News About Obama (10 Revelations)

10- “By linking political issues to the extraneous concerns for race, glamour, religion, or experience, and avoiding central questions of power and purpose in society, the real intellectual and ideological questions of the social order have been wholly obscured and the mass capacity to respond

to the problems of that order seriously reduced” (Streets, 167). It really is a problem that media coverage of pop-culture has become what we care about more so then what is really going on in the world today. One of these options will effect us and our lives, the other will serve as a conversation topic for about 5 minutes. Photo Credit.

To an extent, I view this as scapegoating. We are focusing all our attention on others, making it the focus of our problems. Like pop-culture, because dealing with that is something we can actually handle. It's seeing someone else's life and it makes us feel better about our own in some cases.

9- “’Brand Obama’s’ pure media-created celebrity-hood has been amajor factor in his ascendance, particularly with regard to younger voters” (Streets,169). It’s true, but it’s also fair. You have to appeal toyour audience on their media platform, and Obama did just that.

He communicated in a way and reached the youth in a way that was understandable to the best of our abilities. He is a flawless speaker, and utilized numerous media platforms to reach is target audience. This appealed to the Limbic brain, because he instilled an emotional transfer in his speeches, also the Neocortex because he was saying things that had such a deep meaning to them. Photo Credit.

8- “Obama has nonetheless benefited from being mentally hyper-competent in the wake of the often highly incompetent Bust administrations ‘region of error’” (Streets, 170). American’s needed someone to trust, and someone who wouldn’t run them further into the ground then we already were. Bush left a big mess to clean up, it was just a matter of whose hands it actually fell into. Photo Credit.

With this election, I feel people were more involved, because of the hole that Bush left, it was like this election suddenly had everyones attention. Or maybe it was the place I was at in my life, being among students voting for the first time. However, I feel this is an example of the personal shift. It went from this feeling of "my one vote doesn't matter" to "I have to vote, my voice has to be in this."

7- “A candidate also has no chance for the White House is he or she does not gain approval from the powerful people who own and manage national and global corporate media” (Streets, 189). This is so true, and so sad. It's prime example of the political shift. We always have to have someone with the money bags approving everything that we do or try to do. Photo Credit.

It's a terrible realization and something that I truly detest about our country. As I am aware that Obama did take big hand outs from companies for his campaign, I respect him for trying to raise it by donations from everyday plain folks.

6- “We who protest the war are not politicians. We are citizens” (Streets, 193). I love this sentence, it goes to show that we know what we want, but we can’t trust the politicians to fight for it. When I think of this, I think of plain folks, because this is what the phrase appeals to, those of us that want to make a difference but are seen to low on the scale to make any real type of difference. I believe that a lot of poeple looked up to Obama as speaking for the small person, and I think a lot of those people are incredibly let down by the way his presidency has gone. Photo Credit.

News About Obama (10 Revelations cont.)

5. “I heard self-identified leftist activists describe Obama as a peace and justice candidate who wanted to end war and redistribute wealth. I was also told by Republicans that Obama was a Democrat they could imagine voting for, precisely because he wasn’t especially left-wing or liberal” (Streets xxvii). This quote is an example of the discursive shift. It's said that Obama is a Moderate Republican, but going through on the Democratic nomination. Everyone takes what they want from the situation, you choose and apply it to your opinions.

In this case, everyone was destined to come out feeling let down because it's impossible for Obama to please everyone. He frustrates Democrats by always seeming to side with big business America instead of ordinary Americans, and he frustrates Republicans by being a Democrats and believing he does the complete opposite. Drew Weston discusses this further via CNN. Photo Credit

4-“The 2008 Obama presidential run may be the most slickly orchestrated marketing machine in history” (Streets, 60). I agree with this statement, Obama was everywhere. He was a well-marketed product but was marketed as a simple solution. The way he was marketed was sending the message that if you vote for him, then your problems will be solved, because he was marketed purely as a brand.

It's crazy to think about, that our president is seen more as a brand then as leader. It's crazy to think that this the place we are at in society, that we can relate more to a product then we can to a leader. Photo Credit.

3- Observation 3- “The essay contained four gloomy black-and-white photos of Senator Clinton, all full of foreboding shadows, and four photos of Obama in color. …The message could not have been more clear: Obama represented a colorful new and optimistic future; Hilary is harsh, dark, old, and depressing” (64). As Postman said previously, that image is truly everything. If you’re going to be looking at someone, you at lest want it to be someone that keeps your attention. The image is a powerful thing.

This also touches on production techniques, because the way they are showing these images has a biased meaning. If shows what opinion they the company holds. It's tricky to make journalism of any type unbiased with words, but with images that says something else, because every photo truly is worth a thousand words. Photo Credit.

