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Effect of media and films on society
Effect of media and films on society
Effect of media and films on society
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Heroification and Its Damaging Effects
In the Disney movie Life-Size, actress Tyra Banks plays the role of Eve, a Barbie-like doll, who is "perfect in every way," come to life. Later in the movie, the once-very popular Eve doll's sales decrease dramatically, and the company stops the production of the Eve doll not realizing what they are doing wrong. Distressed, Banks, the "life-size" Eve doll, turns to her owner Casey and learns two valuable lessons—that perfection is boring and unrealistic, and it is okay to make mistakes. Casey tells the life-size Eve that the Eve doll is too "goody-goody" to be real, and girls need more realistic role models—heroes—with personality, inner struggles, and mistakes. Almost everyone likes heroes from Spiderman to firefighters to Dad who inspire the young and keep them motivated; however when the heroes' lives and beliefs are fabricated to fit a stereotype, these humans regress into nothing more than a boring ideal. Heroification with cognitive dissonance blind students to the reality of this world and limit their ability to view controversies objectively.
Heroification is the process where details—both important and trivial—are left out or changed to fit the archetypical mold of the flawless, inhuman "heroes." This "degenerative process" makes "flesh-and-blood individuals into pious, perfect creatures without conflicts, pain, credibility, or human interest (Loewen 19)." For example, many people know of Helen Keller only as the blind, deaf girl who despite her handicaps learned to read, write, and to speak, but this is only the first twenty years of her life. Whatever happened to Keller for the next sixty-four years of her life? Keller was, in fact, a radical socialist in Massachusetts starting in the early 1900s, and was one of the most passionate and famous woman during that time rallying for the new communist nation. Keller's love for socialism did not stem from a vacuum but was rooted deep within her experiences as a disabled person, and she sympathized with other handicaps and learned that social class controls not only people's opportunity but also their disabilities. But during the heroification process, the schools and the mass media omitted Keller's lifelong goal and passion to bring about radical social change because we would rather teach our young to "remain uncontroversial and one-dimensional" than to have a room full of leftists (Loewen 35).
On June, 17th 1775 began a fight between the British and the Americans, it took place on Breed’s HIll. In Charlestown Peninsula, North side of Boston Harbor, this battle was the bloodest of the Revoltionary in America. The British Commander, Lieutenant General Thomas Gage, Major General William Howe. There were about 2,400 troops being lead by Major general Howe.
The north in contrast has suffered from lack of leadership and military success, but the Battle of Gettysburg would be the turning point and would end with southern forces being forced to retreat. The book is first broken into four days, June 29, 1863, just before the battle began; July 1, 1863, the day of the initial Confederate attack; July 2, 1863, the first full day of battle; and July 3, 1863, the final day of battle. Each of these four sections are broken down into chapters with each chapter written by a different viewpoint of key leaders, in this review I will focus on General Robert E. Lee of the confederate army and Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain of the union
Loewen defines heroification as “a degenerative process (much like calcification) that makes people over into heroes” (Loewen 11). During this process, negative or controversial facts are often ignored or altered in regards to these heroes, which create “perfect creatures without conflicts, pain, credibility, or human interest (Loewen 11). When one changes or omits facts concerning figures in history for this type of glorification, we are left with an invented story of the event or person; in other words, history has become a myth. History textbooks are filled with these types of glorifications, especially older texts. The purpose of heroification is to present events or people in a favorable light and to give ideal role models in which to follow. In my own words, I call Loewen’s heroification an effective form of brainwashing. For example, I was always taught that the Civil War was fought to free slaves, but later learned this war was about states succeeding from the Union. Many people still believe the Emancipation Proclamation’s purpose was to free the slaves; however, it was actually the last resort Lincoln used to win the Civil War. Of course, this is not how these events were portrayed to most of us in History class. Heroification alters the purpose of these events so that we, as citizens, can feel proud that America did away with slavery because our forefathers felt it was morally wrong. Loewen also points out how heroification can lead to role models in the case of Helen Keller, “the blind and deaf girl who overcame her physical handicaps, as an inspiration to generations of schoolchildren” (Loewen 12). The problem with Keller being used as an exemplary model for American schoolchildren is that only her early life is portr...
