What, When and Where? My top ten Media Revelations

1: Thigh-slappingly Funny.


Political Campaigns are a joke. The media control what we see and how we see it when voting comes up. Whether it’s a debate on the news between politicians, a radio ad promoting one or the other, or a newspaper article stating what the politician is for or against; every aspect of how we gain our “knowledge” of the politician we are voting for is completely controlled by the media. (Media Society, pg 244). As Corey stated in her presentation, the presidential debates for 2008 had a secret 31 page signed contract dictating what would be covered in the debates and what was not allowed to be covered. Basically it held a script for the campaigners to act out. Everything is planned ahead and practiced. There is very little actual thought put into what is said and if it goes against what the media owners believe they will censor it from the public. (Censored 2010, pg 88)

2: Plug In And Touch Somebody

The virtual community is becoming more and more real. The cyber connection is growing at an alarming rate and it seems like everyone is hooked into the Web 2.0 world in some sort of fashion now.
The younger generations are so plugged in that there is no differentiation between what is real and what is real on the internet. Companies and communities are relying on a cyber connection for communication more than any other source of media now. Our world is heading rapidly towards a Feed-based world. Much like the way the feed finished Titus’s thoughts when he couldn’t think of the term himself, we reach out and touch our computers when we want to “touch” someone now. (Media Society, pg 305 and Feed, pg 14).

3: Maybe She's Born With It, Maybe It Will Kill Her

Everyday products have toxic chemicals that haven’t been tested in them. Only 5% of chemicals have been tested in the US before being used in products that consumers use on a daily basis.
The media, when they do cover a story related to this, will automatically place the blame and the spotlight on a foreign country like China. However most of the time the media will completely ignore or censor this story. (Censored 2010, pg 27). Instead the media actually pushes these products on us with a pressure to buy. They use advertising with beautiful, famous people. Even with the medical advertisements that the pharmacies are pushing on the public, they make the side effects sound like they aren’t very significant, even in the case of death. Often now the new drug commercials spend more time listing side effects than the actual product itself. And the advertiser does it with a happy tone of voice. And because advertising is the most substantial source of income for the television studios they will happily push the commercials onto the public at a constant pace. (Media Society, pg 64)

4: Hide The Big Boom

The 9/11 bombing story astounded me. I can’t believe that it hasn’t been reported on that there was evidence of explosive devices in the 9/11 attacks.
The number one media covered event in the history of my time, neglects to inform the public about the other part of that event. As Postman mentions in his explanation of the media event after the movie The Day After, the coverage on serious issues does nothing more than promote the media’s agenda. It does not give the entire story or perhaps the entire truth of the story. In the explosives at the 9/11 attacks case, the agenda was promoting the war and the media coverage accomplished that with flying colors!! (Amusing Ourselves To Death, pg 88, Censored 2010, pg 140).


5: Important Fluff


Censored’s reporting on the actual news events that took place during the Hollywood news events that were actually reported on were amazing. The junk food news that was reported, such as Brangelina’s twins and Britany Spears’s sister were very familiar stories, however the news that Censored paired with each story was something I hadn’t actually heard of, such as the Nuclear Power Plant accident in Triscastin, France. Media Society gives a little insight on why these articles weren’t reported on. In the age of profit, the media knows they will have more followers if they report on the more popular themes. As gatekeepers they decide what is popular and what isn’t. To save money they are cutting back on reporters and relying on fewer people covering larger areas. Because of this the actual news that happens might get missed when Brangelina gives birth. (Censored 2010, pg 148. Media Society, pg 62).

6: It's Not Old VS New, It's Old AND New Together

I agreed with different aspects of both Google articles—Is Google Making Us Stupid and Get Smarter— however I find myself leaning more toward Cascio’s thought process. While I disagree with his acceptance of enhancement drugs, I agree that human nature is to survive and adapt any change thrown at us. I have found Google’s technological tools valuable in research and because the information given to me is a brief version of the text book’s wealth of information, I am able to look for different opinions, facts and reported on evidence of the topic researched. Carr believes that the Internet has taken that trivial aspect and applied to our ability to read and reflect critically. Carr’s statement- “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski.” –sums up Postman’s theory that television has trivialized every topic reported on. (Amusing Ourselves To Death, Chapter 5). I believe that in the new pace of the information age the responsibility to take the time to reflect on the information thrown at me rests solely on my shoulders. Accountability for how you use the vast knowledge you find on the internet is up to you.



