Initial thoughts regarding "Eyes Wide Open"

In our first group of readings for "Eyes Wide Open," there are two problems that William D. Romanowski identifies with the way people think about media.

1. Most people believe that they are personally immune to the effects of media.
2. People don't think too much about the media they consume.

Growing up in the chruch and having a Christian background exposed me to a lot of sermons and lectures about how "the music you listen to and tv shows you watch can effect your walk with the Lord." I remember a speciffic skit that we did where there was a girl who was going about her daily routine. She prayed first and asked Jesus to be with her throughout the day... then he actually showed up in person at her door. At first the girl was really excited that Jesus actually came, but then when she sat down to watch her favorite TV show she was a little uncomfortable watching it with him around. The same scene played out for the music she wanted to listen to and the magazines she wanted to read.

I think it's true that the media we consume can have an effect on our walk with Christ. Because of this belief, the Christian community has come up with many different ways to interact with media. Romanowski identifies three such reactions: Condenation (total avoidance of media) Appropriation (consuming Christian media, like CCM), and consumption ( intake of popular culture.) Not one of these reactions seems to be completely right or completely wrong.

In order to have a healthy engagement with the media, I think that Chrsitians first need to acknowledge the two "problems." We should realize that we aren't exempt to the effects of media, and we should learn to be concious of the media that we consume. Once we have identified these issues, I think that an implementation of each of the three above reactions to media is necessary. Consuming Christian media can be a great thing and foster spiritual growth. At the same time Christians shouldn't alienate themselves from the culture that they are a part of. It is okay, and even beneficial to consume secular media. However, there may be some media that is harmful to us as Christians and should definitly be avoided.

Becoming familiar with the problems in the way we think of media, and then making a concious effort to engauge it in a way that enables us to be a light to the culture is the ultimate goal for Christians in our interaction with media.

Thoughts on the upcoming summer!

Summer, to even be able to type that word and know that it is less than two weeks away brings such joy that I can hardly stand it. I have to get this blog done, and I figured I would type about something that I can still muster enthusiasm about- and after writing four research papers over the past two weeks, school definitly doesn't qualify. So, I am going to blog about my summer...

I've mentioned in previous blogs that I will be living in Guinea this summer for 6-8 weeks. As the trip gets closer, I'm beginning to wonder how I will react to being completely removed from the society I am accustom to and emersed in the culture of Africa. Lately I've been talking with a friend who went to Africa last summer, and it was interesting to hear what she had to say about my worries. As we talked about the "deprevation" of technology that I would experience and how I would deal with that, she commented that she remembered realizing how dependent she was on her cell phone. I know that I won't be getting cingular service in Guinea, and a hour phone call to the States may cost up to $20. Ouch. So of course we talked about technological adjustments, as well as other things like the food that they will have. Then we began to talk about clothes. How much should I pack? What do I have to wear? (I discovered that ankle length skirts are required as we will be in a conservative muslim culture)

I found out that for the whole time I am gone, it is reccomended that I bring about a weeks worth of clothes. For an entire summer I'm going to be wearing ankle length skirts and T-shirts, and being dirty most of the time. And... no one is going to care! I wonder what it will feel like to not have to worry about what my clothes look like and if my outfit looks allright. My friend Allyson told me that I would feel "free."

Free from what? I think, perhaps, free from the effects of media. Free from the effects of a counsumer culture that tells me what kind of shorts I should be going out and buying for the summer months off of school.

Instead it will be long skirts from Goodwil.
I am so excited about this summer! :-D

I've lived in the United States all my life and never had the opportuinity to travel to a less developed country. Will I really be "free" from the media there? I can't wait to find out.

Parasocial relationships/ Celebrities

Parasocial relationships: what a strage concept. I mean, just look at those questions on the little survey we were given in class. I mean "My favorite celebrity keeps me company when I watch/read the media text." Come on, what the heck does that mean?

I've always thought that people who were super obsessed with a celebrity or tv show had some kind of a problem. that they didn't want to face reality and were escaping their own life. while I've learned that this is one use for Tv and movies, I've also come to realize that parasocial relationshps can be kind of beneficcial.

One way that we use celebrities is for guidance and direction in our own lives. So, having a parasocial relationship with your favorite cleb isn't always a way of escaping life, but also a way for refferencing and learning to deal with issues in our own lives.

