this medium before the Internet. Describe one example of how everyday citizens can use the Internet to participate in this medium today. Do you think that an everyday citizen’s voice has more or less influence today? Why?
6) Briefly describe one example of this medium that we listened to, looked at or watched in class. What about this example did you find interesting and why? What does it demonstrate about the relationship between media and culture or society?
what works?
While taking a second look at Second Life i notice a few thing i didnt before. The virtual world of Second Life seems very much as a video game though it states its not. However, it reminds me of a game when you beat it and theres nothing left to do but travel around. even though, there is over 6 million residents in Second life which still makes it a pretty big place, the size of a "city". Second Life is defently a place where to be creative and interact with other people but is it a good place to protest? I decided to take another look at camp Dafur, I thought this political activism was the most effective. The whole place is a duplicate of a refugee camp which hepos to stand out the cause more. I liked this activist site because as the narrirtor stated its a window to a subject few people know about like myself. Seeing all these pictures of what is going on in these camps and how people are suffering really makes you thik twice and want to take a further deepth into the issue. However personaly i would go to a wesite to find more about this issue in Darfur. Though Second life openned me up to it through camp Darfur, it seems like to much work to try to find more about the cause. I would have to open up an account, create an advitar, and then learn how to use it. At this point i could have been at several websites and learned more about the crises in Dafur. I do like the concept though it allows people to help in there own cretive way. I think it can help because many people are connceted to the virtual world some live in it so much they dont get a chance interact with the outside world, like to turn on the tv and watch the news. So a program like this would help to expose people to political activism. Now the question is would it help towards making a difference? It would all depend on people getting together and wanting to take the fight from the virtual world to the real world. Im sure with the big community that second Life has it does. Now im not big on activism so i cant say of one that is effective or be able to compare the effectiveness between one in the virtual world or in the real world. I can account for a protest i have notice and that is at Hunter college dealing with the school taking away the day care program. now I can't say how the protest is going but I do know while signing a form for the cause i did see lots and lots of signature, which shows that their point is reaching across to plently of people.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Final Exam note
Students,
As stated in class today, Advertising will NOT be covered on your final exam. I will not include terms or concepts from the advertising chapter or the video Killing Us Softly 3, as we did not get to adequately cover those in class.
Tomorrow's topic, copyright, will be covered. The Lessig reading for tomorrow and the class notes are already online for you to study. In addition to discussion, we will be watching part of a documentary tomorrow in class that should help us process some of his ideas.
I will pass out the short answer portion of the test tomorrow in class so that we all receive it at the same time. If you are not in class tomorrow for any reason, you should email me so I can get you the short answer portion as soon as possible. For this portion of the test, you will be allowed to prepare, bring and use your own notes. You will not be allowed to have out any readings, including the textbook.
As you will not be able to have any notes out during Part I, we will take a break between the two parts.
Best,
Sarah Wright
As stated in class today, Advertising will NOT be covered on your final exam. I will not include terms or concepts from the advertising chapter or the video Killing Us Softly 3, as we did not get to adequately cover those in class.
Tomorrow's topic, copyright, will be covered. The Lessig reading for tomorrow and the class notes are already online for you to study. In addition to discussion, we will be watching part of a documentary tomorrow in class that should help us process some of his ideas.
I will pass out the short answer portion of the test tomorrow in class so that we all receive it at the same time. If you are not in class tomorrow for any reason, you should email me so I can get you the short answer portion as soon as possible. For this portion of the test, you will be allowed to prepare, bring and use your own notes. You will not be allowed to have out any readings, including the textbook.
As you will not be able to have any notes out during Part I, we will take a break between the two parts.
Best,
Sarah Wright
Virtual Activism
What is “A Better World In Second life”? A brief explanation of “A second life” would be, it is a digital world completely built and owned by its residents. Running on a distributed grid of over 1000 machines, Second Life allows residents to collaboratively create everything from their own bodies, structures, and vehicles to social groups, games, and experiences. It is a machinima documentary about how real-world activists are using Second Life as a platform for social and political activism.
The genocide in Darfur is the destruction of an entire race in Africa for no tangible reason, very much like the holocaust. What interests me about this specific activist project is that they have discussion groups regarding this horrible situation and Second Life members join this group via the program daily in a place called Better World Island. I believe that this digital world can and will affect the non – virtual world because the Internet is one of the major tools of communicating with other people, and advertising. Using this digital world, people from all over the country, even the globe, can correspond with each-other regarding this particular project or many others and act upon their beliefs and allow the world to hear their opinion.
Another activist project which i am familiar with is AIPEC. AIPEC is an organization that that lobbies for American/Israel relationships. In my opinion, protesting or spreading the word on college campus' is one of the best ways to get a message across and inform the public accordingly. Targeting the college age is the most effective because they are the most susceptible to different view points and objectives…they’re still trying to figure things out and their minds are sponges when it comes down to psychographics.
Abraham Dwek
Monday, August 10, 2009
email from Prof. Wright 8/10
Dear Students,
For Tomorrow
I forgot to remind you all to bring an ad that features a woman to class tomorrow/Tuesday. We will be using them for an in-class exercise. These may be any print ad; you can use ads magazines or from the internet if you print them. If you can, bring more than one.
Also do not forget to comment on one of your classmates posts. I will read and grade your posts tomorrow afternoon.
This week's schedule:
I apologize for my lateness today. Thank you very much for waiting. Of course, no one will be marked late or absent for today's class. We did get through a large part of the CONVERGENCE material and will finish up tomorrow before we do Advertising. Wednesday will cover Lessig reading and copyright, including the documentary on Girltalk & Remix Culture.
Notes on the final:
I will send out the study guide for the final tonight and will also post the Internet 3/Convergence class notes (for today and tomorrow) on Black Board in case you wish to use them to study. The second half of Chapter 10 on the Internet will be covered on your final (p. 337-355). We covered the first half of that chapter on Quiz #2.
In terms of readings/preparing for the exam, prioritize Boyd, Jenkins and Lessig over Advertising. As stated earlier, we are cutting out the PR Chapter because of time constraints.
Best,
Sarah Wright
For Tomorrow
I forgot to remind you all to bring an ad that features a woman to class tomorrow/Tuesday. We will be using them for an in-class exercise. These may be any print ad; you can use ads magazines or from the internet if you print them. If you can, bring more than one.
Also do not forget to comment on one of your classmates posts. I will read and grade your posts tomorrow afternoon.
This week's schedule:
I apologize for my lateness today. Thank you very much for waiting. Of course, no one will be marked late or absent for today's class. We did get through a large part of the CONVERGENCE material and will finish up tomorrow before we do Advertising. Wednesday will cover Lessig reading and copyright, including the documentary on Girltalk & Remix Culture.
Notes on the final:
I will send out the study guide for the final tonight and will also post the Internet 3/Convergence class notes (for today and tomorrow) on Black Board in case you wish to use them to study. The second half of Chapter 10 on the Internet will be covered on your final (p. 337-355). We covered the first half of that chapter on Quiz #2.
In terms of readings/preparing for the exam, prioritize Boyd, Jenkins and Lessig over Advertising. As stated earlier, we are cutting out the PR Chapter because of time constraints.
Best,
Sarah Wright
Notes about TV & Minorities Responses
Hi, Students:
We're probably not going to get to talk about your TV and minorities posts, but there were great discussions on the blog and I added comments to several of them.
I wanted to point out two major themes that came up:
1) the question of humor
--for example in shows like THE FAMILY GUY and even live action shows that are using stereotypes for humor
--How do we understand those shows? Are they the same phenomenon as minstrelsy (racism as entertainment)? Is something different about the cultural climate today?
2) questions of segregation / assimilation / tokenism / characters representing their minority group
--for example Charlie, Ross's black girlfriend, on the all-white show FRIENDS
--What does it mean for a show like FRIENDS to introduce a character like Charlie without addressing the social segregation represented on the show? Is it Utopian (creating images of a perfect world in the hopes of manifesting it)? Or does it harmfully mask the very social divides the show embodies?
-- It is very hard to read Chalie without asking how "black" or "white" is she (which necessarily relies on stereotypes). Why is that? What about the way this character is handled essentializes her identity?
As you continue as media consumers, producers and/or scholars, keep these questions in mind and continue looking for evolving examples of how minorities and stereotypes are represented in media. Is it the same old stereotypes in new costumes or are there new paradigms?
We're probably not going to get to talk about your TV and minorities posts, but there were great discussions on the blog and I added comments to several of them.
I wanted to point out two major themes that came up:
1) the question of humor
--for example in shows like THE FAMILY GUY and even live action shows that are using stereotypes for humor
--How do we understand those shows? Are they the same phenomenon as minstrelsy (racism as entertainment)? Is something different about the cultural climate today?
2) questions of segregation / assimilation / tokenism / characters representing their minority group
--for example Charlie, Ross's black girlfriend, on the all-white show FRIENDS
--What does it mean for a show like FRIENDS to introduce a character like Charlie without addressing the social segregation represented on the show? Is it Utopian (creating images of a perfect world in the hopes of manifesting it)? Or does it harmfully mask the very social divides the show embodies?
-- It is very hard to read Chalie without asking how "black" or "white" is she (which necessarily relies on stereotypes). Why is that? What about the way this character is handled essentializes her identity?
As you continue as media consumers, producers and/or scholars, keep these questions in mind and continue looking for evolving examples of how minorities and stereotypes are represented in media. Is it the same old stereotypes in new costumes or are there new paradigms?