7: A Great Solution, Completely Ignored

I believe wholeheartedly The US should adopt Venezuela’s Bottom-up Democracy style. I didn’t know about this style or the conflict America created around it until reading chapter 5 in Censored 2010. The way the policy is explained in the book makes it sound exactly opposite our current form of Democracy where the rich get richer and the poor get forgotten. The cultural and social examples in Feed paint a clear picture of how our democracy is today. Violet’s neighborhood is basically described as the slums, and Violet’s family can’t afford the newer versions of the Feed or expensive trips to alternate planets. Titus’s family on the other hand takes things like this for granted. It I believe adopting this policy would completely reform our country. Instead America funds the anti-Chavez opposition and turns Chavez into a villain.
The American Media reports on the negative side of Chavez and all of the anti Chavez movements. (Censored 201, pgs 210-212, Feed, pgs 112-113.)


8: There Is Nothing "Pretty" About It

One of the most appalling stories in the Censored 2010 book was the sex trafficking chapter. It sickens me that this sort of thing happens and at such high numbers.

I am grateful that this article was written and without the glamour of Pretty Woman thrown in. I couldn’t that victims of sex trafficking cannot receive government aid because of the lack of identification. It has been reported on through research that pimps are withholding their victims’ forms of ID. Aid should not be withheld because of this fact. Without aid being available we are saying that these people aren’t worth our help. And that is exactly what is happening. The information provided in the Media Society chapter entitled: “Some People Are Worth More Than Others”, the media has clearly left certain classes and groups behind and censored. (Censored 2010, chapter 13 and Media Society, pgs 216-224).

9: Control is the new definition of Objectivity

Objectivity in news reporting is amusing. I was surprised at the explanation of a news reporter’s daily routine, defined in the Media Society book as “beat reporting”. The example given about the one reporter covering so many different areas in a single day makes me wonder how many stories that perhaps weren’t quite “newsworthy” were left untold because they simply didn’t have time to cover them all. The explanation on newsworthiness and objectivity resonates with the same core values as Postman, that the news is more than ever before part of the Now…This/Peek A Boo world in the shallowness of the articles covered and the same stories being seen on every paper. The statement that news is considered objective if many different reporters are reporting on the same story and providing the same information is a sad an pathetic attempt to cover up the fact that they control what the public learns about as “news”. The media has shifted the definition of Control into the definition for Objectivity. (Media Society, pgs 126-135 and Amusing Ourselves To Death, pgs 99-113).


10: Why? Who Cares, Just Get 'Em!

I didn’t know what the Palestinian/Israeli conflict was about and after Z and Joe both presented their Censored stories I still didn’t know what it is about. This video explains the conflict’s roots a little bit.

The US has backed Israel since the late 40’s with funding, support and weaponry. As was stated in the Reel Bad Arabs film, America has constantly vilified the Palestinian people in our movies and other mass media. The new reports on the conflict only show the suffering of the Israeli people. As Joe stated there were white phosphorus casings found with US labels on them in the Gaza Strip after Israelis had shot them low enough to cause serious injury to the Palestinian refugees in the streets. Media Society explains this as well with their example of the action-adventure movies giving a clear example of who the villains are. It has become so commonplace that Arabs are our enemies due to the news media and the Hollywood media influence. (Media Society, pgs 172-175 and Censored 2010, pgs 42-46 and 51-56).

Entertaining Nonsense

Because I am a huge fan of anime, I often hope that some of the more popular series get turned into live action movies to give anime a wider fandom. However when someone takes an anime series and completely destroys it, like with the DragonBall Z movie it is very sad. With the new Avatar movie (called The Last Airbender and not to be confused with the movie actually called Avatar), there are a lot of skeptics making criticisms about how Shaylaman will destroy this movie. While I realize Avatar is not actual anime, having been made in America, it is still a huge push forward for the anime culture.

With all the critics out there, this witty reply made me laugh and want to share!

Media Meditation #8 A Different Type of Crowd

I know I mentioned in a previous meditation that the Thanksgiving holiday has been overrun by Black Friday marketing and the Christmas consumerism. I still believe that is completely true. While I did participate in the Black Friday shopping, the consumerism did not interrupt our family holiday and celebration of Thanksgiving on Thursday. I had to laugh at some of the stores opening at midnight for the Friday shopping. While the consumers chose to disregard the holiday, our family did not and instead of standing in the cold and rain all night in line we remained in our warm, dry house.


