The Layers of Meaning After studying media for the past two semesters, I am now a more cautious consumer and wary watcher of the influences on my life. As advertisers bombard me with television and print media offerings to buy, sell, drink, eat, wear, drive, smoke, and use a vast array of products and services, I conclude that there is no escape from these images except moving to a desert island — not a viable solution at this time. Not only do the media seek to empty my pockets of hard-earned money, it also reshapes the culture in which I live. By playing to our weakest motives and crumbling self images, advertisers sell their illusions, and we discard our own personal realities in search of their illusory image. Even cartoonist Gary Larsonís comic and paradoxical portrayals of the human condition reflect the political axioms of the day. Consider his ìFar Sideî offering where two Amazon explorers row madly in their canoe to out-distance their spear-holding onlookers — who amazingly are standing calmly in their motor-driven canoe. Oh, what a terrible reversal of fortune for Huxley and his friend! We laugh and are glad that we are not in the same boat. But, we really are in the same boat as the world changes. Larson forces the former majority of Anglo-Saxons to realize that it is still rowing madly trying to outrun its perceived enemies. Larson, like an advertising executive, is selling that the show is over for the white man in the jungle; those Amazonians have outboard motors. Besides, there are four Amazonians and only two of Huxley & Friend — another telling statistic. Perhaps Larsonís follow-up cartoon ought to be those white guys and the Amazonians sitting down to a table without either of them looking at each other in m... ... middle of paper ... ...r creations. Certainly, this creative and artistic representation suggests that manís need for alleviation from his dried-up experiences can be satisfied through alcohol. Whether man is escaping his plight through alcohol, through climbing mountains in an SUV, penetrating nature in a BMW convertible, or finding warmth in nicotine addiction, certain truths remain: the illusions created by the media reshape culture and consequently reshape the truths we perceive through the many levels of meaning hidden in their core. How much courage and wisdom will it take for men and women to rebel against these media executives who force-feed images promoting subservience to wealth and position in order to keep their pockets full. Studying media forces a re-examination of all that we see — just as Oscar Wilde suggests: ìTo look at a thing is very different from seeing a thingÖî
In Orientalism, Edward Said claims that, “as much as the West itself, the Orient is an idea that has a history and a tradition of thought, imagery, and vocabulary that have given it reality and presence in and for the West” (5). The complex network of political, economical, academic, cultural, or geographical realities of the Orient called “Orientalism” is a way of coming to terms with the Orient, or to be less geographically specific, the Other. Although Said defines Orientalism to be specifically Franco-British experience in the Arab world, his basic arguments can be applied to the process of Othering in a more general sense. Especially his idea of “representation” plays a central role in the epistemology of Orientalism.
Miller, M.T. (2008, January 5). ‘The Kite Runner’ Critiqued: New Oriantalism goes to the Big Screen [Msg 1].Message posted to http://forums.islamicawakening.com/f18/kite-runner-critiqued-new-orientalism-goes-big-screen-32097/.
One snowy night, the couple was driving and they got in an awful car accident. Leo woke up in the hospital. While in the other part of the hospital, Paige was in a coma. But, when she wakes up from the coma, she thinks she is still the same girl that went to law school and cannot remember Leo at all. So, it is Leo’s job to get...
In today’s society individuals in the United States are bombarded with media and its advertisements. There are various forms in which you can be exposed to media including the television, radio, movies, magazines, billboards, newspapers, and even your computer. On a daily basis individuals are being exposed and consuming an average of ten hours and seventeen minutes of media and about three thousand advertisements a day. In those ten hours we are exposed to things such as the unrealistic beauty standards from cosmetic, and fashion advertisements, as well as violence from television shows and video games. Our country has created a culture that is obsessed with looks and possessions; they have created a false reality and happiness for individuals,
Edward Said first published Orientalism in 1978 and the book has continued to open readers' eyes to the true effects of biased thought. Said carefully examines what he calls 'Orientalism' in an attempt to show how different cultures view each other and depend upon other cultures to define their own. This essay will include a brief definition of Orientalism as well as how Henry Kissinger has an Orientalist view upon developing countries, shown through numerous examples from Said's book.