Videos from Internet 3/Convergence
From Monday:
Tim Berners-Lee on the Semantic Web:
Intriguing video on Facebook, privacy & media ownership (not shown in class):
For Tuesday:
Current/Twitter Debate Hack:
Part 1:
http://current.com/items/89403557_hack-the-debate-iii-part-1-of-3.htm
Part 2:
Part 3:
http://current.com/items/89403571_hack-the-debate-iii-part-3-of-3.htm
Tim Berners-Lee on the Semantic Web:
Intriguing video on Facebook, privacy & media ownership (not shown in class):
For Tuesday:
Current/Twitter Debate Hack:
Part 1:
http://current.com/items/89403557_hack-the-debate-iii-part-1-of-3.htm
Part 2:
Part 3:
http://current.com/items/89403571_hack-the-debate-iii-part-3-of-3.htm
Second Life
There were moments throughout Josh Levy's machinima documentary on Second Life that intrigued me, while there were other moments that I felt were absolutely absurd. The thought of Second Life and social and political activism never really crossed my mind before, and the documentary showcased some fantastic and wondrous ideas about how and where Second Life can go in the future. It blew my mind away to learn that our professor attended a conference in Second Life that she was unable to attend in real life. Situations like that are how I feel Second Life can be beneficial. It is definitely foreseeable that when if you are too ill to attend class (or when Swine Flu has prevented everyone from leaving their houses) we can instead attend in Second Life. The obvious downside to that though is just the sheer disconnect from reality, similar to all of the online dating sites. Second Life and virtual reality can never replace that special human intimacy and interaction that we have with one another. I love that people are doing really cool things in Second Life, such as the Peace and Justice Center which I found fascinating. But I just wonder about all that time and energy placed into setting it up and putting it all together. Wouldn't that time have been better spent building such a center in real life? I know that Second Life is a virtual reality world where you can be a 10 foot beautiful winged-angel with 4 arms and a sword and such places like The Peace and Justice Center are possible, but why can't it be possible in REAL LIFE. I think that the center is a great idea and obviously funding and building such a center in real life would come with a lot of setbacks, it is at least a great start. Now although I found this aspect of Second Life intriguing, I was not amused by the VIRTUAL MARCH ON CAPITAL HILL. What good can come from having your avatar dancing and marching and holding up signs in VIRTUAL REALITY?? Unless your in Iceland and can't physically attend said march, you have no excuse. It's just another sign of disconnect from reality. Unless your discussing issues with other avatars and trying to help bring these issues into focus in REAL LIFE, this virtual march seemed pointless to me. Spending hours on your computer is not going to bring focus to an issue. You're better off helping others out in REAL LIFE. As another blogger on this site said, you have to go and seek out these places in Second Life. Now I am getting a tad bit too cynical in my view on Second Life just because it doesn't really do anything for me. That being said, it actually has the potential for opening up the eyes to a lot of people. The goal is to get people to transition from virtual life to real life in their social and political activism. I can't speak for everyone in how Second Life affects them. Maybe going to this virtual march is a stepping stone for actually doing it in real life, but being the cynic that I am, I am still cautious and skeptical of the positive outcomes of Second Life. Especially with how many people actually use Second Life for virtual protests and building peace centers. I'm excited for the potential of this new technology, but I'm also scared shitless because as I've been saying for years, people are just going to plug themselves into computers one day, similar to The Matrix, and I feel like this new movie coming out in September explains it perfectly. http://www.apple.com/trailers/touchstone/surrogates/
I'm Going to Save the World, Just Not the Real World
I’m Going to Save the World, Just Not the Real World
By Roxy Haji
After watching A Better World In Second Life, I am surprisingly and uncomfortably confused. I don’t know whether to be repulsed by Second Life or intrigued. I must say that my gut is going with the former, but I hate to disregard altogether the latter.
One of the “activist” projects in Second Life deals with the Darfur crisis. Obviously, since I put quotations around the word activist, I am a bit cynical about just how active the projects are in making a difference in the world. Do I think avatars in cyber space riding on whales can affect change in the real world? Well, my first inclination is to say “Uh, no, duh.” However, after contemplating the possibility that the make believe can affect reality, I am now more inclined to dial down the cynicism and answer “Well, maybe.”
Life is not black and white. Not everybody is affected by the same stimuli in the exact same way. We are not robots, yet. For now, we are still human beings with different mental and emotional processes. One person might be exposed to the virtual Darfur and end up only chatting with other virtual beings while climbing coral reefs or dancing on a giant squid (or, since Sudan is not in the ocean, ride on a lizard). This person might just want to play around. Or worse, this person might think they’re actually making a difference. But the bottom line is that they are climbing coral reefs and dancing on squids (or riding lizards); not taking any concrete action toward saving Darfur. Another person, however, might be exposed to the virtual world of Darfur and be inspired to do something once he or she logs off, or whatever, of Second Life. Once back in the real world, he or she might donate money to the Save Darfur fund or picket Washington to take more action or actually travel to Sudan. Without Second Life, this particular person may not have thought about engaging in a conflict thousands of miles away from his Cleveland, Ohio, or wherever else, computer desk.
It’s too simple to say that the activist projects in Second Life can or cannot affect change, just like it’s too simple to say that a film depicting the horrors of the meat industry will make everyone who watches it a vegetarian. Some, after watching the film, will never touch another hamburger for the rest of their life; others will be in a line at McDonalds within five minutes of the end credits. Some Second Life users will use the program to further real world action. Others will use the program to play.
I believe the best way to be an activist is to already have a passionate stance on something, and then to actively pursue it. And by pursuing it, I don’t mean as HotGuy123 in a make believe world. I mean as John Smith on Planet Earth. Maybe HotGuy123 finds inspiration from his make believe world, but then he returns to being John Smith, a real human being who can really do things. Perhaps John Smith is worried about how the poor in Los Angeles, California have trouble getting legal advice. He can join Justice Corps, an affiliate of AmeriCorps, and donate his time to helping these people in need with their legal woes. Unfortunately, for all those who might be interested in Justice Corps, it does not operate in New York. Apparently, it is only in Los Angeles. But AmeriCorps is another example of an activist program that an individual can volunteer for and actively make a difference through. Activism is for real people. And inspiration for activism can come in all forms.
Virtual Darfur
Is second life effective as a means of activism?
The second life video on camp Darfur brought up poignant questions on the role of virtual worlds in real life. without giving opinions, it raised questions about the effectivenes of online activism and the possibility of online activism actually distracting from real-life problems. I do not believe that virtual activism is an effective means of change for a few reasons. The first being that second life does not reach enough people and does not involve enough people to even begin to make an impact. Second, even if second life was more broad reaching, this information is already all over the internet and the news. The people that are interested in human rights issues and others who are seeking information already have numerous other sources available with even more information and photographs than second life has. third, Second life is too time consuming for your average citizen to get news and information from. One must develop an avatar, log in, earn "linden dollars", build virtual property, find and wait for the right people to talk with, navigate the world, do mundane life activities, etc. All in all second life seems very involving and most people dont have time in the day to explore this world so it really does not reach out to the general public but only a small niche of internet users. It is more of a social game not a news source and certainly not a practical way to learn about current events. Fourth, sitting in front of a computer for several hundred hours may give somone a false sense of philanthropy and may replace someone's real life efforts that could bring an actual change.
A better way to encourage change is to participate in or donate to organizations such as engineering without borders, doctors without borders, peace corps, red cross, and other aid organizations such as these. A person wanting less involvement could even send out an email to friends informing them of the atrocities in Darfur or post links on sites like facebook.
The second life video on camp Darfur brought up poignant questions on the role of virtual worlds in real life. without giving opinions, it raised questions about the effectivenes of online activism and the possibility of online activism actually distracting from real-life problems. I do not believe that virtual activism is an effective means of change for a few reasons. The first being that second life does not reach enough people and does not involve enough people to even begin to make an impact. Second, even if second life was more broad reaching, this information is already all over the internet and the news. The people that are interested in human rights issues and others who are seeking information already have numerous other sources available with even more information and photographs than second life has. third, Second life is too time consuming for your average citizen to get news and information from. One must develop an avatar, log in, earn "linden dollars", build virtual property, find and wait for the right people to talk with, navigate the world, do mundane life activities, etc. All in all second life seems very involving and most people dont have time in the day to explore this world so it really does not reach out to the general public but only a small niche of internet users. It is more of a social game not a news source and certainly not a practical way to learn about current events. Fourth, sitting in front of a computer for several hundred hours may give somone a false sense of philanthropy and may replace someone's real life efforts that could bring an actual change.
A better way to encourage change is to participate in or donate to organizations such as engineering without borders, doctors without borders, peace corps, red cross, and other aid organizations such as these. A person wanting less involvement could even send out an email to friends informing them of the atrocities in Darfur or post links on sites like facebook.
Virtual Activism
I found the concept of A better world in Second Life to be very interesting. Personally, I do not feel that these activist projects can effect change- I think that they are a good way to maybe spread the word but as for it effecting people I am not so sure. Those who are involved in these second life rallies may feel that it effects change but there are so many people who are not accessing Second Life that I really cant see effecting change in the masses. In my opinion Second Life is a social tool that has gone too far and one that disconnects people from the real world. I think that they only way to effect change is to be proactive- I would think that even talking to one person a day about your cause would have more of an effect than having a rally outside a Virtual Capital Hill jumping up and down and waving around posters- while sitting on your butt in front of the computer screen.
I really liked the concept of the Peace and Justice Center- I like the idea that people can go to one place and find others who may have gone through the same thing as they did and that this can possibly lead to some closure of the wounds through sharing, or just a support system. I also think the fact that Second Life allows people to feel like they are achieving something in life that they could not achieve otherwise. While I think these people should push harder to accomplish their goals in their real life sometimes it is easier for an individual to feel comfortable when it is not their face and voice that goes with the action and it allows more people to be heard.
Second Life VS the Voice of Harsh Reality
The first words that come to mind when watching avatars march on a computer-generated Capital Hill are: How Futile. A Better World In Second Life explores second life activism and the people who believe this serves as a method of helping a cause. Basically, these people engage in activities that are meant to illuminate and bring real world aid to a specific social or international problem, for example the Darfur genocide. The anti-war protest visited was taking place on “Capitol Hill” with 120 avatars in attendance. Each avatar had a typical anti-war slogan written across a virtual sign and engaged in dialogue amongst themselves or journalists. Now here’s a point, how is this reaching the real world? Frankly it’s not. Only the 120 people involved experienced the direct effect and they are all like-minded so what you have is preaching to a non-existent choir. If one is so motivated to take on a protest, get off the computer and re-enter reality as opposed to evading it in pixels. The response, “Aren’t these people reacting to reality? Clearly these are actual social problems, so how can one say that they are evading it?” This is a lack of productivity where an illusion becomes existence - being “productive” in a fake world does NOT translate into real world activism. You cannot give sanction to these activities because they seem to be socially responsible. I will concede that at least the Roots Camp organization is an actual group where they are better able to communicate in second life and their activities are not limited to that sphere. Of course dancing avatars typing out “Humanity before politics” bares no consequence in the real world. If you actually cared about humanity, you would do this in the human world and forget the digital. This “protest” on “Capitol Hill” is an insult to every person who ever had the fortitude to avidly stand up for their beliefs, despite the potential for physical harm. The National Guard cannot fire on or beat avatars.
An activism project that I’m closely related to is not only run by a media company, but is using media to combat a serious problem in our society. Guns 4 Cameras [learn more] is a non-profit division of Eye On It, a media company that does film, television and music videos. The organization was created by the company’s chairman Hezues R’ after a first hand experience with gun violence and his ambition to eradicate these senseless crimes. Guns 4 Cameras works to decrease youth gun violence in urban communities. This activist group is looking to do after school film projects to teach kids how to use cameras and create their own media. They are heavily involved in community outreach to both educate youths and proactively address the problem. They are not in front of a computer screen simulating gun violence to show the havoc it creates in communities and the dire consequences within families. There can be no comparison between second life activism and Guns 4 Cameras. If you do not see the difference use your rational judgment and answer the question: Do I want to see gun taken out of a child’s hand or a computer-generated firearm removed from a place that exists only on the internet?
An activism project that I’m closely related to is not only run by a media company, but is using media to combat a serious problem in our society. Guns 4 Cameras [learn more] is a non-profit division of Eye On It, a media company that does film, television and music videos. The organization was created by the company’s chairman Hezues R’ after a first hand experience with gun violence and his ambition to eradicate these senseless crimes. Guns 4 Cameras works to decrease youth gun violence in urban communities. This activist group is looking to do after school film projects to teach kids how to use cameras and create their own media. They are heavily involved in community outreach to both educate youths and proactively address the problem. They are not in front of a computer screen simulating gun violence to show the havoc it creates in communities and the dire consequences within families. There can be no comparison between second life activism and Guns 4 Cameras. If you do not see the difference use your rational judgment and answer the question: Do I want to see gun taken out of a child’s hand or a computer-generated firearm removed from a place that exists only on the internet?