One of my friends on Facebook was bragging about the new 32” LCD Hi-Def television he successfully acquired during the Black Friday shopping. While he didn’t mention the price he bought it for, I am sure he got a great deal. His status message was flooded with comments ranging from “Congratulations” to “You’re crazy.” I asked how long he stood in line for the television. He replied: 5 hours outside of Best Buy and then 7 hours in the store. After which I agreed that he was crazy. I suppose, for some people, standing in line for twelve hours is worth a really low price on a television or whatever else was on sale. Personally, that twelve hours is a waste, in which I can be doing all sorts of other things. In the past I have stood in line for Black Friday shopping, however the longest I have waited is an hour. My time is worth more to me than a good materialistic deal.


My mother and I decided to head to Joann Fabrics for Black Friday. Like every other store they had a flier in the newspaper with a three day sale and Doorbuster items each day. There were two distinct differences from other stores however. The first was the store itself. Joanns attracts a certain type of crowd like any store. Most of the Joann shoppers, however, aren’t the type to stand in line all night or get up super early for the deals. My mother and I left our house at 9AM on Friday after enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee and breakfast. When we arrived at Joanns there were a lot of people in the store. However the second difference is the crowd attitude. Most of the people shopping at Joanns were an older crowd. The attitude of the shoppers was light, jovial and happy. When looking for fabric there was no fighting over a bolt of fleece or who got the last color thread spool. Because of the great deals my mother and I piled up bolts of fabric to buy. While standing in line at the cutting counter we chatted with the other shoppers about our projects and shared ideas. In some cases there was swapping of fabric before cutting and sharing the bolts. The line for the checkout was long, however it didn’t wrap around the store several times, as I have seen in Best Buy previously. I think we spent around 30 minutes in line before checking out with the cashier. Our trip was a completely enjoyable experience, lacking the stress, attitude and rudeness of hurried shoppers.

Media Meditation #7 Take a Breath, Relax and Look Around

My brother, Ned and his wife, Kristen came up for Thanksgiving this past week. They live in Foxboro, MA and are socialites to the extreme. Kristen commented more than once how much she enjoyed spending a few days away from the city, in the quiet country. My brother found it boring most days. Despite the lack of commotion, we had a very enjoyable holiday visit.

During our few days together Ned was connected to the television and his laptop. Whether it was sports, a TV show, the news or a movie the television never seemed to get shut off until it was time for bed. Often, he would sit there with the TV on and his laptop on his lap, surfing the web at the same time. Even during the Thanksgiving dinner, my father found a music station on the satellite and played it through the TV while we were eating. For the most part I found myself joining the rest of the family in the living room, surrounded by the media. We watched two different movies this week, Star Trek and Public Enemies. Neither of which I found very interesting, yet I stayed for both because I was with my family.

One of the conversations that came up during their stay was the different media available now. We discussed how you can now connect to the internet through your gaming consoles like the Xbox, the PS3 and the Wii and you can stream things like Netflix and the like straight to your television.
My parents have yet to switch over to the newer Hi-Def TVs and still have one of the older Tube TVs. My brother explained which brand and type of television they should get when they do switch. We also talked about other media such as cell phones, black berries and Macs vs PCs. At one point Ned and Kristen were playing a game on the Wii while my father watched. I was able to keep up with the pace of the conversations we were having and participate, however I was watching my parents and during many of them they would nod and smile but really not understand the new technological world.

At one point my brother and I discussed the Kindle and argued on the pros and cons of having one. While my brother thinks they are great and innovative, he couldn’t understand how I didn’t want one and preferred an actual book instead. Another topic came up as well, when I went to purchase a newspaper to get the Black Friday ads. Ned told me it was a waste of money and I could look at all the deals online at each website. I explained to him that I spend way too much time on the computer as it is and there are some things that would rather step away from technology for and do the old fashioned way. I do enjoy the ease and access the internet, computers, gaming consoles, cell phones and television give me. I keep up with many of the different devices, even if I don’t own them personally. However, I still like stopping every once in a while and looking around. I enjoy the view that my parents have of the mountain. I take pleasure in living away from the city and the constant noise of it. My parents house has no cell phone reception and I find that a nice break from being constantly attached to it. My brother doesn’t understand the relaxed pace my parents’ house and setting offers, which is fine. But every now and then it’s nice to be unconnected.

Media Meditation #6 Is She Real?