When I got to thinking about it, I realized that I used to have a parasocial relationship with Lizzie McGuire. I would always watch her show on the Disney channel, and I did use the show to deal with things that were going on in my own jr. high world. I would always compare Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo to me and my friends: Me, Katie and Christopher.

Another question from the parasocial relationshp questionaire I thought was strange was "When my favorite celebrity preforms, s/he seems to understnad the kinds of htings I want to know." I can now see how this related to my parasocial relationship with Lizzie. I remember watching shows where Miranda moved away after finding out that my friend Katie's dad got a job in Georgia and she would be moving in the summer. I could identify, it was like Lizzie knew what I was going through.

I guess parasocial relationshps aren't as strange or negative as I originally precieved them to be.

thoughts about the rough draft- what i'm learning about media and missions.

Wow, I am really learning a lot about the relationship of media and missions through my paper topic- imagine that. I'm really excited about this because not only do I think that the information is interesting, but I also think that the knowledge will help me this summer as I travel to Guinea.

This summer I am going to be living in Guinea for eight weeks and working with two missionaries who are currently stationed there. We will be working with the Fula people, who are 99.9% Muslim. Exploring my paper topic (which is the relationship between media and world missions- in case you didn't pick up on that yet) has brought a lot of things to my attention that I didn't think about before. Incorperating media in evnaglisim has a lot of different reprecussions for Christianity and developing cultures.

One thing that I found interesting was the debate of wether or not churches or types of evangelism too foreign to a native societies customs will be rejected. Because of it's belief that the medium used to convey the gospel message (various types of media vs. interpersonal communication) will shape the message in some way, this theory incorperates the theory of technological determinism.

Utilizing media as a medium for spreading the gospel has shaped the way the message is interpreted by other cultures. It has made native cultures percieve Christianity as a major globalizing factor. Some of these cultures have reacted negatively to this as the previously mentioned theory of chruch rejection predicts. Such groups include Islamic fundamentalists.
On the other hand, other groups have embraced media in christianity, and through doing so have become a more consumerist society, which isn't always a good thing either.

Through my research I discovered that in order to integrate christian mass media successfully on the mission field, missionaries need to understand the field they are evangelizing to (like the ways religion and religous media are already used in the culture), have a balanced view of globalzation and preserving native culture, and implement media in a correct context (linked to a local community or church.)

I think that knowing these things will prepare me a little more for going to guinea this summer and in any future missions career i may pursue

Good Society

what is a good society?

In my classes and expereinces this semester, there are two reoccuring themes that I believe are characteristics of a good society.

1) members of the society should have balance in their lives. By balance I mean that those who function within a society do not allow one aspect of life to consume them to the point that they are unable to experience and contribute to other areas. I'm sure that we could find many areas necessary for balance, but the one point of balance that has become evident to me is between individuality and community.

Community is valuable because communicating with others molds and fashions thinking in a way that can produce a masterpiece. When people are in group settings, one friend’s ideas about a particular subject will influence the other’s opinions. It’s like shaping a piece of clay- you take some away here, add some there, and in the end produce a work of art. When people change their opinions it doesn’t show weakens, as some might say. Rather, it is good for personal growth.

Solitude is the solution to these problems that arise from interaction with other people. For example, balance in the above three situations may look like the following: A member of a group or club may achieve balance and avoid becoming a puppet of the organization by being aware of the effect the group has on his or her individuality, the student may achieve a balance through allowing academic material to help form his thoroughly thought through views and compliment his articulation of them, and in pairs there should be sufficient time spent in personal growth and development.

So, it becomes possible to achieve a balance between solitude and fellowship by acknowledging the group’s effect on the individual, allowing outside influence to assist in forming and compliment our personal beliefs, and making sure to set aside sufficient time for personal reflection and development.

2) The second point is a bit shorter, but by no means simpler than the first. In order to achieve these areas of balance, members must be actively seeking to achieve "Good Society." Without the desire and action, nothing can be accomplished. If people don't want a better society, then they definitley won't try for it. But, wanting a good society isn't enough. It takes action to accomplish the goals that are set.

Digesting some research

Well, I've been reading those scholarly articles for my research paper, so i figured I would do a little free write here on some of the things I've been learning.