Digitally Progressive: RootsCamp in Second Life
RootsCamp is an organization that coordinates activities to promote and further progressive change. This group has entities in both real life and the virtual world, Second Life. While looking at Josh Levy’s machinima documentary on social activism in Second Life, I was able to see several of the ways in which the Second Life extension of RootsCamp operated. The details shown in A Better World in Second Life? made me wonder to what extent this particular virtual activist group accomplishes social change in reality.
The particular group interested me the most partly because of its broad-reaching ideas. As a progressive group, it can serve to further the ideas of many more niche organizations, as well as garner a large audience for itself. One thing that captured me greatly about this group as well was one of their forms of virtual activism: a protest on Capitol Hill in Second Life. At first, this type of activism seems like a great idea. It’s a spot that is famous in real life, and so should probably have a good amount of visitors in Second Life on a regular basis; it’s also much easier for protestors from around the country to reach this location than in real life. However, when images of the protest were shown, I immediately began to question how much activism was actually talking place. The area seemed to be filled with only protestors; it was as if they were all just preaching to the choir. Also, the “dancing” that users had their avatars doing definitely took away from the seriousness of the event. It was mentioned, though, that protestors had the opportunity to speak with journalists, a great opportunity indeed. And even if most, or all, or those journalists were not professionals, but home bloggers, it is still a great way to spread the word. Still, it seems like a minimal amount of promotion for the amount of time spent.
RootsCamp used Second Life in other ways as well. Though not as immediately striking as the idea of a march on Capitol Hill, these activities actually seem like they would have a greater potential for effecting change. Levy was taken to a site by RootsCamp organizer Ruby Sinreich (avatar Ruby Glitter), where signs created by protestors were put on display. It was a very interesting spectacle, and brought up ideas of the ability to have such work reach many eyes without being published in a popular publication. What was most important to me about this form of activism was its permanence; even after protesters dissipated, these signs would remain, gathered and tall, for any passers-by to see, and contemplate. RootsCamp’s other interesting activity was their meetings. Members meet once a week in Second Life, bringing people from around the country to one place. The potential for this seems great; through this type of meeting, activities could be coordinated in real life across the country. Unfortunately, it seemed as though the meeting that Levy attended as his avatar was low in attendance.
Second Life provides great opportunities for networking and building an audience around a cause. There are many ways to take advantage of this opportunity, and hold activist events both within real life and Second Life. However, activists should remember that their goals ultimately must manifest in real life; the time spent on activism in Second Life should be used in the most effective ways possible to bring about change in real life. At the end of the day, it’s less about where activism takes place, and more about how many people observe it. Wherever it is observed, the issues will ultimately make their way back to real life eventually. However, it seems that RootsCamp has a way to go in growing and using its presence in Second Life to get their activities seen and their words heard.
The particular group interested me the most partly because of its broad-reaching ideas. As a progressive group, it can serve to further the ideas of many more niche organizations, as well as garner a large audience for itself. One thing that captured me greatly about this group as well was one of their forms of virtual activism: a protest on Capitol Hill in Second Life. At first, this type of activism seems like a great idea. It’s a spot that is famous in real life, and so should probably have a good amount of visitors in Second Life on a regular basis; it’s also much easier for protestors from around the country to reach this location than in real life. However, when images of the protest were shown, I immediately began to question how much activism was actually talking place. The area seemed to be filled with only protestors; it was as if they were all just preaching to the choir. Also, the “dancing” that users had their avatars doing definitely took away from the seriousness of the event. It was mentioned, though, that protestors had the opportunity to speak with journalists, a great opportunity indeed. And even if most, or all, or those journalists were not professionals, but home bloggers, it is still a great way to spread the word. Still, it seems like a minimal amount of promotion for the amount of time spent.RootsCamp used Second Life in other ways as well. Though not as immediately striking as the idea of a march on Capitol Hill, these activities actually seem like they would have a greater potential for effecting change. Levy was taken to a site by RootsCamp organizer Ruby Sinreich (avatar Ruby Glitter), where signs created by protestors were put on display. It was a very interesting spectacle, and brought up ideas of the ability to have such work reach many eyes without being published in a popular publication. What was most important to me about this form of activism was its permanence; even after protesters dissipated, these signs would remain, gathered and tall, for any passers-by to see, and contemplate. RootsCamp’s other interesting activity was their meetings. Members meet once a week in Second Life, bringing people from around the country to one place. The potential for this seems great; through this type of meeting, activities could be coordinated in real life across the country. Unfortunately, it seemed as though the meeting that Levy attended as his avatar was low in attendance.
Second Life provides great opportunities for networking and building an audience around a cause. There are many ways to take advantage of this opportunity, and hold activist events both within real life and Second Life. However, activists should remember that their goals ultimately must manifest in real life; the time spent on activism in Second Life should be used in the most effective ways possible to bring about change in real life. At the end of the day, it’s less about where activism takes place, and more about how many people observe it. Wherever it is observed, the issues will ultimately make their way back to real life eventually. However, it seems that RootsCamp has a way to go in growing and using its presence in Second Life to get their activities seen and their words heard.
Activism on Second Life + My Pick For The Most Effective Form of Activism
The first segment of the documentary about Second Life featured an virtual anti-war protest that Ruby Glitter helped organize. This protest involved many avatars coming together in front of a virtual Capitol Hill and exchanging their dissatisfactions with each other. Ruby Glitter is later shown having a meeting with a group of like-minded avatars on Progressive Island to do more planning and to have more in depth discussions on the topics that were or will be focused on during this and future protests.
What interests me about Ruby Sinreich's project is that she, and people like her, allow one to become an activist from their bedroom. No longer is it necessary to go to Union Square with a megaphone to make your voice heard. It is this level of convenience that I find the most interesting about her project.
While this type of activism does provide a medium for like-minded people to come together and exchange ideas and anxieties, it has thus far not proven to be very effective as far as making an impact on the real world. As somebody brought up in class (my apologies for forgetting who it was), organizing protests even in the real world usually makes very little impact, if any at all. To be fair, I do agree with the person who made the Darfur refugee camp replicas on Second Life that virtual activism does help people become more informed and more involved (which is also very important), but the question asked in this assignment deals with how much real-life impact virtual activism has and the answer is still very little.
In my opinion, the most effective and time-proven for of activism is martyrdom. Traditionally and even today, dying for what you believe in (in as public a manner as possible, of course) is usually the best way to get your message across. I am by no means advocating that anybody do this and I will not necessarily ever go to such lengths myself, but I do feel that this is the most effective form of activism that has ever existed. While people protesting in front of the Capitol building (whether in real life or on Second Life) are very often ignored by politicians and major news networks, terrorists who kill themselves and take others with them usually get exactly what they want from their form of "activism": mass panic and even a 'War on Terror' dedicated especially to them, all while winning the hearts and minds of their target audience. While it is very unfortunate, martyrdom definitely wins in terms of actual results.
virtual life
About virtual world’s discussion, we use second life on line game as an example. When second life was developed, a decision was made to use primitives, because they are lighter weight. But with respect to collaborative work and saying virtual worlds is a bad substitute for real life – I’m not sure I agree. With the introduction of voice, with shared viewing of objects, collaboration in these environments is extremely powerful. We can say that it was more human then much of what we experienced in the day light realm of live beings. You can hang out with different friends, talking, drinking. It’s wired if you don’t feel you are one of them right now. Even a kid under 15 is very familiar with these worlds, it’s usual for them to sample the thoughts to 20-30s people. As the same time, there are great place to exhibit your thoughts and experience, Such as the charity and memory in the video. They are even link the second life to the real one by using the virtual space the present the idea to people online, which is harder to show for a long time in the real realm and breaks the Geographical limitations to the whole world. So the second life is not just a game or says a bored person who is setting at the computer and tries to find some fun. It actually showing something positive to the world.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Second Life--Gave it a TRY!!!!
So before I held any real judgement towards the program "Second Life", I thought I should really give it a try. I googled some information about "Second Life" just to be more informed on what it was about. I finally created a Second Life name, and they asked for my Real name. I entered the Second Life world, in which after a few minutes or walking around and occasionally flying, I was confused as to what to do, the tutorial did not help either.
Putting that on hold, I went back and viewed the videos we saw in class and I agree there are some things which are beneficial to Second Life and other things that are useless. I think for the sake of protests, 9/11 remembrance, and other awareness using Second Life would be useful. However as far as just using it to hang out and socialize I don't see the need for it except prohibiting people for meeting others in Real Life. It is hindering people social skills.
I am a firm believer that using Second Life for school purposes would be a great thing. Online classes are ideal to begin with but adding the aspect of Second Life would allow students to be able to have the idea of a classroom without actually being there. Amazing if you ask me!!!
After an hour of using or trying to use Second Life, I deleted my account since I had no real use nor joy to use the program. Maybe one day I will if Hunter professor decide to use "Second Life" for online classes, till then I see no need except awareness why people should use "Second Life."
Camp Darfur
As I saw Josh Levy's 'Camp Darfur' segment, it really brought another light into my thinking. Honestly, when I first saw these clips in class, I really thought this whole 2nd Life thing was a joke and a waste of time. I still somewhat feel the same about it; however, I was humbled on how much the people cared for this cause to spend so much time and effort into making those things happen because I am here doing nothing and just judging them (like IN KENZO) for doing such things.
I do not know if I will now join activist groups to help this cause, persay, but it definitely was very informational where I learned a whole lot even if it was through the eyes & interpretations of Josh Levy. So I cannot say that it will induce physical change & action right away. However, it can totally bring about a emotional & spiritual movement to keep the victims, like in Darfur, in our prayers, which could definitely cajole into radical change in the long-run.
I believe for activist groups to be affective, they must be done in the virtual world where everyone can see and hear, first hand, on what is being said. One example, which I want mention that I do not follow, is the Gay Community. They protested their beliefs out in the open for everyone to hear. They held on to what they believed and as a result, the view of homosexuality has become less negative to the general public. It was because of their zeal and belief of having their voice heard that coming up to this point was even possible. The homosexual view is not something I agree with; However, I do have tremendous respect and love for them, for we are all brothers and sisters from one Creator to love one another as we love Him.
I do not know if I will now join activist groups to help this cause, persay, but it definitely was very informational where I learned a whole lot even if it was through the eyes & interpretations of Josh Levy. So I cannot say that it will induce physical change & action right away. However, it can totally bring about a emotional & spiritual movement to keep the victims, like in Darfur, in our prayers, which could definitely cajole into radical change in the long-run.
I believe for activist groups to be affective, they must be done in the virtual world where everyone can see and hear, first hand, on what is being said. One example, which I want mention that I do not follow, is the Gay Community. They protested their beliefs out in the open for everyone to hear. They held on to what they believed and as a result, the view of homosexuality has become less negative to the general public. It was because of their zeal and belief of having their voice heard that coming up to this point was even possible. The homosexual view is not something I agree with; However, I do have tremendous respect and love for them, for we are all brothers and sisters from one Creator to love one another as we love Him.