After sitting through the holiday commercials (and the bad Black Friday commercials) for the past week I have started to really think about Hollywood image. In one of my other classes we discussed how Hollywood has skewed the perception of how a woman should look. With all the hype of America’s obesity problem, weight has become something constantly dwelled on. Many American women compare themselves with the models and Hollywood icons that show up in fashion magazines. Most women find themselves completely out of the “norm” when they compare themselves to the plastic faces and bodies marketers throw at consumers.

One of the videos shown to our class really points out how the finished picture of a model is usually completely different than the start of the photo shoot. In a very short time this video shows how our perception of what we consider beautiful is completely fabricated.

With the vast use of strategic cameras and angles, lighting, makeup and Photoshop, the end result usually is completely altered and unreal. Have you ever wondered what Angelina Jolie looks like without a pound of makeup on? Yet most of us are deceived by the glamour of the glossy pages and believe that is real and that is what real beauty is. When women compare themselves to these plastic images, they naturally find themselves unequal.

My mother and I were discussing body type one night as we were watching Wheel of Fortune. Most people know and love Vanna White. An ageless beauty, she has been a beautiful addition to the show for many years. When we were young, my brother used to say he wanted to marry her. However, if you really study her body type, she has no definition.
If TV adds 15 pounds to your image, she must be anorexic to still look as thin as she is. She has no muscle definition in her arms; they are the same shape all the way down. As with most other stars, when you really start to look at their image, piece by piece, most of them are not beautiful, but skinny and unhealthy. I believe that obesity is a problem, especially when it affects your health. However I also believe that America doesn’t focus on the other end of the spectrum, opting to delude young women into a warped mental image of what their body should look like.

Media Meditation #5 Great Success!!

Last weekend I entered one of the costumes I made into a costume contest at the convention I was at. My friends were able to take still pictures and video of the judging. The judges were surprised by my techniques used to make parts of my costume. They complimented the dedication I had to put 15 coats of sealant on my weapons (I talked about this in my first media meditation). Throughout the whole costume judging I received useful tips and advice on what I did well and what I could do better.


I had to wait for the results of the competition until Saturday night at the Masquerade. Sitting through all the walk-ons and skits for the audience portion of the competition was extremely enjoyable although tense, as I was waiting for the results of the contest. One of the greatest skits of the night was this one, with a mixture of stage combat, dancing and fun.



Once the Masquerade was over the results of the competition were announced. When the judges called my name I was surprised and excited! I won second place in the contest and received an award and prizes in front of everyone at the convention. My hard work paid off and I was rewarded, not only with recognition but also with commissions for other costumes. I wanted to call all my friends and family and tell them the good news but my cell phone didn’t have great reception. So I turned to Facebook. As I was uploading tons of pictures and updating my status message to inform everyone, I thought of our class and once again enjoyed the fact that I am able to communicate with people all over the country so quickly.

After four days of pure fun and energy, the convention was over. Pictures and video had been taken, friends had been made and information passed along to keep in touch. My friends list on Facebook increased by 20 in one day. Most of them are in this group picture of the Soul Eater cosplay photo shoot.



Since the convention, I have had nonstop conversations with the people I met. We all still have the afterglow of the convention and the excitement of looking forward to the next one in April. More costumes have been discussed and ideas tossed about with four or more people at once through chat and messaging. My best friend, who lives in Ohio, and I have been able to plan another group cosplay for the next convention and send pictures and details, tutorials and links to other cosplayers to each other. In conclusion, I am grateful for the technology I have and am able to use today to be able to connect to so many people so quickly.

Media Meditation #4 Will We Ever Know?

I will be the first to admit that I do not keep track of the news. After the discussions in our Media class I avoid it all the more. Before our Media class I believed that the news was always depressing. It was rare to see stories with a positive message reported on. Now I believe that most of the messages aren’t correct to begin with so why should I follow depressing AND misleading stories?

However, my attention was grabbed at one of the latest stories. The mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas interested me because of my history with the military. I first heard about it on a talk radio show that the shuttle bus was playing. I had no idea what they were talking about, but they had some interesting interviews from “top military officials” about the shooting. The more I heard the more confused yet angry I became. One of the things said was that lower ranking military enlistees often make racial remarks and slurs to others, and we discourage that. There are two things very wrong with that. The first was singling out lower ranking enlistees from officers and higher ranking. That statement in itself is very untrue from a lower ranking enlistee’s past experience laden opinion. I rarely encountered racial remarks however when I did, they were spread from all ranks, officers and enlistees. The second was that the “top ranking officials” did not actually discourage it. While everyone is taught the same class on equal opportunity, when the remarks and slurs occurred, no one addressed them. In fact, much the opposite, they would laugh right along with the person making the comments and the whole thing would blow over.