My Paper topic is going to research the relationship of media with Christian evanglism and world missions. Since missions is a passion of mine -and I am going to Africa this summer- the subject carries some personal interest for me.

The article that has impacted me the most so far is one that looks at the effect of Christian Evangleism in the Media in Nigeria and Ghana. My initial expectations of this article is that it would talk about all the ways that Media is working in a positive way to spread the gospel to the people of these African countries. After reading, however, I found that the article was moreso a critique of Christian Evangelism in the media. The author's position was definitly not against the use of media in evangelism, but he did raise a needed flag of caution to the way it is presented in the culture. He aknowledges that media is a useful tool for reaching large groups of people quickly, that it stirs the human soul in a unique way, and that it can be particularly helpful for reaching young people. The author also points out, however, that using media requires a certain responsibility of those who produce and use it in these countries. In areas of these two countries in Africa where Christian Evanglism was flooding -and often bringing in before unused- forms of media, there were large objections. People tried to eliminate or compete with the christian media that was produced. Also, people in christian media gained power and influence because of their capablity to produce a form of media.

In the end the author came to the conclusion that media in evangelism can be a very usful tool, or harmful to spreading the gospel message. He said that everything hinges on whether or not the presentation is attatched to or recieved in unison with fellowship in a local community such as local churches, outreaches,or camp meetings.

I think this is a great point and ties in the ideas that my group came up with for defending media conglomerates in our in class debate. We thought of the point that recieving the massive amounts of information these conglomerates could provide could be a good thing, as long as we balanced that out with personal growth and reflection outside of the media context. The same this is at work in Africa with using media to evangelize.

Reflection on Hollywood Simulation

Wow, class last wednesday was ridiculous!

Before I begin, let me give you a little bit of an idea of what my background was with the way Hollywood operates. I knew some of the vocab that goes along with the whole Hollywood scene: actor/actress, agent, producer, writer. I also knew that a lot of time, energy and money goes into making a major motion picture. Going along with this idea, I knew that dispite all the money put into a film, it still has the ability to flop at the box office. I knew that this is one thing that film makers want to aviod.

I also knew that Hollywood and the people who work and live there could have a reputation for being a little messed up. ( in the way they deal with fashion, marriges, money, etc.)

So there I was in class; part of a major Hollywood film studio, looking to put together a movie that would be a guartenteed success. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

I figured that since we were the biggest studio, we wouldn't have any problems getting people to sign with us. At first this assumption was correct. There were people rushing over to "Big Time Studios" as soon as the simulation began.

The problems started when we starting signing. We signed our script first: The cute love story. So all we needed now were actors and actresses, right? Well, this became an issue because there were only four actors/ actresses, and three movies being produced. We ran into problems trying to sign an actress because the girl we wanted didn't want to be in a romance movie. We had already signed a contract though. What now? Also, our actors kept driving up their prices, and being enticed by other studios. Then, once they signed our actors wanted to be in other movies so that they could make more money. We learned that this would cost our studio.

We got to a point where we figured that it would be easier if we bought out one of the smaller studios and produced two movies. Then we would have a bigger budget and be wouldn't loose money from having our actors in multipule films. This, however, didn't work out. Maybe if we'd had more time...

Then there were annoying script writers (cough Issac and Amy cough) who kept trying to get us to buy their script after we already told them no.

And the annoying agents who kept driving up prices.

Overall it was fun to be able to pretend like we were throwing around millions of dollars like it was nothing in order to produce a major motion picture, but we all knew it wasn't real. Even so, I still heard someone say while leaving "that brought out the worst in people." Many of the things that happened showed people looking out for their own profit only. And you kind of had too.

Thinking about our class simmulation and what I know about Hollywood gave me a little better picture of why the movie industry is the way it is, and why the stuff that happens there can be really crazy.

Genre in Journals and Magazines

Here is a list of different magazine genres:

educational
beauty
health
sports
hobbies
academic
occupational
religious
teen magazines
childrens magazines
Art
Car/aumotive
Home/furniture
Historical

These genres help to organize ideas and information into a easily accesible source for those who are a part of the semiotic domain relating to that genre.

I think it may be possible to organize magazines into three different categories: those pertaining to personal subject matter, professional subject matter, and educational subject matter.