Winged Faeries for Action
“It’s possible that Second Life builds like this actually detract from activism by offering participants a fake sense of social engagement,” Josh Levy reflects as his avatar leaves Camp Darfur, a simulated protest site within Second Life replete with graphic photographs, RSS news feeds, and statistics on the genocide being committed in Sudan. “But it’s also possible,” he continues, “that by seeing images we’ve never seen before and engaging with each other in new ways, we can be moved by the unique qualities of Second Life to make a difference in real life.” Levy’s commentary on this is insightful, but in relegating his scope to the world of Second Life he neglects the problems of activism at large.
To consider the effectiveness of activism in Second Life, we first must consider the intent of activism as a whole. I have no particular expertise on this subject, but what strikes me about most projects labeled “activism” is their paradox: their professed goal is to effect a specific change; however, they rarely achieve this in any direct, immediate way. So, why do people continue to trample the Central Park grass shouting and carrying signs? Mostly, I think it’s about community and consciousness. So let’s discuss activism in Second Life from this perspective.
Human beings, as we like to say, are social animals. When I went with some friends to Central Park (in real life-2002) and walked around with thousands of people in protest of the imminent invasion of Iraq, the effect on those in government was not as desired. I’m not sure if we expected it to be as desired. It is the first and last time I’ve ever been to a large, organized protest. I didn’t know much about the situation or the politics involved. Here’s why I went: my friends were going. And, in general it seemed to be about social engagement. People were collecting information, distributing information, looking at photos, and talking to each other.
This model doesn’t seem so much different from the one represented by Camp Darfur in Second Life. One of the challenges of activism is to raise consciousness in people who are otherwise not conscious of a problem. To do this, activists must bring the information to the places people live – the places they like to spend their time. One of our prejudices against Second Life seem to be that it offers an inauthentic reality, but whether we like it or not, a lot of people spend a lot of time there. This makes it a reasonable place to expend energy distributing information. People who care will consume the information; people who don’t care won’t. Just like in the real world.
In this sense, Second Life is a better option than a demonstration in Central Park. A rally is an artificial event, constructed for only one purpose, in place people might not otherwise spend much time (how often, e.g., do you ordinarily visit Central Park?). The Second Life build is integrated into a place where people are already hanging out. Your avatar can just fly on over. As to Ethan Zuckerman, the human rights activist who charges that a better option would be to make a website than a 3-D space, he’s right. But this problem isn’t specific to Second Life. Frankly, marchers on Capitol Hill and in Central Park would be better off making a website or donating money or donating more constructive time than shouting and marching. The same can be said for activist demonstrations across the spectrum. But people need to share information socially.
For example, no one event of the Civil Rights movement was responsible for its success in improving conditions for minorities in America. And, of course, that success is not unqualified. But that’s how these thing work. Information is handed down, social gatherings and small acts of defiance contribute to the collective consciousness, and slowly, change becomes impossible to deny. If that information needs to be handed down in a 3-D space, so be it. That space is a reality of our current world. The point is that, without the information being available in Second Life, many Second Life escapists would not be apprised of conditions in Darfur. The point is that it’s better for the weird multi-colored faerie lady to share information in Second Life than not to share it at all.
To consider the effectiveness of activism in Second Life, we first must consider the intent of activism as a whole. I have no particular expertise on this subject, but what strikes me about most projects labeled “activism” is their paradox: their professed goal is to effect a specific change; however, they rarely achieve this in any direct, immediate way. So, why do people continue to trample the Central Park grass shouting and carrying signs? Mostly, I think it’s about community and consciousness. So let’s discuss activism in Second Life from this perspective.
Human beings, as we like to say, are social animals. When I went with some friends to Central Park (in real life-2002) and walked around with thousands of people in protest of the imminent invasion of Iraq, the effect on those in government was not as desired. I’m not sure if we expected it to be as desired. It is the first and last time I’ve ever been to a large, organized protest. I didn’t know much about the situation or the politics involved. Here’s why I went: my friends were going. And, in general it seemed to be about social engagement. People were collecting information, distributing information, looking at photos, and talking to each other.
This model doesn’t seem so much different from the one represented by Camp Darfur in Second Life. One of the challenges of activism is to raise consciousness in people who are otherwise not conscious of a problem. To do this, activists must bring the information to the places people live – the places they like to spend their time. One of our prejudices against Second Life seem to be that it offers an inauthentic reality, but whether we like it or not, a lot of people spend a lot of time there. This makes it a reasonable place to expend energy distributing information. People who care will consume the information; people who don’t care won’t. Just like in the real world.
In this sense, Second Life is a better option than a demonstration in Central Park. A rally is an artificial event, constructed for only one purpose, in place people might not otherwise spend much time (how often, e.g., do you ordinarily visit Central Park?). The Second Life build is integrated into a place where people are already hanging out. Your avatar can just fly on over. As to Ethan Zuckerman, the human rights activist who charges that a better option would be to make a website than a 3-D space, he’s right. But this problem isn’t specific to Second Life. Frankly, marchers on Capitol Hill and in Central Park would be better off making a website or donating money or donating more constructive time than shouting and marching. The same can be said for activist demonstrations across the spectrum. But people need to share information socially.
For example, no one event of the Civil Rights movement was responsible for its success in improving conditions for minorities in America. And, of course, that success is not unqualified. But that’s how these thing work. Information is handed down, social gatherings and small acts of defiance contribute to the collective consciousness, and slowly, change becomes impossible to deny. If that information needs to be handed down in a 3-D space, so be it. That space is a reality of our current world. The point is that, without the information being available in Second Life, many Second Life escapists would not be apprised of conditions in Darfur. The point is that it’s better for the weird multi-colored faerie lady to share information in Second Life than not to share it at all.
Virtual Activism- Why Not?
According to a dictionary definition, activism is "the use of direct, often confrontational action, such as a demonstration or strike, in opposition to or support of a cause". And virtual activism is not an exception of activism. When people have a strong opinion towards a particular matter, they have to show in public. And they want more and more people to notice and think of the movement they are trying to move. Chances to be seen will be better if activists take a place in many places. This doesn't matter where it takes place. This can be online, at school, in front of White House, it is very important to be noticeable.
The activist project I chose is Center for Water Studies, and this organization is a group of people who are interested in keeping water clean. Following one of the avatar from this group will take you to many places to see nature like deep into the ocean, and big lakes. The purpose is to make people curious about water, and they want to give us opportunity to be interested in nature.
Many people think we destroy nature since there are many people who do not care about the nature. So, the point is that they want more and more people to know nature is great, and making water dirty kills those cute animals! So, those people are try to provoke our consciousness. People sometimes forget that we are relying on water, so they always want to remind people. Just like we put sticky notes everywhere on the fridge, on agenda, set the alarm with cellphone in order not to forget something important.
These days more and more people use social networking sites such as My Space and Facebook. And those are not too far away from Second Life. Even though the biggest difference is that we know our friends most of the time on social networking sites, but it is easy to create our characters which differ from the real life. I sometimes the image I have towards a friend is different in Facebook. They become more friendly. They also can make communities like groups of fans and they can share their opinion with somebody else, and other can agree with that.
I do not know too many people who do Second Life, but if there are enough people involved, it can affect real world. Just like social networking sites have a big impact on our life now, but nobody could have imagined 10 years ago.
The activist project I chose is Center for Water Studies, and this organization is a group of people who are interested in keeping water clean. Following one of the avatar from this group will take you to many places to see nature like deep into the ocean, and big lakes. The purpose is to make people curious about water, and they want to give us opportunity to be interested in nature.
Many people think we destroy nature since there are many people who do not care about the nature. So, the point is that they want more and more people to know nature is great, and making water dirty kills those cute animals! So, those people are try to provoke our consciousness. People sometimes forget that we are relying on water, so they always want to remind people. Just like we put sticky notes everywhere on the fridge, on agenda, set the alarm with cellphone in order not to forget something important.
These days more and more people use social networking sites such as My Space and Facebook. And those are not too far away from Second Life. Even though the biggest difference is that we know our friends most of the time on social networking sites, but it is easy to create our characters which differ from the real life. I sometimes the image I have towards a friend is different in Facebook. They become more friendly. They also can make communities like groups of fans and they can share their opinion with somebody else, and other can agree with that.
I do not know too many people who do Second Life, but if there are enough people involved, it can affect real world. Just like social networking sites have a big impact on our life now, but nobody could have imagined 10 years ago.
Virtual Activism - Waste of time?
Activism in many ways helps provide society with a deeper view of reality. The causes that people support today tend to have a goal, which usually changes a portion of society for the better. People most of the time support causes through first-hand activism; however, a new type of activism is arising through virtual reality. Is this new form of activism more effective or less effective?
The project that I am going to discuss is the “Anti-War Protest and RootsCamp” project. This project was about a real life organization named RootsCamp, who decided to take their protest against the war to the virtual world. This project serves the same purpose of a real life protest, which is to get more supporters; a statement from one of the characters in the video displays: “Invite others. Keep the movement strong.” The project also had a lot of other issues which involved George Bush, fascism, and generally war. This project interests me because I find it controversial as to whether these virtual war protests have any effect in reality at all. I can sort of understand that in reality it may be hard to reach protestors of war in the country in which the war is taking place; and the only way to reach them is through a virtual world; however, in my opinion trying to gain supporters from a person’s own country through a virtual world seems sort of pointless.
Here’s an example of why I think it is pointless. In the virtual world, where there are many users who are cut off from their real lives, with the substitution of their virtual lives, do show a promising number of users in which a group can gain support because it was pointed out in one of the videos that the number of users did increase drastically; however, even if an organization does gain the support of many users, how many of those users will actually disconnect themselves from the virtual world to actually join the same organization in the real world because we all know that supporting an organization in a fake world has no meaning due to the fact that politicians probably don’t use Second Life and/or don’t have the time to use Second Life because of their priorities in their real lives.
An organization in the real world named the Breast Cancer Foundation proves to be effective in gaining support because Breast Cancer can occur in about half of the population of this world (I don’t know the ratio of men to women in the world). However, my point is that if the Breast Cancer Foundation was to use Second Life or any other virtual world to gain supporters, it would be a waste of time, because spending time in the virtual world takes away from the real world; if the supporters are willing to spend more time in a virtual world, they are obviously willing to spend less time in the real world where the support really has an effect because like I stated earlier, how many of the supporters will actually leave the virtual world to spend more time in the real world’s organization.
The project that I am going to discuss is the “Anti-War Protest and RootsCamp” project. This project was about a real life organization named RootsCamp, who decided to take their protest against the war to the virtual world. This project serves the same purpose of a real life protest, which is to get more supporters; a statement from one of the characters in the video displays: “Invite others. Keep the movement strong.” The project also had a lot of other issues which involved George Bush, fascism, and generally war. This project interests me because I find it controversial as to whether these virtual war protests have any effect in reality at all. I can sort of understand that in reality it may be hard to reach protestors of war in the country in which the war is taking place; and the only way to reach them is through a virtual world; however, in my opinion trying to gain supporters from a person’s own country through a virtual world seems sort of pointless.