I did some research on the topic and found out the “media specifics” on the shooting. A Muslim officer in the Army had opened fire on fellow troops. Within three days of this event the news media had linked this man with terrorism and on a jihadist mission. When this was reported on, I simply laughed. I knew the stories would state that he was linked to terrorism. This event is a very serious issue for the military. A high ranking officer, who was also a psychiatrist, opened fire on fellow soldiers on US ground. The public was outraged and the Army has a lot to answer for. However I could predict they would place a terrorist label on this fellow because it is easier to apologize for missing a terrorist infiltrating our military than it is to explain the event was due to lack of proper actions and treatment to the warning signs that were there prior to the shooting.


The media has now shifted the attention of this “investigation” to the emotional side of saying goodbye to the victims and moving on. The story has passed and while it is still mentioned, it is considered old news. There is the promise of an internal investigation and a senate committee meeting, however the energy behind the story has dissipated in true infotainment style. Despite the media’s surge forward, I am still shaking my head at this coverage. I find it sad and depressing and will never truly believe 100% that the shooter actually has links to terrorism.

Media Meditation #3

Media Meditation #3
What Happened To Thanksgiving?



I had a Feed moment the other day as I was in the Blue Mall on Church Street. With Halloween having just passed, as I was walking through the mall I was expecting to see Thanksgiving related decorations in preparation of the upcoming holiday. Or perhaps with the consumer driven Black Friday approaching, advertisements of “the big day”. What I was not expecting was the halls decked out for Christmas. Yet the reds, greens and silvers were all throughout the mall walkways. As I entered the first store I found myself bombarded by winter colors and Christmas music playing in the background.


As I hastened my shopping for the day, I found myself thinking about Feed. Christmas has become the most commercial consumer driven holiday we have. With the exception of Black Friday, Christmas shopping has taken over the thing we as consumers spend the most money on. I find the commercialism of a holy holiday disgusting. As I was going through the mall and seeing more and more shops displaying Christmas related themes in their windows I was less and less inclined to stop in to look for something. I felt like the shops and the mall itself was attacking me and forcing me to accept the THINGS for the holiday instead of enjoying the holiday before it. Because of that, I wanted to rebel, much like Violet did.

Amidst all the Christmas commercialism I had to ask what happened to Thanksgiving? In fact, what happened to traditional holidays? Thanksgiving is often directly associated with Black Friday and the crazy shopping experience that goes along with it. Christmas is discussed as who is giving what to whom, how big the package is and how pretty the wrapping. The fact that the shopping aspect of Christmas has completely overrun Thanksgiving and ignores the real value of the holiday in its quest to make a profit shows the direction humanity has taken. I am not the only one who feels this way. I have had many discussions with people about how the message of the holidays has been forgotten in the rush to make and spend money. I googled Christmas Commercialism and immediately received tons of responses, both supporting and opposing it. The first site was a blog by Stan Guthrie that really put the idea in perspective. I can only hope that others who google the same thing take the time to really read what Stan wrote in his blog.

Media Meditation #2

The Information R/Evolution


In my last Rhetoric class we had a brief introduction to one of our librarians on campus, Michele Melia. She had an interactive way of explaining what and how to use our library’s information. I found the technical shift approach she used, by showing us a youtube video, to be more attention grabbing than the old standard of lecturing us without the use of tools or interaction. She asked the class three questions: Where does Information come from? What do you want your information to be? What do you want your information to do for you? She went around the class asking for different answers to each question. I found some of the answers surprising.

Michele started her lecture with showing a video by Michael Wesch entitled Information R/evolution. This video immediately reminded me of our media class and Wesch’s video that we had watched. I have enjoyed both of Wesch’s videos so far. They are intellectual and make you really think critically about the information inside them. I felt that Wesch didn’t really make a stand one way or the other on the web 2.0 emergence so much as provided pros and cons for both sides. His videos are extremely informational and fun to watch at the same time.


