The Next President of the United States. AP Images
Trump 2016: Media
Machine
For my project I
would like to look into the correlation between the media and the impact it is
having on Donald Trump’s campaign and the overall race for the white house.
There have numerous reports from various outlets stating that media is
responsible for the surge in poll numbers and Donald Trump’s lead in the
Republican polls. My goal is to perform some through research, examine the
evidence and numbers from various sources and evaluate the information on my
own to see if it is true. I would also like to examine Trump’s use of media
exposure and social media to his advantage and increase publicity and
popularity amongst voters. I have not yet determined what medium my project
will be but I am leaning towards a research paper/ essay format with sources varying
from different outlets. I plan on evaluating and using reports from mainstream
news organizations, political journals, and even direct PR releases from the
Trump website. I would also like to uncover the why and the how all of these
things work. Of course with this topic being an ongoing event, I will try and
keep things as current as possible. The overall goal of this research is to not
only figure out why Trump is surging in the polls but also predict and outcome
based on continuing trends and whether or not Trump has a legitimate shot at
the White House, with or without extensive media coverage.
Black
men are portrayed in many different ways in the media. More often the portrayal
in the media is usually negative. Movies, music, fashion, and even television the
scope of seeing a black man in a positive role or in a role that isn’t some
kind of mockery is minimal. Some of the popular shows on television right now involve
black men involved with some kind of illegal activities. Shows such as Empire
and Power are examples of such shows, which are ironically produced by black
men. Tyler Perry, one of the most successful actor/directors had a habit of
dressing as woman, Madea and saving the life of a bruised and battered woman
from her personal demons is his movies. Others before him consist of Jamie Foxx, Martin Lawrence, and the Wayans Brothers.
Dressing up as a woman for comedic affect is something very few white comedians have had to do in order achieve success. Taking things even further, James Bond
writer, Anthony Horowitz when asked if Idris Elba would make an adequate James
Bond he replied that he is “too street” to play the bond character. What does that
even mean? There seems to be a double standard within the entertainment industry.
I
would like to do a short video, most likely an iMovie presentation in order to
better depict the racial disparities of black men in the media. I would start
off with media from the 90’s until the current time. The media I would analyze
would consists of movies, music, television and even fashion. Below are some of
the sources I will be using, others will be gathered later.
The social issue I will focus on for the final project is
identity management as it relates to social media. So many people have become
obsessed with maintaining their image online, making sure that the people who
see their online profile do so in a way that satisfies them. As social media
technology has advanced, so too has the ability to enhance and/or alter the
ways a person can make themselves appear to other people. This has led to a
widespread identity crisis that affects every user of social media in the
world, regardless of whether you are viewing or producing content. In today’s
social media landscape appearances especially first impressions, are
everything. In response to this rapidly developing judgmental culture human
beings have become trained to assess a person’s credibility as a potential
friend, lover, employer, etc. based almost solely on how they present
themselves on social media. We no longer have to meet a person face to face
before having presumptions about their aesthetics, personality, hobbies, who
they associate with, etc. To research this issue, I will look for as relative
online articles as I can find describing this issue and its effects on the
population. I plan on creating a video that embodies the image/identity issues that
social media produces for its many users as well as the consequences of those
issues.
Do
It For The Likes: How Instagram Distorts Reality for Generation #Selfie
When
Instagram launched in 2010, it was intended to be a more advanced version of
facebook consisting solely of photos. People could post photos and receive likes
from other users who followed them on social media website. At first glance,
instagram is harmless. You post a couple photos and see who likes what you have
posted. When you take a deeper look, instagram is much more harmful than that.
Instagram
has become such an obsession of the world; people are now receiving payment
just for posting photos. One type of Instagram’s employees has been dubbed “the
instagram model”. Although they are probably not on the payroll, instagram
models are paid by different companies just for having a substantial amount of
followers. Instagram modeling is such a reality now that modeling agencies are
now shifting through the explore page of instagram, in search of the next big ‘it
girl’. As instagram modeling becomes more of a reality, so does the distortion
of reality for the generation who does nothing for theirselves and everything
for the ‘likes’.
The
“instagram model” with her fake breast and over endowed rear end has changed
the perception of what real women should look like. Although the instagram
model has probably photoshopped, or at the least altered her photos with
instagrams famous filters, girls are constantly being compared to them. The instagram
model distorts reality, diminishes self esteem, and creates unreachable
measures for young girls to reach.