Here’s an example of why I think it is pointless. In the virtual world, where there are many users who are cut off from their real lives, with the substitution of their virtual lives, do show a promising number of users in which a group can gain support because it was pointed out in one of the videos that the number of users did increase drastically; however, even if an organization does gain the support of many users, how many of those users will actually disconnect themselves from the virtual world to actually join the same organization in the real world because we all know that supporting an organization in a fake world has no meaning due to the fact that politicians probably don’t use Second Life and/or don’t have the time to use Second Life because of their priorities in their real lives.
An organization in the real world named the Breast Cancer Foundation proves to be effective in gaining support because Breast Cancer can occur in about half of the population of this world (I don’t know the ratio of men to women in the world). However, my point is that if the Breast Cancer Foundation was to use Second Life or any other virtual world to gain supporters, it would be a waste of time, because spending time in the virtual world takes away from the real world; if the supporters are willing to spend more time in a virtual world, they are obviously willing to spend less time in the real world where the support really has an effect because like I stated earlier, how many of the supporters will actually leave the virtual world to spend more time in the real world’s organization.
Second Life Activisism: Does it Translate to Real Life?
After viewing the Levjoy videos on activisism in the virtual world "Second Life" I started a conversation with my husband on activisism and what constitutes real activisism. Our conclusion was "if what you do effects real changes in your world, then you have activisism".
Although I was intrigued by the Peace and Justice Center, a Second Life Build that focuses on both memorials for those who have passed because of war and/or tragedies (a nephew died on 9/11/2001) and information on the situation in Iraq (including emails from Iraqi civilians on daily life in Iraq and Baghdad), I was struck by how few people seemed to be there, and how little real information was available for another person visiting the center to get involved back in their real world.
None of the projects in the video really grabbed me as far as being interesting enough for me to want to know more. My husband and I continued our conversation while I re-watched the videos, and we came up with an idea based off of the style of the Peace and Justice Center.
My passion is breast cancer awareness. It runs in the family (grandmother, aunt, mother) and my mother-in-law has also had breast cancer. Too many others that I know have had it. A woman I work with lost a cousin to the disease this year because she didn't get diagnosed early enough.
What if I could build something in Second Life that would allow others to post pictures, videos, audio and emails from those they know who have gone through or are going through treatments for breast cancer? What if I could link into other places on the web that give places to donate real time and money in people's own real life communities to breast cancer awareness? There could be video on "how to check for breast cancer"; there could be links to cancer centers in various locations so that people could get more medical information. There could be links to real world gatherings like the "Run for Awareness" that happens in Central Park in the spring.
If you can take the virtual world and link it back to real world doing, then you have real activisism. What is happening in Second Life now is a start, but it isn't translating into real world change just yet. Perhaps, as people begin to link sites together, and more people around the world get both access and web-savvy, there can be real changes made to the world we have to live in.
Within this virtual world, one can make a digital 3D character and maintain a lifestyle of their discretion. During the video in class, we saw Josh Levy come to an anti-war protest at a virtual Capital Hill. In 2nd Life, this activist project interested me because of the possibilities of what can be created through the imagination. As he talks to Roots Campers, Ruby and Drew, he finds how places like in Progressive Island, groups can meet and chat through 2nd Life in an embodied manner and discuss important issues. I think personal, yet virtual, means of communication like these can greatly affect the change in non-virtual life. Through these secondary life characters, one can convey the ideas of what could or should happen in reality. If a person was to venture further into the life of these virtual beings, it is possible that one can convey a story through the 1st person. If a film was produced with virtual characters, about the life of college student, one can put connect the digital to that which could take place in reality. In 50 Cent’s “My Buddy” video, the idea of 2nd life is also portrayed. Through the music and the virtual characters of G-Unit, an aspect of their “reality” is conveyed. I think that this idea can be used in a various ways to stimulate a change within entertainment, as well as the non-virtual world.
50 Cent's "My Buddy" Official Music VideoTime To Unplug?
Second Life, an internet phenomenon that came to my attention at the beginning of our Media 180 course, is without a doubt an interesting, albeit slightly disarming, phenomena.
Being well aware that there are millions upon millions of people across the world who invest a substantial amount of their time in the virtual world, whether that be in video games, alternate realities such as Second Life, or simply their involvement with the internet, it seems a valid concern to evaluate the effects of these increasingly time consuming activities.
In Second Life, the idea of 'virtual activism' is far reaching. Users and real life charities alike have created their own sections or areas to provide information on topics as far ranging as environmental sustainability to the crisis in Darfur.
The simulated Darfurian refugee camp was of particular interest to me while watching the documentary on Second Life. Josh Levy, the creator of the documentary, takes notice that there were only several avatars in the camp at the time. While I do believe there is potential in the effectiveness of this method to inform the public about the crisis at hand, my instinct is that the time used to even create these virtual areas could be spent in a more productive and substantial manner.
Activism and charitable giving, whether online or through real life activity, is overwhelmingly needed and a greatly overlooked necessity. According to UNICEF, over 80% of the world's population lives in poverty and 25,000 children die daily of hunger. These statistics are staggering.
Perhaps, instead of spending hours programming code to create virtual 'areas' of an online game such as Second Life, one could spend just a few moments researching the endless local and international opportunities available to lend a hand in an extremely life-changing method.
One such organization, with whom I have had the wonderful opportunity of working with, is that of Doctors Without Borders. Sending doctors to areas with little or no health care, especially concerning infants and children, this organization assists in providing life saving vaccinations and treatment. They need volunteers and donations at all times and the lives you are helping to dramatically change is greater than anything, in my opinion, that could ever be done in Second Life.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Virtual Capitol Hill !!!!!!!!
The emergence of the entertaining game “Second life” in the virtual world, has led to various controversies over whether it would distract its users from the real life instead of amusing them. However, what many people didn’t expect from “Second life” is the fact that it could possibly become an arena where social and political activists try to persuade the public to stand for their goals and causes.In the close study project “A better world in second life”, a virtual anti-war protest is organized by a progressive group in front of virtual Capitol Hill drawing more than 120 avatars. Who are calling for the end of the Iraq War and promoting peace throughout the world.What interests me the most about this activist project is the fact that it drew as many as 120 people to be present and protesting virtually, with anti-war and anti-Bush signs and slogans. Which in my view is disappointing and an unfortunate waste of time.Not that I think expressing your freedom of speech or protesting against the war is a waste of energy, but the fact that it is being done through “Second life” is what disturbs me. I strongly doubt and believe that such virtual activism will lead to any significant change of war policy or even affect real life events, which is the most important thing to achieve in terms of activism. If only those 120 people could duplicate their efforts in front real Capitol hill, maybe and I emphasize maybe there could be significant results.From my perspective, I find that global warming activist groups such as “wecansoveit.org” are a great example of a growingly effective and influential assembly. This organization has over 2 million members and is actively working in the REAL WORLD to raise more awareness about the climate crisis issue, and the proof of its success can be sensed by the various change in governmental policies throughout the world from raising caps on carbon emissions and promoting hybrid and electrical car technologies.That’s what I consider effective activism.
NOT FOR ME but COULD BE GREAT FOR THE YOUNGER GENERATION
The internet routing table has been growing rapidly for the past few years; this growth continues to see substantial acceleration. The hottest place in the internet seems to be in a “Better world in second life,” – a new revolution in the way we could live, shop, work, and interact with anyone, turning yourself loose and explore other worlds.
This “fake” world – as we all know, is different from the real world we live in. I live in the present and have no time whatsoever to live in a “second life.” I do my “reveries” either during the day or at night and that’s plenty for me. Whatever time I have available, I socialize with real people in real life. We just do not pretend living in the real world – we live it.
This digital world is built and owned by its residents; allowing residents to create everything from their own bodies, structure and vehicles to social groups, games and experiences. It has become a culture that is - learning from each other. In the real world, we still have borders, displaying the signs of “no entry,” and in the second life, it seems the borders “space” continue to exist as they are being re-introduced. One would think about removing those borders in the second life, where we would finally live freely, without any borders.
Universal issues, like, global warming, discrimination, racism, feeding the homeless, helping the children in poor countries, together with all our social issues, should be voiced in the real world, not in the “fake world.” If you personally want to do something good for the world we live in, do it now with the help of real people in real organizations, not in the “Second life.” An alternative would be to use the newspaper to voice political opinions where non-users of the internet would have immediate access. On the other hand, if we have time, or feel depressed or lonely, and want to have some fun, we can continue our “reverie,” by visiting “Better world in second life.”
This “fake” world – as we all know, is different from the real world we live in. I live in the present and have no time whatsoever to live in a “second life.” I do my “reveries” either during the day or at night and that’s plenty for me. Whatever time I have available, I socialize with real people in real life. We just do not pretend living in the real world – we live it.
This digital world is built and owned by its residents; allowing residents to create everything from their own bodies, structure and vehicles to social groups, games and experiences. It has become a culture that is - learning from each other. In the real world, we still have borders, displaying the signs of “no entry,” and in the second life, it seems the borders “space” continue to exist as they are being re-introduced. One would think about removing those borders in the second life, where we would finally live freely, without any borders.
Universal issues, like, global warming, discrimination, racism, feeding the homeless, helping the children in poor countries, together with all our social issues, should be voiced in the real world, not in the “fake world.” If you personally want to do something good for the world we live in, do it now with the help of real people in real organizations, not in the “Second life.” An alternative would be to use the newspaper to voice political opinions where non-users of the internet would have immediate access. On the other hand, if we have time, or feel depressed or lonely, and want to have some fun, we can continue our “reverie,” by visiting “Better world in second life.”
Friday, August 7, 2009
Second Life - Darfur
The Darfur camp interested me because I think that most people turn away from these images and if a story isn’t on the front page of whatever they are reading, it gets lost. Darfur has been in the news so long that unfortunately I think it has become an ‘out of sight out of mind’ thing.
That people can run into this crisis and learn about it in a world that is ostensibly just for fun should bring home that this isn’t going away and that it is indeed a grave issue that needs attention. I’m not sure that the camp in the virtual world will actually affect change in the real world in any major way, but at the minimum it can expose more people to the issue. Out of all the people that come across this area and listen to the stories or see the images, if even one goes out and does something then it has served a purpose.
I would consider effective activism to be things like raising money to send supplies there, actually taking food there, helping refugees who have arrived here (in the States) and need help learning the language or learning marketable skills. There are various charity organizations and NGO affiliated outlets that work towards this, and there are volunteer organizations (like NY Cares or the IRC) that help immigrants that are newly arrived here.
I don’t know of online activism other than web petitions but I'm sure there are many. The reach of the net is useful for spreading news of events or causes that otherwise many people wouldn’t know of. Though I don’t know how much direct activism comes of it, using the net for informative and humanitarian purposes is a great use of its capabilities.
That people can run into this crisis and learn about it in a world that is ostensibly just for fun should bring home that this isn’t going away and that it is indeed a grave issue that needs attention. I’m not sure that the camp in the virtual world will actually affect change in the real world in any major way, but at the minimum it can expose more people to the issue. Out of all the people that come across this area and listen to the stories or see the images, if even one goes out and does something then it has served a purpose.