2- “But the operative U.S. definition of ‘democracy’ is rather different from the dictionary meaning” (130). I find this to be true, I also believe that everyone has their own definition of the word. This falls under the tool sets in personal meaning, because everyone has their own meaning of this word, and everyone expects different things from it.

We all like to look at things in our own ways, but the problem with doing this is that we all derive our own meaning from situations, and then needless to say we are all let down to some extent. In our country, we all have our own opinions of what should be taking place and what is best, but our own voices aren't generally heard. Photo Credit.

1- “What is the idea of our moral superiority based on? Surely not our behavior toward people in other parts of the world” (132). We should be treating others the same way we want to be treated and seen in the world. From my travels, I have learned that no one really respects an American. A lot of this is due to what other countries see of us in the media, and they then hold this true of us once we travel, and these assumptions are what they go off of.

This fits in with individual meaning, perfectly. If we want the world to have a better opinion of us, then we need to be sending a better image. Electing Obama, someone who is seen as young, poised, and a positive image in the media, was also a ploy to establish better relations with those countries that aren't exactly fond of us. Photo Credit.

Sweaters On Our Feet (MM4)

I'm a sucker for a good advertising campaign. Yes, me. Even though I bash the media all the time, break it down to it's basics, and dont hold back in correcting them when their wrong--I still love a great advertisement. While I was on Facebook, minding my own business (see the pun there?) a friend posted a video released by GE. This video was the latest in a campaign for their new wash and dryers.

Photo Source

This video is great, in so many ways, and I'm sorry to admit that. This fake advocacy campaign called L.O.S.S. (Laundered and Orphaned Sock Society), and they took it pretty far. Not only does this fake campaign have it's own website, but also it's own Facebook page as well as a Twitter. It's a pretty well rounded viral campaign.

GE isn't exactly know for being a humorous company, but with everything else going viral, and numerous other companies breaking bank with viral campaigns, they decided to follow in suite, and find their funny bone. It's pretty clever too, to make a washer/dryer campaign about missing socks. That has been a known association with washer/dryers since the dawn of time! Rumor has it that they are even getting of making a digital billboard in Times Square for this ad campaign. Ah, yes, that's what I think of in Times Square, my socks.

Okay. Let's break it down.

BRAIN! This video is great. It appeals to the neocortex with the text it provides you to read in the beginning and end, as well as the limbic brain with the images, the chanting in the background, and everyone's testimonials (did I just jump ahead? I think I did).

SHIFTS! This is a great example of the technological shift because the entire campaign is a viral one. Instead of taking out print ads or paying for air time, they have just put everything online. Aside from establishing a digital video in Times Square, this advertisement awareness would all be cost free. It touches, in my opinion on the personal shift, because they are taking something as personal as laundry and making it a group effort with the L.O.S.S. activists. You're doing your laundry together, and facing the same problems.

PRINCIPLES! Production techniques, as they hit a few. They go from having a-roll to b-roll, chanting to individuals talking, and different screen shots. It held my interest for sure, and kept my eyes moving. Value messages, because they are trying to get you to relate, not to mention that absolutely ridiculous things that the protesters are saying, such as the women sending her daughter to school with one sock and them making fun of her. Ownership, because while this ad is rather funny, you have to remember that this has all been created to get you to buy GE's product.

PERSUASION! Finally, my favorite. The two big ones here would be humor and plain folks. Humor is an obvious one because, well, the entire thing is a giant joke. My favorite is the women who is "activist of the month" and she says that we wouldn't put our friends in the dryer. Also, "it will be a million man march, and then we're going to include women". This campaign is pure humor, and it's great! Plain folks is the other contender because these actors are supposed to portray just normal, every day people trying to do their laundry, and relating to you with a common annoyance and a global question-where do our socks go? In their own way, this also includes testimonial. Though it's not done by celebrities, these actors are supposed to be well known activists fighting for a well known cause, making them celebrities in their own way. The testimonies they give crack me up, and if you ask me its better then Kim K's latest perfume endorsement.

So now you are faced with a decision, and the choice is yours. Are you going to sit around and do nothing? Or join the march to protect your socks? Their fate is in your hands (or feet).

Photo Source.

Seeing The Invisible (MM3)

Photo Source. Provided by Invisible Children

I'm writing about something serious. I know what you're thinking "but Caitlin, Pauly D is a serious matter, too." But this time, it's something more serious then blow outs and hair gel. It's about Africa's longest running war, their youth, a horrible man, and a non-profit organization that has dedicated their focus to stopping him. I'm talking about Invisible Children.

They recently came to Champlain College and gave a presentation, showing a movie called "Tony". The focus was on a boy that they met there on their initial trip to Uganda. He inspired this entire movement, because he showed these three men that would later start this movement, that he is just like them-human.