Personal subject matter would be the magazines that pertain to hobbies, sport, or home life. (ex. better homes and gardens, teen magazine, Hot Rod magazine)

Professional subject matter would be magazines that focus on a speciffic trade, career, or industry (ex. American City & Country, Western Farm Press)

Academic or educational subject matter would be journal or magazines produced by a scholarly association, or for the speciffic purpose of furthering knowledge in vital areas of life and personal development. (ex. Popular Science)

Although these categories may be roughly sketched out, it is also easy to see that some magazines cannot be pinned down to one category. An example: For most Sports Illustrated would be viewed in the "personal" category, but for professional athletes it may fit into the "career" category. This problem occurs with many other magazines as well. So, while magazines are a classic example of organizing meaning for groups of people, the organization is in some ways loosely linked and overlaps from category to category.

Success of the Christian Music Industry

Music is definitly one of my favorite texts of media. A speciffic genre of music that I enjoy is Christian music. This is an interesting genre, because within it there are so many other genres. It is a messy web of overlapping, twisting, and intertwining of musical styles and themes. For the purpose of looking at how artists within the genre of Christian music view the genre differently, I would like to tell you about two of my favorite Christian Music Artists.

The first is Family Force Five


This group presents a dramatically different type of Chrstian music than most people are used to. If this isn't evident enough in the style of their music, the names of the band members may also be clues to their counter christian music culture movement. The members of family force five are:Soul Glow Activatur, Crouton, Phatty, Nadaddy, and Chap Stique. While they do keep their lyrics clean, and most of their songs send a positive message, they are by no means serious or theological. The reason I enjoy lisetning to Family Force 5 is because it's just plain fun!

The Second is Chris Rice
I really love Chris Rice's music, but it is drastically differnet than family force 5. While family force 5 would be considered Christian rock, Chris rice sticks to mainly acoustic music. He has written many original songs, and also has an album out that is all traditional hymns. As far as musical style goes, Chris Rice and Family Force 5 are about as differnet as you can get. This goes to show the wide range of media that a particular genre can have, and how broad a genre can be.


While these two Christian music artists are drastically different, there are certain qualitites they each posess which make them a part of the same genre. They both profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and therefore maintain certain moral and ethical standards with the music they produce. At the same time they each push the paramiters of this Genre in different ways. Family Force 5 does it through dressing crazy and bringing high energy concerts into the sphere of Christian music. One way Chris Rice does it by trying to bring back older styles of music like Hymns to the Contemporary Christian Music scene.

Where do Genres come from?

In the beginning men tried to communicate with one
another. Now the media earth was formless and
empty, darkness was over the networking
systems of the deep, and the thoughts of man were hovering about them.

And then one man said "I have this idea" and he sent it out through the networking system. Through this system the idea reached many people, and the man saw that it was good.

And then Over time many other people sent messages out through the system of communication, and even discovered new networks for sending their messages. The people did this and found that it was good.

And then one man said "through networking I can send specific ideas to the people who care about those ideas the most." This pleased the people who recieved the messages, and they communicated back with a response to the message, making it's theme even more speciffic. This was the beginning of
genres.

It is an accepted idea that people flock to groups and things they are comfortable with or interested in. I believe, as explained through narritive above, that genres developed as a result of people with commonalities communicating with eachother. Through communication they formed even more speciffic groups and styles of thinking, art, music, tv, etc.

In respons to the Dogme 95 article

Reading through the Dogme 95 ideas helped me think about what I think makes a good movie, and I realized that it is very hard for me to describe what I think a good movie is in a concise manner. I think the reason for this is that film is such a huge medium of communication, and there are so many different things you can express through them. The Dogme 95 movement felt that it was important to portray realistic events, characthers, scenes etc. through their films. I can see why they would have wanted to do this. It seems like a lot of movies are completely unrealistic and don't allow for much connection for the viewer to make with what he or she sees on the screne and his or her own life. The type of movies made by the dogme group would make it easier for people to do this. At the same time however, a movie being compeletely realistic isn't the only thing that makes a good movie. Sometimes you want to just get lost in the "movies" expereince and not have to think too much. I don't believe that wanting this kind of expereience is wrong, or that movies that do this are bad.

So, the Dogme 95 movement is definitly valid, and seems to have done a lot for providing another avenue of and more characteristics for making good movies. It is an important part of the vast world of film making.

Slippage of the Rainbow

The rainbow is one visual symbol that has held different meanings over time. One website that I found tracked some of these differet meanings.