I would consider effective activism to be things like raising money to send supplies there, actually taking food there, helping refugees who have arrived here (in the States) and need help learning the language or learning marketable skills. There are various charity organizations and NGO affiliated outlets that work towards this, and there are volunteer organizations (like NY Cares or the IRC) that help immigrants that are newly arrived here.
I don’t know of online activism other than web petitions but I'm sure there are many. The reach of the net is useful for spreading news of events or causes that otherwise many people wouldn’t know of. Though I don’t know how much direct activism comes of it, using the net for informative and humanitarian purposes is a great use of its capabilities.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
email repost
Since some people seem to not get my emails, I'm re-posting the email I sent you here:
Dear students,
Here is the link in case you needed to review any of the parts of the Second Life machinima documentary we watched in class.:
http://levjoy.blip.tv/posts?view=archive&nsfw=dc
I look forward to reading your responses.
Also, I realized I should have clarified: activism does not mean leftist or liberal causes, even though that is what we saw in the film. Examples of causes that are centrist or conservative are of course also welcome and provide variety for us to examine. (One thing I've looked into is using technology to spread Christian messages -- in fact I just read that there is a group of people translating the bible into LOLcats!).
QUIZ #2 is graded and almost everyone improved. I will hand them back on Monday if possible.
In case you want to get a head start for class this week and studying for the Final, it will cover the second half of Chapter 10 (on Internet), the Boyd reading, the Jenkins reading (for MONDAY), Chapter 11 on Advertising, and the Lessig reading (for WEDS, on Black board). We also have three great in class screenings. I'll get the lecture notes and videos for this week up on Sunday.
As previously stated, we are no longer doing the PR chapter for this class. Monday=Convergence, Tuesday=Advertising, Wednesday=Copyright and Thursday is your exam.
I will re-send writing assignment grades to those who wrote me. If you haven't received any writing assignment grades by the end of the day, you should email me.
Have a good weekend,
Sarah Wright
--
www.sarahnelsonwright.com
Dear students,
Here is the link in case you needed to review any of the parts of the Second Life machinima documentary we watched in class.:
http://levjoy.blip.tv/posts?
I look forward to reading your responses.
Also, I realized I should have clarified: activism does not mean leftist or liberal causes, even though that is what we saw in the film. Examples of causes that are centrist or conservative are of course also welcome and provide variety for us to examine. (One thing I've looked into is using technology to spread Christian messages -- in fact I just read that there is a group of people translating the bible into LOLcats!).
QUIZ #2 is graded and almost everyone improved. I will hand them back on Monday if possible.
In case you want to get a head start for class this week and studying for the Final, it will cover the second half of Chapter 10 (on Internet), the Boyd reading, the Jenkins reading (for MONDAY), Chapter 11 on Advertising, and the Lessig reading (for WEDS, on Black board). We also have three great in class screenings. I'll get the lecture notes and videos for this week up on Sunday.
As previously stated, we are no longer doing the PR chapter for this class. Monday=Convergence, Tuesday=Advertising, Wednesday=Copyright and Thursday is your exam.
I will re-send writing assignment grades to those who wrote me. If you haven't received any writing assignment grades by the end of the day, you should email me.
Have a good weekend,
Sarah Wright
--
www.sarahnelsonwright.com
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Not An Assignment, But I Thought It Might Be Interesting...
Stats Confirm It: Teens Don’t Tweet
Mashable is a web site covering news in online social media. Hop around the site if you're interested, or want to learn more about online social media, how they are used, and the different ways they are changing our society and how we operate.
-Curtis
Mashable is a web site covering news in online social media. Hop around the site if you're interested, or want to learn more about online social media, how they are used, and the different ways they are changing our society and how we operate.
-Curtis
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Skinny Geeky and smart!
while looking through TV shows trying to find a form of stereotype I flipped through and came across "Save by the Bell". As i enjoyed my old childhood TV show i begin to realize that it too had a stereotype. Screech! Screech who was the clown of the bunch was a very obvious stereotype. Screech Was the smart one from the group but what made him funny was the fact he was skinny very geeky and clumsy. Over and over the show built on these characteristics to make Screechs character funnier. It seem that in order to be a genius you had to fit in those charcteristics. Even a few of the other students who were extrememly smart were extremly geeky. I started to think where else did TV sitcom do this and I remembered "Family Matters".
Who can forget Steve Urkel. He was the star and back bone of the show and his main charcteristics were the same as Screech. Extremely smart, extrremely geeky and of course extremely clumsy. Through out the whole show Steve would always break something, it seem like he had no control over it. As smart as he was he was equivaliently clumsy. And this was humorous to all of us. He was smart enough to make robots, machines to ulter his DNA but yet he couldn't get across the living room with out breaking something.
Though not an obvious stereotype like race or sexuility nevertheless it was one. And now that i think about it i can recall many times back in grade school or J.H.S how many times we would use the term "Screech" or " steve Urkel" to describe someone who was geeky and smart.
Who can forget Steve Urkel. He was the star and back bone of the show and his main charcteristics were the same as Screech. Extremely smart, extrremely geeky and of course extremely clumsy. Through out the whole show Steve would always break something, it seem like he had no control over it. As smart as he was he was equivaliently clumsy. And this was humorous to all of us. He was smart enough to make robots, machines to ulter his DNA but yet he couldn't get across the living room with out breaking something.
Though not an obvious stereotype like race or sexuility nevertheless it was one. And now that i think about it i can recall many times back in grade school or J.H.S how many times we would use the term "Screech" or " steve Urkel" to describe someone who was geeky and smart.
Stereotypes Fat and funny
In television there are many stereotypes played out in our programs that are mostly watched for entertainment. To research the presence of stereotypes in Television programs, I went to a couple of web sites streaming some of my favorite television programs such as Hulu.com and Tbs.com. I watched multiple episodes of some of my favorites including The Simpsons and Family Guy, and noticed that a overweight people are repeatedly stereotyped in both a positive and negative way. The Fat characters are portrayed as being both stupid and comical. They are usually the most hilarious and admired people in the shows.
In Family Guy, Peter Griffin is portrayed as clumsy, annoying, and irresponsible and is constantly pulling pranks to anger the other characters in the show. In one episode of Family Guy, Peter is going out to drink with his friends on Christmas Eve, but their new buddy Joe, who is a cop, forces Peter to be the designated driver. Peter is bored being sober while all his buddies are having a good time drinking and wants to go home. He is supposed to drop off one gift to the toys for toddlers donation before they are through but instead, he frantically donates all of his family's Christmas gifts so he can get back home. In another episode Peter is asked to spend more time bonding with his baby son Stewie. Peter and Stewie start to enjoy teasing and playing pranks on Louis together. They trip her, make her drop things in the kitchen and go as far as locking her in the car and pushing it into the lake. They laugh the whole way home and agree "oohh she will be fine."
In The Simpsons Homer is another overweight character who is also portrayed as dumb and irresponsible. In the episode "No Loan Again" Homer takes out several home equity loans and doesn't understand he will have to pay the money back. Thinking his house will be stuck with the bill, he throws a big Mardi Gras party. Homer squanders his money and the family is evicted from the house. While the house is going up for sale Homer strips the copper wiring out of the walls, hides it under his shirt and gets electrocuted.
Peter and Homer both have dumb moments that people love to watch. It provides good comical situations and often sets the storyline of entire episodes. These television programs definitely reinforce and preserve the common stereotype of fat people being stupid, clumsy and funny.
In Family Guy, Peter Griffin is portrayed as clumsy, annoying, and irresponsible and is constantly pulling pranks to anger the other characters in the show. In one episode of Family Guy, Peter is going out to drink with his friends on Christmas Eve, but their new buddy Joe, who is a cop, forces Peter to be the designated driver. Peter is bored being sober while all his buddies are having a good time drinking and wants to go home. He is supposed to drop off one gift to the toys for toddlers donation before they are through but instead, he frantically donates all of his family's Christmas gifts so he can get back home. In another episode Peter is asked to spend more time bonding with his baby son Stewie. Peter and Stewie start to enjoy teasing and playing pranks on Louis together. They trip her, make her drop things in the kitchen and go as far as locking her in the car and pushing it into the lake. They laugh the whole way home and agree "oohh she will be fine."
In The Simpsons Homer is another overweight character who is also portrayed as dumb and irresponsible. In the episode "No Loan Again" Homer takes out several home equity loans and doesn't understand he will have to pay the money back. Thinking his house will be stuck with the bill, he throws a big Mardi Gras party. Homer squanders his money and the family is evicted from the house. While the house is going up for sale Homer strips the copper wiring out of the walls, hides it under his shirt and gets electrocuted.
Peter and Homer both have dumb moments that people love to watch. It provides good comical situations and often sets the storyline of entire episodes. These television programs definitely reinforce and preserve the common stereotype of fat people being stupid, clumsy and funny.
Minorities and American TV today
It is no wonder as to the reason why the hit HBO TV. series "entourage" has won numerous amounts of awards. The story line is outstanding, the setting is spectacular and the cast has been chosen perfectly. An actor by the name of Rex Lee plays the character of "Lloyd", an Asian homosexual secretary/assistant to a very successful, overly confident, eccentric entertainment lawyer who takes advantage whenever possible. In the season currently airing, "Lloyd" has approached his boss "Ari" with a proposition to be promoted from desk boy to super agent! His only hardship is surviving through his boss' rigorous 100-day training regimen.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Internet 1 videos
The video I showed in class (THE INTERNET IS SERIOUS BUSINESS) is available on the People's Production House YouTube Channel in parts:
http://www.youtube.com/user/PPHDEI
Free Press' Save the Internet Project explains Net Neutrality:
Tim Berners-Lee on Net Neutrality
http://www.youtube.com/user/PPHDEI
Free Press' Save the Internet Project explains Net Neutrality:
Tim Berners-Lee on Net Neutrality
Pan-Foreignism
“That 70s Show” is one of the few situation comedies on television which sometimes makes me laugh aloud. Even when I’m alone. Why is this? Mostly, I think it’s what I’d call the “naturalism” of the cast even as they deliver carefully scripted comedy. The timing is good and they seem like they’re having fun. In spite of this, “That 70s Show,” like almost any television show you might choose, does not always stand up to scrutiny when we consider its take on gender and race.
A separate thesis might be written about gender roles on the show – its sunny revisionist history of women’s sexual liberation, it’s problematic presentations of body image, marital relationships, and romantic relationships in general - but here I’ll limit my scope to its treatment of Fez (Wilmer Valderrama), its lone “ethnic” character. That Fez was written at all seems ostensibly to be a jab at the role of the “token” ethnic character in sitcoms, and much of the mistreatment of his character must be considered in this light. However, while he is an integral personality among the cast, the show is exhaustive in depersonalizing him. It remains difficult to tell the exact intentions of the show’s creators.
Here are some thoughts:
Fez does not have a name. On the show, Fez stands for “foreign exchange student” and his other nicknames include Hadji, Ali Baba, Boy With the Accent, Tonto, etc. Some of these nicknames are accorded him by the unremittingly nasty father character, Red, whose actions are not necessarily condoned. But it remains a structural element of the show’s comedy that Fez’ real name is unpronounceable and unknown.