Helen Keller, against all odds, became a mouthpiece for many causes in the early to mid-twentieth century. She advocated for causes such as building institutions for the blind, schools for the deaf, women’s suffrage and pacifism. When America was in the most desperate of times, her voice stood out. Helen Keller spoke at Carnegie Hall in New York raising her voice in protest of America’s decision to join the World War. The purpose of this paper will analyze the devices and methods Keller used in her speech to create a good ethos, pathos, and logos.
News correspondent Pauline Frederick once commented When a man gets up to speak people listen then look. When a woman gets up people look; then if they like what they see they listen" (Women's Wit and Wisdom 10). Ironically, the harsh reality of this statement is given life by the ongoing controversy of America's most recognizable and sometimes notorious toy. Barbie. Barbie has become this nation's most beleaguered soldier of idolatry who has been to the front lines and back more times than the average "JOE." (Varney 161). This doll, a piece of plastic, a toy incurs both critique and praise spanning all ends of the ideological spectrum. Barbie's curveaous and basically unrealistic body piques the ire of both liberals and conservatives, each contending that Barbie stands for the distinct view of the other. One hundred and eighty degrees south, others praise Barbie's (curves and all) ability to unlock youthful imagination and potential. M. G. Lord explains Barbie best: To study Barbie, one sometimes has to hold seemingly contradictory ideas in one's head at the same time . . . The doll functions like a Rorschach test: people project wildly dissimilar and often opposing meanings on it. . And her meaning, like her face has not been static over time" (10). In spite of the extreme polarity, a sole unconscious consensus manifests itself about Barbie. Barbie is 'the icon" of womanhood and the twentieth century (Ducille 50). She is the American dream (Varney 161). Barbie is us" (Lord 17). The question is always the same: What message does Barbie send? Barbie is a toy. She is the image of what we see.
The word "hero" is so often used to describe people who overcome great difficulties and rise to the challenge that is set before them without even considering the overwhelming odds they are up against. In our culture, heroes are glorified in literature and in the media in various shapes and forms. However, I believe that many of the greatest heroes in our society never receive the credit that they deserve, much less fame or publicity. I believe that a hero is simply someone who stands up for what he/she believes in. A person does not have to rush into a burning building and save someone's life to be a hero. Someone who is a true friend can be a hero. A hero is someone who makes a difference in the lives of others simply by his/her presence. In Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, the true heroes stand out in my mind as those who were true friends and fought for what they believed in. These men and women faced the atrocities of war on a daily basis, as explained by critic David R. Jarraway's essay, "'Excremental Assault' in Tim O'Brien: Trauma and Recovery in Vietnam War Literature" and by Vietnam Veteran Jim Carter. Yet these characters became heroes not by going to drastic measures to do something that would draw attention to themselves, but by being true to their own beliefs and by making a difference to the people around them.
To the world today, a hero is someone distinguished by exceptional courage, nobility, or strength; but really, anyone can be a hero. A hero can vary from someone as well-known as George Washington to someone as unheard of as anyone’s very own mother. Someone who has done a good deed for someone else is hero. The biggest heroes are the ones in well-known books and plays, such as Odysseus from The Odyssey, or have made a huge difference in the history of this world, like Mahatma Gandhi. Siddhartha Gautama is a hero, but not in the same way Odysseus or Gandhi are. Although these three influential people went through different journeys in order to accomplish different things, they are all heroes in their own way and have been through the same cycle of the road of trials and crisis/salvation.
Heroification is a degenerative process that makes people into heroes regardless of any type of character flaw they may possess. It appears that Mr. Loewen?s greatest concern about heroification does not revolve around who gets chosen for the history books but what actually happens to them after they do. He cites two examples of people that had led colored lives but in our textbooks show them as people we should strive to become like. These two people are Helen Keller and President Woodrow Wilson. (Lies?19) Mr. Loewen feels that heroification has distorted the lives of Keller and Wilson and that we can no longer think straight about them. He does not just think this of these two but many other people throughout history. When it comes to Keller we think of someone who, throughout her entire life has struggled to overcome her disabilities. I feel that no one would dispute this but in reality Miss Keller was a radical Socialist for most of her life. This in itself is not so bad but her condemnation of the country into which she was born to and lived in could be considered treasonous. (Lies?20) President W...