The main reason I picked this organization to focus on is not just because of the amazing cause they are fighting for which I support, but also the way they go about accomplishing their mission.

"We use the power of media to inspire young people to help end the longest running war in Africa. Our model has proven effective, and hundreds of thousands of people have been called to action through our films and the volunteers that tour them"

This is straight off their website. This organization has this incredibly unique way of not only fund-raising, but also of how to spread awareness and recruit volunteers. This video is an example of a campaign they have going on currently called "25".

This campaign is an incredible example of uniting people for a cause, using your resources, and doing it in a very low budget way. When you apply it to our power tools, you begin with your brain. The video appeals to your limbic brain with it's images and the back ground music, establishing a sense of empowerment. It's a signature sound they have, that same tone is also featured in their movies. When they show clips of the war, blood, and guns, it appeals to your reptilian brain with your fight or flight reflex. As does the campaign in general, since it is raising awareness about a war.

Moving right along into the shifts, it applies very well to epistemological shift, because it is taking what you may know about this war, and giving you a slight visual image to go with you, as it trying to give you a taste of it. It is a prime example of the person shift, because it's taking you as one person, and putting you with an entire group of people fighting for the same cause. You're being silent together, working together, fighting together. In the end, you'll be brought together by the event they are throwing.

Value messages is the big one in terms of principles. It's a prime example, because this is trying to get you to act towards a good cause. They are inviting you to act with them by doing something simple but making a world of a difference. This campaign also raises the shift of emotional , but it makes you begin to think more deeply about the matter.

Talking about persuasive techniques, there are a lot to be said. They can be applied to both the video and the campaign itself. Since we're focusing on the campaign, it's a big example of plain folks. They are targeting us. You, me, her, him, them, everyone. They make it clear that you, as an individual no matter who you are, can make a difference in this matter. It also brings in group dynamics to a large extent because they are reaching out to everyone saying "we" "together" "us" they dont single themselves or anyone out. It also touches on strength because they are uniting a front to stop this war and protect these children.

The "25" campaign will require everyone to stay in silence for 25 hours, and leaves you with a goal to raise $25. It's simple, and you can help. Start your own donation page, and share it with all your friends, family, and remind them that even the smallest donation can go a small way. Together through silence, we can make a difference.

Photo Source.

Large Hand Sanitizer, Please?

Health Care Restrictions Cost Thousands of Lives in US

With a story as high profiled as this, it’s hard not to have heard snippits of it here and there. We all know the basics, but we aren’t aware of the details. The fact is, despite national legislative health reform, heath care in the US will remain dismal for many Americans, resulting in continuin

g deaths and personal tragedies.

->The American Journal of Public Health published findings demonstrating that being uninsured raises individuals od

ds of dying my 40%. Meaning 44,798 deaths occur each year among the 46 million uninsured Americans.

-> Health care can be denied to battered women

->Recent Harvard research team estimates that 2,226 US military veterans did in 2008 due to lack of health insurance, mor

e then 14 times the number of deaths suffered by troops in Afghanistan in 2008, and more then twice as many as have died since the war began in 2001.

-> Lack on insurance covered provided to children has led or contributed to nearly 17,000 deaths over the past two decades, says research conducted by Johns Hopkins.

->When you are diagnosed with a chronic condition, you're cut off at a much earlier rate then if you were not diagnosed with a chronic condition.

->The health care reform will continue to leave room for the unnecessary deaths, as it will do nothing for the uninsured until 2013, even then still leaving 17 million uninsured.

->7 million of those people are uninsured illegal immigrants, who under the new health reform aren't even allowed to purchase health insurance.

Beat Dat Beat, all the way to the bank (mm2)

I have a confession.

It's a real confession, and it's something that you'll judge. But, I love the Jersey Shore. Everything about it, I absolutely love. These people, their culture, their view on life, what they find important, I cannot get over it. My favorite of these people, is DJ Pauly D. He is the (image source. Cast of Jersey Shore) oldest male "guido" in the house, and his signature style is his hairstyle,

his blow out.

These characters, and I refer to them as characters because in my mind, they are anything but realistic, have really taken advantage of the 15 minutes of fame thrown at them and turned it into 15 hours, so to speak. Pauly D came onto the MTV show as an already established DJ, and he uses his fame on this show as a platform to take it further. He recently released a single called (It's Time To) Beat Dat Beat. I downloaded this song, as a joke, to make it a ring tone, again, as a joke. When I hard this song, he starts off the song speaking.

"This is DJ Pauly D, being a guido's a way of life. I dont represent all Italians, I represent myself. I started this whole GTL shit, gym tan and laundry. You gotta stay fresh to death." When I heard this, the first thing I thought to myself was "wow, he is really pushing this".