Fez does not have an ethnic or national identity. We never learn his origins. In one sense, this parodies the tendency of television to downplay ethnic distinctions. In another sense, once we’ve gotten the joke, we spend the entire series with an ethnic character to whose specific ethnicity we are ignorant. Fez is indistinctly “brown” with an inscrutable accent.
Fez is a bumbling idiot. Yes, so is Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher), but Kelso is also a sex symbol. Fez is the subject of continual embarrassment and misunderstanding. He has unusual habits, lending to the notion of the dopey, perplexing foreigner. He is at once oversexed and sexless. Though enthusiastic about pornography, his real-world sexual exploits are usually thwarted by his hopeless naïvete. Like many brown men depicted on TV, he lusts after the beautiful white women (though, admittedly, 70s Wisconsin seems bereft of other options).
In the rerun I happened upon on daytime cable, Fez is peripheral to the storyline. It is late in the series, the characters are preparing for college, and they are busy enacting their long-established sexual dramas, of which Fez has little part. He appears only to make a few obtuse comments. In a plot twist I can only guess at (not having seen the entire series), he is married, but he and his wife are not romantically involved. These features of the episode are in keeping with the show’s dominant treatment of Fez.
So, to what extent is “That 70s Show” commenting on token characters on television and to what extent is it making crude jokes at the expense of the foreign exchange student? Fez functions to exemplify a few vague ideas of the foreigner, as detailed above. Pan-foreignism. Maybe the show is just saying that: to a bunch of high school kids and their parents in 70s Midwest America, all foreigners seemed pretty much the same. One funny thing is though, Fez’ lack of a specific ethnic identity renders it impossible to assign him very much specific stereotyped behavior. And that’s one of the other things about the show that makes me laugh aloud – its simultaneous adherence to and irreverence toward television conventions.
A separate thesis might be written about gender roles on the show – its sunny revisionist history of women’s sexual liberation, it’s problematic presentations of body image, marital relationships, and romantic relationships in general - but here I’ll limit my scope to its treatment of Fez (Wilmer Valderrama), its lone “ethnic” character. That Fez was written at all seems ostensibly to be a jab at the role of the “token” ethnic character in sitcoms, and much of the mistreatment of his character must be considered in this light. However, while he is an integral personality among the cast, the show is exhaustive in depersonalizing him. It remains difficult to tell the exact intentions of the show’s creators.
Here are some thoughts:
Fez does not have a name. On the show, Fez stands for “foreign exchange student” and his other nicknames include Hadji, Ali Baba, Boy With the Accent, Tonto, etc. Some of these nicknames are accorded him by the unremittingly nasty father character, Red, whose actions are not necessarily condoned. But it remains a structural element of the show’s comedy that Fez’ real name is unpronounceable and unknown.
Fez does not have an ethnic or national identity. We never learn his origins. In one sense, this parodies the tendency of television to downplay ethnic distinctions. In another sense, once we’ve gotten the joke, we spend the entire series with an ethnic character to whose specific ethnicity we are ignorant. Fez is indistinctly “brown” with an inscrutable accent.
Fez is a bumbling idiot. Yes, so is Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher), but Kelso is also a sex symbol. Fez is the subject of continual embarrassment and misunderstanding. He has unusual habits, lending to the notion of the dopey, perplexing foreigner. He is at once oversexed and sexless. Though enthusiastic about pornography, his real-world sexual exploits are usually thwarted by his hopeless naïvete. Like many brown men depicted on TV, he lusts after the beautiful white women (though, admittedly, 70s Wisconsin seems bereft of other options).
In the rerun I happened upon on daytime cable, Fez is peripheral to the storyline. It is late in the series, the characters are preparing for college, and they are busy enacting their long-established sexual dramas, of which Fez has little part. He appears only to make a few obtuse comments. In a plot twist I can only guess at (not having seen the entire series), he is married, but he and his wife are not romantically involved. These features of the episode are in keeping with the show’s dominant treatment of Fez.
So, to what extent is “That 70s Show” commenting on token characters on television and to what extent is it making crude jokes at the expense of the foreign exchange student? Fez functions to exemplify a few vague ideas of the foreigner, as detailed above. Pan-foreignism. Maybe the show is just saying that: to a bunch of high school kids and their parents in 70s Midwest America, all foreigners seemed pretty much the same. One funny thing is though, Fez’ lack of a specific ethnic identity renders it impossible to assign him very much specific stereotyped behavior. And that’s one of the other things about the show that makes me laugh aloud – its simultaneous adherence to and irreverence toward television conventions.
Its Always Sunny In Philidelphia
Its always sunny in Philadelphia is a comedy based on a group of friends in Philadelphia that own. Work at a bar. The 5 main characters Charlie, Mac the tough guy that’s not so tough, “sweet” Dee who constantly being picked on and as superficial as her older brother, Dennis who thinks he is the most intelligent beautiful man in the world. They don’t only stereo type gender, race, religion but themselves as well. Being 5 kids that grew up in catholic school, they make many remarks mocking Catholicism. Within the first season, they cross the line quite a few times, but evidently with the ratings people love it.
An episode in particular is from season one “The gang gets racist”. Dee enters the bar and tells the “gang” that she has met a guy from her acting class, and then an African American man walks in the bar. Mac, Charlie and Dennis automatically get up and say “ Hey we don’t want any problems” totally stereotyping not only an image of an African American man causing problems but the white men being scared to death. Once they have learned this man is the guy Dee is dating they befriend him. Anytime he talks about his brother or his sister, Mac asked “do you mean your brother or do you mean your brotha‘” poking fun to the “slang” terms of some cultures and eagerness of Mac trying to fit in. Also Charlie proving that he is not racist , asks out an African American girl.
The writers of its always sunny in Philadelphia use stereotyping as a huge part of there comedy. Sometimes I think it can be offensive but they put them self’s down as much as anyone else.
Besides this episode, the writers really attack the characters. They use topics like abortion, welfare, homosexuality , incest but audience members are responding pretty positively to these touchy subject. I think this show really pokes at everyone. I enjoy this show a lot and I think its defiantly different then other sitcoms in the past but at the same time its interesting to see how being offensive to a race on national TV is so entertaining to people. I wonder if this is going to cause more racial profiling or does it show people how ignorant they look when the judge on skin color, religion or lifestyle.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/6705/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-the-gang-gets-racist
An episode in particular is from season one “The gang gets racist”. Dee enters the bar and tells the “gang” that she has met a guy from her acting class, and then an African American man walks in the bar. Mac, Charlie and Dennis automatically get up and say “ Hey we don’t want any problems” totally stereotyping not only an image of an African American man causing problems but the white men being scared to death. Once they have learned this man is the guy Dee is dating they befriend him. Anytime he talks about his brother or his sister, Mac asked “do you mean your brother or do you mean your brotha‘” poking fun to the “slang” terms of some cultures and eagerness of Mac trying to fit in. Also Charlie proving that he is not racist , asks out an African American girl.
The writers of its always sunny in Philadelphia use stereotyping as a huge part of there comedy. Sometimes I think it can be offensive but they put them self’s down as much as anyone else.
Besides this episode, the writers really attack the characters. They use topics like abortion, welfare, homosexuality , incest but audience members are responding pretty positively to these touchy subject. I think this show really pokes at everyone. I enjoy this show a lot and I think its defiantly different then other sitcoms in the past but at the same time its interesting to see how being offensive to a race on national TV is so entertaining to people. I wonder if this is going to cause more racial profiling or does it show people how ignorant they look when the judge on skin color, religion or lifestyle.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/6705/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-the-gang-gets-racist
Finally, a Black Person on Friends
Finally, a Black Person on Friends
by Roxy Haji
I’m an avid watcher of Friends. In fact, I own every season. Due to the fact that I have no Internet or television, I thought it best (and most convenient) to profile a minority character that guest starred on the sitcom.
Her name is Charlie and she is African-American. She is a love interest of Ross, but Joey gets her first, until she dumps him and goes for Ross (sorry if I gave anything away). She appears in more than one episode, but maintains the same characteristics throughout her multiple appearances.
Charlie is the first African-American love interest of any of the six friends. One of the big critiques of the show Friends was how there were no main African-American characters. Finally, in its ninth season, the second to last season, they introduced Charlie.
Charlie’s character is not at all stereotyped. There were no references to her race or ethnicity. She is simply the hot girl Ross and Joey like. Charlie is very tall, very slim and very attractive. She dresses professionally, plays a paleontologist who dated Nobel Prize winners and is portrayed as an intelligent woman. Her character is an example of an individual assimilating into a very well-respected, high-status class of American society.
While observing the episodes Charlie appeared in, it occurred to me that it is very rare in American television to see an African-American person on the TV and not be blatantly reminded of his or her race. Charlie didn’t talk a certain way or look a certain way or act a certain way that would adhere to any of society’s preconceived notions of how black people are. She was an attractive paleontologist more than she was an African-American.
Friends has had African-Americans on its show before. But they played super-tiny roles and were extremely stereotyped and, in my opinion, negatively so. Charlie was a refreshing change.
Now, I have one last comment, and I hope this comes off as politically correct as possible. My last observation about Charlie is that she is very “white.” She has straight hair, a not-so-curvy frame, and talks very “proper.” Certain words are in quotations because in no way am I trying to associate white with proper. The bottom line is: if someone asked me if I thought Charlie matched America’s stereotype of a white woman or a black woman, I would say a white woman.
The Latino Stereotype Reinforced
In Season 3 of the Showtime series "Dexter", Jimmy Smits guest stars as Assistant District Attorney Miguel Prado. Prado is of Cuban heritage, and acts very similar to what would the stereotype of a Cuban living in Miami. He places great value on friends and family, his faith is important him, and he is a bit of a hardliner in his prosecution of criminals - an aspect of himself that he personally transcribes into being passionate about his work. Prado befriends Dexter early in the season, and rather quickly learns about Dexter's "talent" of killing people and leaving no trace of evidence.
Prado befriends Dexter and does nothing short of accepting Dexter into his own family, as Prado's inner circle consists mostly of his family anyway - a very popular stereotype of Cubans living in Miami and Latinos in general. Prado then trys to get Dexter to assist him in carrying out his vigilante justice and ultimately trys to have Dexter teach him his craft later on, as Prado becomes fed up with the bureaucracy and inefficiency of the court system. This passion and hotbloodedness is also very consistent with the stereotype of a Latin male.
Towards the end of the season, Prado has an affair with another woman and his wife finds out and leaves him. This again is another popular Latino stereotype, which says that Latino men are very sexual and that this often leads to infidelity. Overall, when analyzing all the aspects and actions of Jimmy Smit's character, he is almost entirely constructed of the classic stereotype of the Latin male. This form of stereotyping, however, was essential to the character and the series, since if Miguel Prado was of another ethnicity of a female, the series could not have transpired the way it did. Dexter might have already been turned into the police had it been someone else and not Prado that found him at the scene of the crime one evening.