The rainbow is another ancient and universal symbol, often representing the
connection between human beings and their gods. In Greek mythology it was
associated with Iris, the goddess who brought messages from the gods on Mount
Olympus. In Scandinavian mythology the rainbow was a bridge between the gods and the earth. In the Bible a rainbow showed Noah that the Biblical flood was
finally over, and that God had forgiven his people. In the Chinese tradition,
the rainbow is a common symbol for marriage because the colours represent the
union of yin and yang. Nowadays the rainbow is used by many popular movements
for peace and the environment, representing the possibility of a better world in
the future and promising sunshine after the rain.

So, the rainbow is a visual symbol that has definitly undergone some slippage of meaning over time. It was originally a symbol for the relationship between a culture and their God, then in Irish culture it represented wealth in some forms, and was included in myths that talked about finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. As the previous paragraph discussed, it has now become associated with popular movements, the most known of which being the Gay rights movement. It is ironic that a single symbol is considered importat to the church, and to gay rights associatons, which are often pited against each other. This shows how symbols can have many different meanings and change drastically over time.

Analyzing Visual Semiotics Employed in the Film "The Greatest Game Ever Played"

WARNING: If you haven't seen the movie "The Greatest Game Ever Played" this blog entry may ruin it for you. Proceed carefully.

In "The Greatest Game Ever Played," several of the shots used in the movie help the viewers make connections between events in the movie, and create specific emotions about the events in the film.

The first shot is a "God Shot" taken of the main character, Francis Ouimet. In this shot he is about to make a pivotal putt, and before he does the camera angle switches to the overhead view. This gives the viewer a sense of omnicience, as if they know that Francis will sink the putt as soon as the angle is changed. Also, having the camera angle from above at a turning point in Francis' golf game alludes to the idea that God has a hand in how well Francis plays, and the fact that he goes on to win the American Open.

The second two frames of importance take place at the beginning and end of the movie. In the first, a longer (somewhere between medium and long) shot is taken on the green with Francis on the left, and the hole on the right. At the beginning of the movie Francis must make a putt on this hole in order to make it into the American Open, but he misses it. Evenutally he gets another opportuinity, and ends up playing in the open. At the end of the movie, the exact same scene is created on the last putt, only this time Francis is playing for the American Open title. In order to help the viewers associate these two scenes, the camera angles are carefully constructed to maintain the same shot range, and keep francis on one side of the screne, and the hole on the other without breaking the 180 degree plane that is formed.

Connecting the origins of the romance mythology to contemporary ideas of romance

As a little girl, I remember being exposed to Disney movies that promoted chivalry. Some (snow whilte, sleeping beauty, and cinderella) portrayed the classic "damsel in distress." While Joseph Campbell addresses this as a misconception of what chivalry should be, the theme is woven throughout many stories, and gives us a picture (even if it is an incorrect picture) of how romance between a man and woman should function. Other Disney films have stronger felmale heroines (Pocahontas and Mulan,) but in they still maintain validity because of the connection that the female character has to the male hero. Each sends the message to girls that "someday my prince will come."

This idea places too high an importance on romance in the eyes children, especially little girls, at too young of an age. These stories have become staples in our popular culture and are sending a tweaked version of truth. As Scott Farrell wrote in his essay discussing Joseph Campell's ideas about chivalry "the Code of Chivalry was originally a radical concept that shook the very foundations of European society." The Disney movies that we are exposed to as American children have adapted and changed this original code of chivalry into something different. I believe that this leads to mixed messages about romance that the media sends to older target groups such as teens and young adults. People in these age groups are searching for love, and finding that the stories they were told when they were yonger were in esence, lies.

So, we see two different "tricks of media" develop. The first is that of female empowerment. This is portrayed through shows like "Commander in Chief," the media's hype about Hillary Clinton's run at the presidency, and a varitey of magazines, clubs, and even tv broadcasts created to help young women. While promoting female success scholastically and in society is a good thing, it also has an impact on our idea of the romance myth. Women who have realized the flaws of the Disney movies they grew up on may try to aviod being let down by a lie by becoming powerful and successful, and ignoring natural instincts to desire marriage and a family life. The second media trick is that the media continues to play on our desires for a relationship that will fulfill the idea of romance that we saw in films as kids. Movies such as these generally fall under the category of "chick flicks." Some of these would include Pretty Woman, Maid in Manhattan, and Two Weeks Notice. These all portray women (and men) who are incomplete until they find that perfect someone that they can live happily ever after with.