As a young girl, I was not very interested in playing with baby dolls. I preferred playing with my many stuffed animals or the only doll I did like—Barbie. With my animals, usually I was rescuing them from some horrible disaster such as a flood or a forest fire. I was their heroic savior and benevolent protector. But with Barbie this was decidedly not the case. Sometimes my Barbie did normal Barbie things, such as get dressed up for an exciting date with Ken or go shopping with her little sister, Skipper. More often, however, I subjected Barbie to strange, sadistic acts of my imagination. Frequently Barbie, in her pink dune buggy, would have tragic head-on collisions with my brother’s dump truck, or the brakes would suddenly go out on her pink Barbie scooter, sending her careening off a steep mountain cliff. Barbie also had the unfortunate tendency to be sucked from her Barbie plane by her lovely long blonde hair while flying at 30,000 feet. Since in every other way I was a normal child, psychoanalysts might interpret my play patterns with Barbie as childlike manifestation of women’s frustrations at the disparate images popular culture presents for women. Most women I know also experience this love/hate feeling towards Barbie and the mixed messages she represents, especially when their daughters start begging for Barbies of their own. While mothers do not want to encourage the unrealistic beauty expectations that Barbie represents, they also fondly remember Barbie as their own favorite toy. These many women, and their daughters, have made Barbie the most successful toy for girls since 1959, despite Barbie’s many contradictions. Barbie embodies American popular culture’s attempt to respond to women’s changing roles in the era since...
Since 1959, Barbie’s lifestyle has served as a template of how young girls should live the remainder of their life. Certainly, Barbie is just a plastic doll, but she stands a plastic queen. Consequently, Young girls obliviously see her as an idol, and every doll that was made after Barbie is a carbon copy of her. Being that Barbie’s image remains impossible to acquire, some mothers do not allow their children to play with her; they do not want their “baby girls” thinking they are not good enough. Barbie has influenced young girls into thinking that the only way to be perfect is to grow up striving to be just like the blonde hair, blue eyed white woman with the perfect body figure.
In today’s society, girls and boys are constantly being shown different messages about the ways that they should look and act. One example of these messages, which I feel is most important to look at and understand, is Barbie and the impact that has been made on our society since this doll was developed many years ago. Since Barbie’s creation, there has been controversy over the whether or not this doll impacts women’s body image. Some will argue that Barbie is just a doll and that she does not have a negative influence on the way females view their bodies. Others will argue this topic and say that Barbie plays a huge role for the negative views that females have about their body image.
Kofi Annan once said, “Arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity”. Globalization is an inevitable phenomenon in human history that brings about greater interconnectivity and integration of people worldwide. Over the past few decades, the pace of global integration has accelerated quickly and dramatically due to unprecedented advancements in technology, communications, science, transport and industry (The World Bank, 2013). Globalization affects economical, cultural, technological, political and social aspects of a country. In this essay, we’ll be talking about cultural globalization and its effects solely. Cultural globalization is the rapid movement of ideas, attitudes, values across national borders and the “the emergence of a specific set of values and beliefs that are largely shared around the planet” (Castells, 2009, p. 117). Circulation of ideas has allowed people to partake in extended social relations that cross national and regional borders, leading to the diffusion of cultures. Due to increasing interconnectedness, there is formation of shared norms and knowledge in which people associate their individual and collective cultural identities with. Cultural globalization is a double-edged sword with both benefits and disadvantages to society. However, its threats to national traditions outweigh the progress it contributes to society.
Abraham Lincoln once aforesaid, “When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.” When people do good, it is not just for their selfish needs, it is to assist others. Heroes are not people who do good once, Heroes do good deeds on a daily basis. Heroism is doing good deeds for others, not for your own selfish means.
There is another type of hero that almost no one is aware of. In the poorest areas of the country, live mostly minorities and other ethic background. All their lives they’ve been expected to work harder and expected not succeed in life. Some individuals living in poverty with a determination to succeed work hard all of their lives to become what everybody doubted they could. Escaping the crime, drugs, and prostitution is enough to escape hell, even if they don’t go to college. Despite of their financial problems, drug and crime surroundings, or difficulties in the language skills, their desire to triumph fuels their persistence. Those who make it to success are the few living examples of the purest form of hero anyone can be. They are not only their own heroes but also the heroes of the poor children who dream of becoming like them someday.
The paradoxical dichotomy of globalization and cultural diversity are, on one hand, globalization provides third world cultures, and nations in conflict, the potential to become empowered through interaction with stronger, more stable cultures. One the other hand, it can also lead to the disempowerment of people in weaker nations by stronger nations with negative influences and motives of colonization that will deprive the native cultures of their identity. There are positive and negative aspects of globalization, however, it is the driving force for innovation, cultural interaction and the prospect of building stronger cultural