Prado befriends Dexter and does nothing short of accepting Dexter into his own family, as Prado's inner circle consists mostly of his family anyway - a very popular stereotype of Cubans living in Miami and Latinos in general. Prado then trys to get Dexter to assist him in carrying out his vigilante justice and ultimately trys to have Dexter teach him his craft later on, as Prado becomes fed up with the bureaucracy and inefficiency of the court system. This passion and hotbloodedness is also very consistent with the stereotype of a Latin male.
Towards the end of the season, Prado has an affair with another woman and his wife finds out and leaves him. This again is another popular Latino stereotype, which says that Latino men are very sexual and that this often leads to infidelity. Overall, when analyzing all the aspects and actions of Jimmy Smit's character, he is almost entirely constructed of the classic stereotype of the Latin male. This form of stereotyping, however, was essential to the character and the series, since if Miguel Prado was of another ethnicity of a female, the series could not have transpired the way it did. Dexter might have already been turned into the police had it been someone else and not Prado that found him at the scene of the crime one evening.
Gays, Blacks, And Vampires Oh My
The show True Blood on HBO is a great example of a program that is filled with many characters that are often underrepresented and often stereotyped in the American media. When a friend of mine first turned me on to the show I was a bit apprehensive at first until I learned that the show was created by Alan Ball who also created the show Six Feet Under which I absolutely loved. From the moment I watched the show I was hooked, and was also glad to not have the only gay characters on the show be evil blood sucking vampires. While the show does have a gay vampire character, he is portrayed as sweet and even non-threatening, which came as a big surprise for me. One of the main characters on the show is a black, gay chef named Lafeyette who is wonderfully played by Nelsan Ellis with such pazzaz and bitchy humor. The character of Lafayette is immensely fabulous, usually wearing makeup, and works as a prostitute. You might think oh great, another show where the gay character is some big queen, wears makeup, sells drugs, and has sex with vampires, but it is much more complicated than that. The reason I feel that Lafayette is not such a typical stereotype is because there is so much depth behind his character. His character is given a lot of rich dialogue and he doesn't take shit from anyone and actually gets some bigoted men kicked out of the establishment where he works when they were being a bit too rowdy. The show is filled with a variety of characters and it's nice to see a show where the gay character is not just about being gay. Lafeyette being gay is not really central to the storyline. Although it is apart of who he is, it's not the ONLY part of who he is. The show may be supernatural and filled with vampires, telepaths, and a freaky 2000 year old maenad who likes to have big sex orgies, but the characters on the show are all interesting, unique, and vastly entertaining. Kudos to HBO and Alan Ball for adding another show to their lineup that is filled with such a diverse cast that play such multi-faceted characters.
Simple Explanation...Or Not
**I feel like this shouldn't be necessary, but just in case...SPOILER ALERT! This post is about House, btw.**
*Unfortunately, I cannot find either an online copy of the episode or a transcript, so forgive me if my retelling of the story is at all inaccurate.*
The twentieth episode of the fifth season of House, titled Simple Explanation, is centered around the death of Dr. Lawrence Kutner of Dr. House's diagnostic team. Though the death is ruled a suicide, and this explanation is accepted by most, it does not sit well with House. The episode continues with House trying to determine what caused Kutner's death, or why he committed suicide.
Eventually, House ends up at the home of Kutner's parents, along with Dr. Hadley (Thirteen) and Dr. Foreman. As Thirteen and Foreman try to express their sympathies, House is still in investigative mode, and as blunt and insensitive as ever. Here, we learn of Kutner's past, including how he came to be adopted by his parents. We learn that Kutner was born Lawrence Choudray and was adopted, by his white parents, at the age of six. He does not begin to refer to them as his parents until he is nine, and eventually decides to take on the name of his parents. The scene gets interesting as House suddenly begins to state that Kutner's suicide must have been due to some internal conflict regarding his race. House essentially implies that Kutner, being raised by white parents but recognizing his difference, felt a pain that he never allowed himself to express, until he ultimately took his own life.
House's sudden deduction brings about questions of interracial adoption and whether it could ever truly work. The idea that because Kutner was not of the same race as his parents he could not experience a proper family environment and a full life is clearly a troubling one. In a society in which ideas of family are so prevalent, especially ideas of the conventional family, this critique of Kutner's family is problematic. It is interesting to see how the episode handles this issue throughout.
House's racial deduction is immediately considered grossly inaccurate and unreasonable. House too seems to come to the conclusion that this deduction was incorrect, as, through pictures, he sees that Kutner was open about his difference and close to his parents. Yet, the reason for the suicide remains undetermined, and the thought still lingers: why did Kutner commit suicide? For the viewer, the questions move from the plot to the producers and writers of the show.
The producers seem to attempt to take the idea of racial struggle within interracial adoptive families and condemn it. Yet, why was suicide the chosen method for writing Kutner out of the show? Though it was necessary that he leave the cast, the producers chose a dramatic ending. In addition, they not only saw the issues that may come about with a suicide ending for Kutner, they gave the issue of race a significant amount of attention in the episode. It was not an idea that was quickly addressed and heavily dismissed. It was brought up by the most intelligent character of the show as a viable and logical conclusion for Kutner's suicide. And even though it was shown that, in Kutner's case, the conclusion did not fit, the episode did not fully communicate that such an idea was highly presumptuous and baseless in general. By making it a seemingly strong possibility, the producers essentially portrayed it as a strong possibility for interracial adoptive families in general. It the end, the way that the show addresses this issue is sloppy and incomplete, and does nothing but perpetuate the idea that interracial adoption has possibilities of devastating endings.
*Unfortunately, I cannot find either an online copy of the episode or a transcript, so forgive me if my retelling of the story is at all inaccurate.*
The twentieth episode of the fifth season of House, titled Simple Explanation, is centered around the death of Dr. Lawrence Kutner of Dr. House's diagnostic team. Though the death is ruled a suicide, and this explanation is accepted by most, it does not sit well with House. The episode continues with House trying to determine what caused Kutner's death, or why he committed suicide.
Eventually, House ends up at the home of Kutner's parents, along with Dr. Hadley (Thirteen) and Dr. Foreman. As Thirteen and Foreman try to express their sympathies, House is still in investigative mode, and as blunt and insensitive as ever. Here, we learn of Kutner's past, including how he came to be adopted by his parents. We learn that Kutner was born Lawrence Choudray and was adopted, by his white parents, at the age of six. He does not begin to refer to them as his parents until he is nine, and eventually decides to take on the name of his parents. The scene gets interesting as House suddenly begins to state that Kutner's suicide must have been due to some internal conflict regarding his race. House essentially implies that Kutner, being raised by white parents but recognizing his difference, felt a pain that he never allowed himself to express, until he ultimately took his own life.
House's sudden deduction brings about questions of interracial adoption and whether it could ever truly work. The idea that because Kutner was not of the same race as his parents he could not experience a proper family environment and a full life is clearly a troubling one. In a society in which ideas of family are so prevalent, especially ideas of the conventional family, this critique of Kutner's family is problematic. It is interesting to see how the episode handles this issue throughout.
House's racial deduction is immediately considered grossly inaccurate and unreasonable. House too seems to come to the conclusion that this deduction was incorrect, as, through pictures, he sees that Kutner was open about his difference and close to his parents. Yet, the reason for the suicide remains undetermined, and the thought still lingers: why did Kutner commit suicide? For the viewer, the questions move from the plot to the producers and writers of the show.
The producers seem to attempt to take the idea of racial struggle within interracial adoptive families and condemn it. Yet, why was suicide the chosen method for writing Kutner out of the show? Though it was necessary that he leave the cast, the producers chose a dramatic ending. In addition, they not only saw the issues that may come about with a suicide ending for Kutner, they gave the issue of race a significant amount of attention in the episode. It was not an idea that was quickly addressed and heavily dismissed. It was brought up by the most intelligent character of the show as a viable and logical conclusion for Kutner's suicide. And even though it was shown that, in Kutner's case, the conclusion did not fit, the episode did not fully communicate that such an idea was highly presumptuous and baseless in general. By making it a seemingly strong possibility, the producers essentially portrayed it as a strong possibility for interracial adoptive families in general. It the end, the way that the show addresses this issue is sloppy and incomplete, and does nothing but perpetuate the idea that interracial adoption has possibilities of devastating endings.
American dad
If you paid attention to those Americans most popular cartoon shows, you would find there are lots of stereotypes such as racial, gander, educational and age. Even some of the children TVs also have the stereotypes.
The “American dad” has an episode about Francine’s Chinese adopted parents stop by for an unannounced stay, Stan is furious that they refuse to assimilate to his “man of house” ways. They irritate Stan and family with stereotypes about Chinese people. And then Stan finds Francine’s family, and Stan feels Francine’s real parents are the kind of in law he wants.
I feel a little bit insulted by watching this episode, which jokes on people who have herpes and stereotypes Chinese people in the past. Racial stereotypes serve to justify white control and authority. Without whites' having to claim superiority explicitly, stereotypes work subtly to maintain domination and disenfranchise minorities; it is easy to conclude that people who are "inherently inferior" will end up in a subordinate position in a fair society.
Over all, this episode is the worst show in a long time, and it’s not a show you want to introduce people to. Now, we can predicate how they going to make in the next season. Hopefully, they won’t make bigger complain.
The “American dad” has an episode about Francine’s Chinese adopted parents stop by for an unannounced stay, Stan is furious that they refuse to assimilate to his “man of house” ways. They irritate Stan and family with stereotypes about Chinese people. And then Stan finds Francine’s family, and Stan feels Francine’s real parents are the kind of in law he wants.
I feel a little bit insulted by watching this episode, which jokes on people who have herpes and stereotypes Chinese people in the past. Racial stereotypes serve to justify white control and authority. Without whites' having to claim superiority explicitly, stereotypes work subtly to maintain domination and disenfranchise minorities; it is easy to conclude that people who are "inherently inferior" will end up in a subordinate position in a fair society.
Over all, this episode is the worst show in a long time, and it’s not a show you want to introduce people to. Now, we can predicate how they going to make in the next season. Hopefully, they won’t make bigger complain.
Minorities & American TV Today: PSYCH
Psych is a current television drama on air going into its forth season of programming. In the series, one of the leading characters is, Burton "Gus" Guster who is played by American actor, Dule Hill. In the show, Gus is a Pharmaceutical rep who has a vast knowledge of drugs. With the help of his practice, he manages to identify poisons and other drugs use in crime cases. Best of friends with Shawn Spencer, he also provides advice and support in the co-ownership of a detective agency.
In the show, Gus tends to be the more cautious and straight-laced, functioning as the man for Shawn's antics. Gus is portrayed as an academically advanced African-American. In past series, his character has reluctant and seemed to be consistently dragged by the collar into these "psychotic" adventures. As time progressed, he became one who is more relaxed and able to stand his ground.
In this USA Network production, Hill plays a character unbound to the common stereotypes of Black males in American media. Neither race nor gender defines his character's actions, personality or possibilities. Gus manages to break the stereotypes of black men. Typically represented as being irresponsible, against the law and unintelligent, the character seems to refine the image betrayed by media today.
Psych Season 1 “Gus' Terms” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JmLqS67J5U
Psych is like The Mentalist http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qf8M57we1I
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