The answers to the three questions that Michele asked the class surprised me. The first question—where does information come from—initially sparked the answers: people, learning experiences, books, magazines. This class was a freshman class and they were listing off non-technological answers. I was rather surprised that the generation who is completely submerged in the web 2.0 world (as Wesch’s video suggested) was listing these sorts of resources first. I mentioned blogs and RSS feeds and that brought about more computer based resources. The answers to the third question—What do you want your information to do for you—I also found interesting. The two top answers were: Answer questions and Inform you. After our discussion in our media class I couldn’t help but wonder how submerged in the Feed-based media world we were and whether the information answering our questions and informing us was accurate?

The entire “lecture” that Michele gave us came off as more of an information session on information than explaining how to use the library. However with the small mention of the library and how to access the information there I believe she successfully explained the potential of the library resources and the wealth of information that is beyond books in our Miller Information Center. I left the lecture understanding the uses of a librarian and how to access the libraries website. I also realized that while there are still books in our library, the computer and internet have become the dominant sources of finding information. Having grown up in a world where both were dominant at one point in time, I am not entirely sure how I feel about that.

Media Meditation #1
I Don’t Know You But Can I Borrow Your Brain?

Because of my love for Japanese anime and the anime convention culture my first meditation is going to be on that.
I am currently making a cosplay (anime costume) for the anime convention I am attending in a few weeks. The costume is Prince Marth from the video game Super Smash Bros Brawl. I am a seamstress and love to sew, however I have never made armor, weapons or props for cosplays. At conventions I have seen beautifully crafted costumes that are out of this worldand often wondered how they made them. When I decided to take on Marth I knew I was going to have to learn.


Unlike Postman’s fear of new media, I wholly embrace the web 2.0 world. The information at your fingertips way of life has made it extremely easy for me to pick the brains and talents of those people who created such beautiful costume props. Since Google runs the world that is where I started my search for information. I googled craft armor and found many sites where people have created a tutorial to pass on their knowledge. Without having to go to a library where there might be one or two books on how to make a certain type of prop I was able to find tons of information on how to make a multitude of different props.

The site that inspired me to make Marth’s sword was called Craft Foam Armor Tutorial. The simplicity of the tutorial helped me jump into this unknown part of cosplay creation. The site included easy to understand written instructions but also many pictures and links to other sites that would help me further. Relating this site and topic to our media class is amusing to me. Although I understood Postman’s argument I disagreed with most of what he was “warning” us from. Although he wrote his book before Web 2.0 emerged I am certain he would have found issues with the new medium’s implications. Perhaps I am completely submerged in my generation’s media but I don’t mind being manipulated if it gives me the advantages like having some unknown person in an unknown location help me complete my project.

Racial Segregation in Schools

Segregation in American Education
Project Censored 2010 Article #2.

5-7 Facts in this article:

1. Schools are more segregated today than 40 years ago.
2. Most of the nation’s dropouts (from high school) occur in nonwhite public schools.
3. Low income campuses are more likely to be ignored by college and job market recruiters.
4. In California, the nation’s most multiracial state, half of blacks and Asians and one quarter Latino and Native Americans attend a segregated school.
5. 85% of the nation’s teachers are white and little progress is being made to diversify this.
6. In the world economy, success is linked to formal education and declining education levels of the growing minority populations is increasing.
7. Rural schools face severe segregation. 73% of rural students attend schools that are 80-100% white.

Lexis Search:
A 2005 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer talks about two books written on the subject: Crash Course by Chris Whittle and The Shame of the Nation by Jonathan Kozol. This article discusses the subject in relation to the books written and states that Pennsylvania is a great place to find evidence proving racial inequality is happening. They discuss the idea about white flight to find “better” schools. This was the only article that spoke on segregation in length under the search of “Segregation in US schools”.

Under “US Educational decline” there were no results. Under “US racial education” I found many results but the majority of them were for articles outside of the US. The connection was the reference to our Brown vs Board case and the supposed end of racial segregation in America.

I would say that the searches I did on Lexis shows that this topic is talked about, although sporadically and not in depth and most of the articles written on the topic are opinions more than in depth news reports. Outside of the US, news articles are not reporting on the educational system in the US; however reporting on the inequality in education in their own country seems more widely covered than in our nation.

Further research:

The following quote is taken from the blog site newspaper in Education, Masslive.com where local students of Massachusetts can discuss topics:

"For Latinos, who have emerged as the largest minority group in the nation, language is also a major barrier as Americans insist on English as the only official language in schools. As a result of this disadvantage, Latinos' achievement rates are generally lower. And, like blacks who also are not associated with achievement, their dropout rates are higher than those of whites."