Did you know that the voting age was not always 18 in Canada? Until 1970 the legal voting age was 21. However this caused a lot of controversy. Citizens aged 18-21 reasoned that since they were old enough to fight and possibly lose their lives in war for their country they should be able to elect who would make decisions and represent them in government. 1970, a revised Canada Elections Act lowered the voting age and the age of candidacy from 21 years to 18. What did Canada’s youth do with this newfound right? As little as possible! On average less than 38.8% of Canadian youth from the age of 18-25 vote. The failure of young adolescents to vote has spawned much uncertainty and worry from government officials making them feel that lowering the
According to Edward Said, “Orientalism is an ideology according to the ontological and epistemological difference between the Orient and the West.”
Bordo’s thesis can be shown in many common examples of modern media and advertising. For example in the animated television show The Simpsons, creator and writer Matt Groening uses satire as a means of addressing these stereotypes of gender and race through exaggeration of certain distinguishable traits and personalities of characters. Yet simultaneously, the stereotypes that are reinforced by some members of the show are then unexpectedly broken by others to show the viewer how much the media can alter one’s own opinion.
Said comes from a background that is culturally different. Said’s mother comes from Palestinian-Protestant background and Said’s father is American-Catholic. Due to this, Said has always been confused on which identity to accept. In the book, orientalism is described in multiple forms. The one that is most coherent is the one that Americans have decided to put open the race. Said, also, illiterates that how most of the Middle East is excluded from this definition. Also, in the book, Said states, “orientalism is less preferred by specialists today, because it is too vague and general and because it connotes the high-handed executive attitude of nineteenth-century European colonialism,” (Said, 2). Meaning that in the current years, orientalism has been a culture in where it has been not the focus of many experts. Said says that is because of how many cultures fall under this category; however, it is due to the fact that the cultures under orients have created a perception takes out of context what Europeans have said in the past. Which in turn, makes Europeans to lose interest, showing that Europeans want to be in culture of writing the people’s
Stivers, Richard. “The Media Creates Us in its Image.” Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. June 2012.Web. Apr. 2014.
Orientalism in European Art focuses on Middle Eastern imagery through the eyes of Western artists. However, such artwork is based on the stereotype of the Middle East. Orientalism is split into three categories: Rapportage, Political, and Exoticism. In this particular article, Walter B. Denny focuses on the three groups and the problem of orientalism. On the other hand, I will be focusing my attention on Exoticism Orientalism, the different views on it, and on a particular painting along with the reaction from some of the audience. I enjoyed reading these particular sections in the article because this article evidently justifies that this art is purely based on how the Westerners regarded the Middle Easterners. It also describes the tension
Mass media, primarily print and television news has acted to perpetuate the social problems it covers. The mass media must be considered to be a large part of the problem in areas of race, class, and gender. In order to combat this situation the mass media must follow some of its own leads in making itself more open to different perspectives as it has done in film, and also challenging traditional models of race and class as it has with gender.
King R. 2005 “Orientalism and the study of religions” In: Hinnells, J. (ed.), The Routledge Companion to the study of Religion. London and New York: Routledge. pp. 276)
Said describes the construction of the concept of Orientalism as a process of three historical stages that started from a relationship of familiarity and closes between the West - that was represented those days especially by France and Britain. The first stage took place until the early nineteen century, and included mostly “India and the Bible lands”. The second stage started at the beginning of the nineteen century and lasted until the end of World War Two and was based on a relationship of domination, and the third stage contains the shift of dominant power from Europe to The United
Of the various social and cultural forces in our society, the mass media is arguably the most influential in molding public consciousness. Americans spend an average twenty-eight hours per week watching television. They also spend an undetermined number of hours reading periodicals, listening to the radio, and going to the movies (Gregory Mantsios, 386). These form of entertainment promote products, moods, attitudes, beauty ideals, and all that is considered important. Media has become a dynamic influence on our distorted perception of our bodies, minds, and spirits. The constant exposure of media portrayals is a significant force in modern culture. Individuals are frequently being bombarded with images and messages from media sources such as TV, Billboards, and Magazines instructing them on what it means to be and feel inclusive to our society. Socialization based upon influential portrayals of media can lead to misinformation that contributes to racism, sexism, and class oppression (Affects of Media on Society Research Paper). A major concern for society, today, is that media controls the vast amount of our daily lives. Within this research paper, I critically examine the influence media has had within our society and demonstrate the importance in recognizing how everyday media transmit ideologies that oppress certain populations while privileging others.