Instagram
promotes narcissism by demonstrating to the public that if you have nice
things, the world should literally know you have nice things. In an instant, a
person can post their brand new gold watch and receive instant gratification by
having others like and comment on how much they too want that watch.
I
would like to do my final project on just how much instagram affects our
generation by distorting reality and creating narcissistic people. I would like
to do so in a short documentary by interviewing young men and women in our
generation today.
In the wake of the tragic shooting
at Umpqua Community College in Oregon on October 1, the narrative that the Caucasian
shooter, Chris Harper-Mercer suffered from mental health issues is already
being started. In an article for CNN.com by Mariano Castillo and Amanda Watts,
the two writers discuss what many believe to be the tweets of the shooter’s
mother, Laurel Harper, that delve into his home life and how he was exposed to
firearms early and how he allegedly has Asperger’s syndrome.
In an August 8shooting
in Trenton, NJ that resulted in a 14 year old black teen being shot by a State
Police trooper. The cops were investigating a shooting in the area when they
found the teenager and two other men near the scene of the crime. They trio
allegedly didn’t stop when officers ordered them two and started to run from
the authorities. That’s when the cops opened fire and shot the teenager in the
butt. This story gets interesting when it was announced that the teenager was
carrying a gun that was found twelve hours after the incident.
These stories aren’t anything new,
the media uses their ability to frame stories all the time to portray
individuals based on their race. In an Washington Post Article written by
Anthea Butler, she discusses why the media and the public describes white
shooters as ‘mentally ill’ while other groups are described as either ‘terrorists’
or ‘thugs’.
I’m going to write a research
paper/article on this topic and publish in the school’s newspaper, The
Observer.
Proposal:
Lack of Diversity in Film in Front of and Behind the Camera
For my convergence
project, I plan on focusing on the lack of diversity in media, specifically the
film industry. Even with the success of films from this year like Straight
Outta Compton and The Perfect Guy, or last year’s critically acclaimed Selma,
major studios are still either feigning surprise when a film targeted towards
audiences of color does well or ignoring those successes and continuing to whitewash
upcoming films (Pan, Death Note, etc.).
I’m still in the
process of gathering my sources, but listed below are some books that I’ve
picked up and articles I’ve come across that address the problem. There are
also real world examples of this constantly occurring, including an inside look
at the creation of a film via the Matt Damon and Ben Affleck produced Project
Greenlight. The issue of diversity in film has come up on the show multiple
times already, and it’s also come up in conversations with filmmakers and
television producers via roundtables posted on Hollywood trade sites like The
Hollywood Reporter and Variety.
At the moment, I
plan on doing either a well-researched paper, essay, or a short video. For
both, I’ll start with a look at the lack of diversity from a historical standpoint,
but most of the focus will be on today’s film environment. The project is a
critical media piece as it addresses the problems with major and some
independent studios in Hollywood, the ones who are responsible for most of the
visual media we consume. It also comments on convergence because the problem is
being challenged head on thanks to the use of social media like Twitter, and
the rise in technology that makes it easier for people to create things that
have a more accurate representation of what the world looks like.
Sources
Books
·Classic Hollywood, Classic Whiteness – Daniel Bernardi
·Reversing the Lens: Ethnicity, Race, Gender, and
Sexuality Through Film – Jun Xing & Lane Ryo Hirabayashi
·America on Film: Representing Race, Glass,
Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies – Harry M. Benshoff & Sean Griffin
·Contested Images: Women of Color in Popular
Culture – Alma Garcia
·Cultural Diversity and U.S. Media – Yahya R.
Kamalipour & Theresa Carilli
Articles
·Erfani,
Farhang. "Clôtural Sacrifice: Liminal Representation Of Race In
Film."Angelaki: Journal Of The Theoretical Humanities19.4 (2014): 37-50.Philosopher's
Index. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
·King, Justin
R. J. "Change Or No Change: Native American Representations Of Race In
Disney."Film Matters 5.2 (2015): 58-61.Film
& Television Literature Index.
Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
·BOND, CYNTHIA
D. "Laws Of Race/Laws Of Representation: The Construction Of Race And Law
In Contemporary American Film."Texas Review
Of Entertainment & Sports Law 11.2 (2010): 219-265.Academic
Search Premier. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
·Michele K.,
Gillespie, and Hall Randal L. "The Cinematic Representation Of Race In THE
BIRTH OF A NATION: A Black Horror Film."Making the Modern South. 164. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2009.Project
MUSE. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
·"A
Resource Review For Diversity Film Media."Academy
Of Management Learning & Education 7.3 (2008): 434-439.Business
Source Premier. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
·David,
Gillota. "4. Imagining Diversity: Corporate Multiculturalism In The
Children's Film And The Situation Comedy."Ethnic
Humor in Multiethnic America. 104.
New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2013.Project
MUSE. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
·Lee, EKO, and
MA Priester. "Who Is The Help? Use Of Film To Explore Diversity."Affilia-Journal
Of Women And Social Work 29.1 (n.d.): 92-104.Social
Sciences Citation Index. Web. 5
Oct. 2015.
·Audissino,
Emilio.Hollywood Film Music And Ethnic Diversity. n.p.: Sage Publications, Inc, 2014.Gale
Virtual Reference Library. Web. 5
Oct. 2015.
·Jackson, Kathy
Merlock. "Diversity In Disney Films: Critical Essays On Race, Ethnicity,
Gender, Sexuality, And Disability."Journal Of American Culture 37.1
(2014): 82-84.Literary Reference Center. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
·Turner, Sarah
E. "Blackness, Bayous, And Gumbo: Encoding And Decoding Race In A
Colorblind World."Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays on Race,
Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality, and Disability. 83-98. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2013.MLA
International Bibliography. Web. 5
Oct. 2015.
·Hoppenstand,
Gary. "Editorial: Disney And Diversity."Journal
Of Popular Culture 46.2 (2013): 241-242.Literary
Reference Center. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
The phrase “you
are what you eat” has been used as a way to encourage people to eat healthy and
refrain from foods filled with saturated fats, sugar, and sodium because these
foods cause medical issues.The phrase
“you are what you listen to” is foreign to many ears, when music glorifying
“a$$” drugs, money, and narcissism do not cause happiness, joy and, peace; and
instead the pollution of the mind is accepted and sought after. People enjoy
listening to crap that is not conducive to sustaining a positive mindset, or
living a lifestyle of joy, happiness and peace.
Music has been in
existence since the beginning of human contact. We see it as a way to
communicate with ourselves, one another, and oftentimes a higher being. Music
is a form of entertainment and usually made for our enjoyment, but it also can
take people to a deeper level, a level deeper than the shallow waters that are
the attainment of worldly possessions. In this world of fruitless and frugal
entertainment, so shallow that the lyrics often resemble nursery rhymes and the
videos resemble strip shows, why haven’t people gone back to the enlightening
music of their forefathers?
Before
music transformed from worship to the secular music we hear today, the majority
worshipped to get closer to the God they believed created them, they worshipped
to give glory to something higher, and although imperfections existed, why has
that music suddenly become such a pariah? Why is it only people consider Jesus
freaks are deemed the only ones weird enough to enjoy such music?
Worship
music has transformed into something that is not only wholesome, and family
friendly, but also upbeat and uplifting. It is not the boring, “ooooh’s” sung by male
opera singers, and older ladies, and played on the organ. It is not only the
gospel music that is only for black people and resembles old slave songs filled
freedom from oppression and going home. It is freedom, and it speaks life to
all ages and all generations. Is there enough representation in the media of
Christian musicians who choose to represent Jesus rather than their lusts, and
choose to refrain from cursing rather than saying ‘Nigga’ in every sentence?
Why is it more appealing to shake your butt and dress scandalously, rather than
jump and dance and remain morally sound in appearance and beliefs?
My
project will be a serious of blog posts documenting the reason for this shift
from worship to secular, and why the shift has remained intact for so long. I
want to incorporate music into the blog, and possibly travel to different
worship concerts where the people are not trying to cater to the older
generations, but instead are people who love God, and still have fun. I will
use video, and camera, and words to express the shift that worship music has
used to converge into something that everyone can listen to. There is a Worship
movement on YouTube. Christians are not the old-school people of the past, the people
that dubbed everything ‘demonic’, they are using social media to assimilate
themselves into everyday people and reach all lives. I believe that if people
were more aware of this type of music- the kind of music meant to help you
overcome difficult trials, and instead find your calling in this world where
the spectacle rules- then they might choose to listen to their music
differently.