When we dive into our power tools, there is only more joy that can come from Jersey Shore and this special DJ. Beginning with the brain, as music it obviously appeals to your limbic brain, and we have an emotional response. With the beat of the song, it's club/house music. With the talking in the song, it appeals to your neocortex because you're understanding what he is saying. For those that dont watch the show, you probably dont understand the references that he is making, and that causes you to have to think even more so about what it is that he's saying. Of course, people who really hate the show, or Pauly D, could argue that it enables your reptilian brain in wanting to fight or flight from the sight of this.

In terms of our shifts, I believe it fits perfectly into the aesthetic shift. I say this because of convergence. He went from being an unknown DJ, to a star of this hit TV show. He used the platform to become a household name in the entertainment industry. He endources products, is a DJ, and he has even reached out to YouTube sensation Keenan Cahill. The video below is Pauly D combining his song with the entertainment skills of Keenan. He has even dont promotional commercials for the Justin Bieber Movie, Never Say Never.

Pauly D has managed to really take his fame, and spread it into so many different things, in yet they are all brought back to the first, main point, that he is just a regular guido juice head.

Moving next into the principles, I question ownership. He is his own person, but he is a object marketed by MTV. It was by their hand that he has been able to accomplish all these tasks. So I have to wonder if he is truly the unique individual that he markets himself as or if he is a product of a corporation. Either way, I find him entertaining, but I would find him more respectful if I knew that what he did was for him, not for a company.

Finally, persuasive techniques I'm going to go ahead and say symbols. Bringing in what I said before about ownership, Pauly D has marketed himself, or has been marketed as a product, and everything he touches turns to gold. From his hair, to his music, to the way he talks, it's all an image, it's all marketable, and it's all something that we identify with.

So there you have it, my dirty secret and my dirty obsession. Pauly D will forever remain in my heart.

Pocket Pain (mm1)

Well, well, well, seems the day has finally come. The one thing that was left pure in this world has been taken from us. I dont know about you, but for me, the ability to peruse new musicians and expand my musical taste-buds is something that I take very seriously. Expressing ourselves through music is what we have left in this world where every where we look different media outlets are telling us how to be, how to feel,

(Image Source. Snap shot of app) and how to live. Now music is gone, too.

When I was perusing one of my favorite websites, Mashable, I came across a story about a new iPhone application called "Pocket Hipster". This application works similar to the Genius program that works with iTunes, but it's different--it takes it one step further.

When you first load the app, there are characters that discuss your musical taste, as shown above, almost barding it. The article mentions this, but I didn't actually believe it, so I downloaded it to test it for myself. Turns out that the article wasn't lying. The characters talk as if there is only one correct way to music, and they are here to help you find the right path. It's a 12 step program to becoming a indie hipster. Here is a video showing how the app truly does, talk down to you, and how they sell the image through the app as well.

Because I feel a serious dislike for this app, I wanted this to be one of my media meditations so I could break it down piece by piece with my own 4 step program, starting with the brain. Since it's music, and there is really no work involved except for downloading the initial app itself, it plays into the Limbic brain. When you play a song you like, the Pocket Hipsters will reccomend something else that is similar to that which they believe you will like. You can then hear a snippet of the song. Your limbic brain process this music, and will react to it emotionally. You then decide how you feel about it.

On to the next step, the eight shifts, this is a prime example of the technological shift. When I was younger, I would go to the music store with my brother and we would sort through the rows and rows of CD's for hours, until we came across something that we liked. We then would talk to everyone around and see what they suggested of the album, and then from there we decided to buy it or toss it. Now, all I have to do is listen to my own music on my own iPod or iPhone and this app will tell me what to download.

Smoothly moving onto step three, principles. To me, it raises the question of ownership. I say this because it's the result of a partnership between two music technology startups, The Echo Nest and We Are Hunted, in yet when songs come up for recommendation, the listener is then directed to iTunes to purchase the song.

Last but not least, the final 4th step, our wonderful persuasive techniques. There are two main ones that stick out to me in this instance-- Bandwagon and Plain Folk. The reason I say bandwagon is because this app comes at it's users with a style, an agenda, and an image. It markets clearly to a specific type of music, and a specific stereotype that all hipster styled kids are into indie music. I also say plain folk, which might seem almost like a contradiction, but they are trying to relate to the user by making it seem like it's easy to fit into this trendy, hip, persona.

Now that my four step program is complete, I feel a little bit better about this app. Though, it wasn't reason enough for me to delete it off my phone. I guess that's 99 cents I'll never get back. But at the same time, I can say I paid 99 cents to secure my musical choice remaining my own.