It's easy to see how these two different messages, or tricks, can lead to a rather confused culture. We're being told not to give up hope on our dream of the "perfect" romance, yet at the same time we're being told that it's wrong to put a romantic relationship at a place of value higher than our careers.

The functions of symbols in the Semiotic Domain of "Runners"

Can you spot a serious runner? There are a number of symbols that runners have associated with them. Some of these may be obvious, while others can be noticed only by the trained eye. When I began running, I figured it was a pretty basic sport, all you need is a pair of running shoes and you're on your way. Over the past years I've been running, however, I've realized that there is a lot more about it than that. While for some people running can be simply a pastime that they enjoy on occassion, others are hardcore about it. The different symbols associated with running can help you identify who a runner is, and how serious they are about running.

We'll start with the basic symbols.

#1 shoes and watches
The two main symbols associated with running are running shoes, and stopwatches. Let's look at shoes first. There are a variety of different shoes you can select when it comes to running. There are your basic Nike and Adidas, that everyone knows about. While a lot of serious runners do swear by some of the elite models of running shoes these companies produce, other novice runners will buy these brands because they are more mainstreem. For example, you're probably not going to find a serious runner wearing Nike Shox. The shox don't reall give that much support, and wear easily from heavy milage. You will, however, find serious runners sporting Nike Frees, a new type of shoe recently enginereed to simulate the effects of barefoot running. The more popular brands of running shoes worn by runners are Asics and Mizuno. These two brands can be a symbol of someone who is committed to the sport of running. Second are watches. If you spot someone wearing Asics or Mizuno shoes, plus a stop watch, you can almost gurantee that they are a runner. Especially if they have a watch with the face on the inside of the wrist. Wearing your watch this way keeps you from breaking form while you run.

#2 Parafanailia of famous runners and Races
Another way to spot a runner is through the various running parafanaila they may own. For example the "go pre" shirts are a symbol of meaning for runners everywhere. They commemorate steve prefontaine and his accomplishments, while inspirinig runners of today. Another symbol that goes along with the "go pre" trend are the colors green and yellow. These are the colors of the University of Oregon, the college that Steve Prefontaine attended. Nike has recently formed a line of clothing and shoes that are these colors, and it has become very popular with runners everywhere.
Also, runners are going to be able to recognize clothing, suviniors, awards etc. that other runners may have from important races. Some of theses important races would include State meets for high school runners, Nationals for college athletes, and Marathons or Triathalons like Boston or the Iorn Man competition. If you see someone sporting a shirt from one of these events it symbolizes that the person is most likely either a fantastic athlete, or has a good general knowledge of what running is about.

#4 strange habits/ rituals.

Running is a sport that requires dedication in many ways. Because of this, runners have many different habits or rituals that function as symbols of their committment to running. A few of these include: wearing a heart rate monitor, wearing medical masks to run in cold weather, taking ice baths, yelling "track" when you're passing someone, draining lactic acid out of your legs, putting banaids over your pecs, and wearing tights to run in. All of these things are techniques used by runners to help them better function as athletes. To someone who doesn't understand running, these practices may seem odd, but to those who love to run they are symbols of commitment to running.

Myth ID

In the film "Good Will Hunting" the main character, Will Hunting (Matt Damon,) is a janitor at MIT. Dispite this meanial job, he is actually very intelligent. He is introduced to a psychologist, Sean Maguire (Robin Williams,) who tries to help him sort out this gift that he has, and the rest of his life as well. "Good Will Hunting" portrays characteristics of the contemporary media myths "the wisdom of the rustic" and "the possibility of success."

The first myth is characterized by a hero who is usually well educated meeting a rugged, less educated person who teaches them something profound about life. The second myth deals with situations where something good could happen, but the main character has to pick themselves up and make it happen themselves.

"Good Will Hunting" connects wtih the wisdom of the rustic in that the intelligent Will Hunting meets the older and yes, rustic Sean Maguire. Through the relationship Will learns how to deal with the frustrations of life. Sean is always giving him little proverbial bits of knowledge throughout the movie. Many of their talks are focused on relating to others. During one of these Sean tells Will "Real loss is only possible when you love something more than you love yourself. "

This movie differs from the characteristics of the wisdom of the rustic in a few ways. First, while the hero, Will, is very intelligent, he hasn't been schooled the way that most people would assume. In many ways he is a rough personality. Also, the "rustic", Sean, is and educated psychologist, and in the myth this person is usually less educated than the hero.

"Good Will Hunting" reflects characteristics of the media myth "the possibility of success," because in the end Will must chose for himself what he will do with his intelligence and how he will live his life. The possibility for him to succeed is his gift of intelligence, but his life circumstances are a challenge that he himself must overcome. The movie differs from the myth, because Will is not completely alone. He does recieve some guidance from Sean, as discussed before, and also from his friends. Ultimately, however, he is the one that must choose his destiny.

What does you myspace profile say about you?

So over the past few days I've become increasingly aware that I can be extreemly judgemental. I judge people, not based on looks, gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. I judge people based on their facebook/myspace profiles. I've found that I am under the mislead impression that by looking at one of these sites, I can tell what my friends are thinking and feeling at any given point. Take, for example, the fact that two of my friends recently broke up. How did I find out? Facebook! How did I judge how bad the break up was? Based on how low they now ranked eachother on their myspace "top eight" friends. I also took careful observation of anything that changed in their "about me" sections, layout, pictures, or profile song.

I will admit, sometimes the information that we assume because of what we see on myspace and facebook are true, but as I previously stated the information we "find" can also be misleading. Also, there are dimmensions of people that can not be observed or understood as a result of looking up their myspace profile, and there is a chance of miscommunication because of the indirectness of the source. These forms of communication have been praised as revolutionary for networking, (and I would agree) but if we lose the element of person to person communication with close friends as a result, we will unaviodably make misinformed judgements.

So, I plan to take action. I will no longer allow facebook and myspace to determine my views on what my friends are thinking and feeling. I am going to limmit myself to viewing my facebook and myspace once a day at a maximum, and I am going to make a better effort to call, drop a hand written note to, or get together in person, with my friends in order to talk with them and ask what is going on in their lives. I'll let you know how it goes!

One Trend at a Time: Media influence on my life throughout the years

The first type of media I can remember having a significant impact on my life came in the form of a huge yellow creature that taught me my ABCs from the other side of my television. I have many memories of watching Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and the rest of the Sesame Street gang as a little girl. I can remember staring wide eyed at the tv each afternoon listening to the overgrown puppet like characters sing songs about friendship, baths, and the color wheel. My favorite tv characters were not only a part of my life through the 1/2 hour show that was on each afternoon, oh no. Sesame Street permiated other areas of my life as well. For my third birthday my grandparent bought me "Read to me Big Bird" He was as tall as me, and had a tape player in his rear end. We would sit together for hours reading as many books as possible. I'd listen to his nasal, yet friendly and familliar voice and flip the pages when he made the magic "bling" sound. Of course along with my reading pal, I also had cookie monster crackers as treats after lunch (those were oh so tasty,) Bert and Ernie rubber duckies for bath time, and a pink dress with the words "Elmo loves me" on the front. I can't imagine a type of Sesame street parafanalia that I didn't have as a child. I guess you could say I (and perhaps to an extent, my paretns) was obsessed!

Since childhood, the types of media I have been interested in have changed. At age 11 I became obsessed with the Spice Girls, played Mario Brothers for hours on end, and Clarissa from the Nic series "Clarissa explains it all" was my hero. When I was 13 I watched Boy meets world, and imagined having a relationship just like Cory and Tapanga's. I also became a frequen AOL user. AOL was especially helpful in the eighth grade when I dumped my first boyfriend over an instant messager conversation. Now, media infiltrates my life in more ways than ever before. I always have my cell phone with me, check my facebook constantly, and wouldn't survive long bus trips without my mp3 player.

This list is just a short recap on the types of media that have been an influence on me. Although the avenues of media that I was exposed to or interested in changed over time, it has always been a part of my life, something unescapeable, something that I identify myself with. As I have gone through and listed these few types of influences I find myself remembering the different events of my life that happened within the same time frame. It's kind of crazy that media effects my life to the extent that the media I am exposed to, for better or worse, can become a part of who I am.

test

test