This seems to be absolutely true and completely unfair. The idea that Hispanics are being segregated against because they speak a different language as their primary seems backward. We should embrace the students who can speak a different language from English and strive to teach them English so they can succeed in the job market because speaking multiple languages is extremely valuable. However this topic is generally not discussed because the majority of high income white groups have more influence than the lower classes and low income minorities. Instead they ignore the potential wealth of educating the minority to concentrate on bettering their own initiatives.

The problems stated in the Censored 2010 article are difficult to overcome. In order to end racial inequality in schools, influential personnel need to take action. However in this never ending circle, our nation is preventing the generation of those influential personnel. Those who would take action and oppose this are the ones being given a poorer education and result in the lack of proper tools and educational intelligence to fight against the problem. Due to the standards of their grade school education they are at a disadvantage and less likely to continue through higher education and find productive ways to actually make a difference.
There are some people, such as Pedro Noguera who have written on this and appealed to the government to make schools more equal.


When it comes down to it, the ones with the money, power and influence are the ones who are not fighting the current system because their childrens' needs are being seen to adequately. More people need to get involved in the children of America's future. While there has been some work done to desegregate schools (again) not enough work is happening.

Postman Assignments 1 and 2

Postman Part 1
1. Describe three specific characteristics of the "Typographic Mind."
One characteristic of a Typographic mind is content. When reading or orating word, typographically every sentence must have a meaning. “If a sentence refuses to issue forth a fact, a request, a question, an assertion, an explanation, it is nonsense, a mere grammatical shell.”(50).
A second characteristic of a Typographic mind is rationality. Typography’s content, in each sentence, had to be rational and concise. The meaning coming across in every conversation was intelligent and analytical and related only the clear rationale of the speaker. The message conveyed in the conversation directly related to the listener, and could be agreed upon or debated intelligently and rationally.
A third characteristic is the serious nature of the content. Because typography is detached and based solely on written views, argument and intelligent presentation, the content will never have emotion flowing from it. Generally the presence of emotion (clapping in agreement for example) was frowned upon at public speeches. The speaker did not want to be thought of first in the minds of the listener, but wanted his words and the meaning behind them to be foremost. The typographic mind will always think seriously and analytically.

2. Postman suggests that the twin inventions of 19th century Telegraphy and Photography challenged Typography's monopoly on public discourse. How, specifically did each of these two new media/communications inventions do this?
In the form of advertising, photography took the rational thought right out of the message conveyed. Instead of clear, concise, intelligent wording to move the reader to buy, aesthetics and picture related psychology was used to sell and image. Intelligence was no longer necessary to understand that “this” product would be useful to you. “By the turn of the century, advertisers no longer assumed rationality on the part of their potential customers.” (60).
In direct opposition to the typographical mind, the photograph took away the right to analyze and personally interpret the meaning of the conversation. Debates, arguments and even agreed upon sentiments disappeared in the absolute definition of the unaltered photograph. For example two intelligent, typographical speakers could not disagree that a flower was a flower when shown a photograph of a flower. There was no chance to intelligently enhance a photograph. It is what it is. “The photograph also lacks syntax, which deprives it of a capacity to argue with the world.”(72).
The invention of Telegraphy challenged Typography’s intelligence and relevance. By being able to connect and pass information much quicker, the information ceased to be all important and dissolved into mere gossip conversations. These actions dissolve the serious, rational content of the typographical mind into irrational, irrelevant, unconnected information that was directly unrelated to personal action.

3. What does Postman mean by "The Peek-A-Boo World," and can you give an example of this world from your own media experiences?
The Peek-A-Boo World explains the vast amounts of useless information thrown at us as fast as the telegraphy and photographs in the past and newer technology now can throw; Information that at the time of delivery seems important but has absolutely no direct connection to how we live our lives. One personal example that I can think of for my life and the lives of many of my friends is something called “Wikiing”. I have spent hours in front of my computer at a time, surfing from one Wikipedia page to another. Without realizing how much time I have lost, I originally ventured to find information on one specific source that pertained directly to what I was doing at the time. While receiving an answer to my question I found something else, almost completely unrelated, but vastly interesting. So I looked that word up. In that definition was something else and thus a pattern started that ended in my learning vast knowledge about completely unrelated and useless information; that while interesting, had no bearing on my current task.


Postman Part 2

1. Discuss THREE specific ways in which Postman explains how the medium of television transforms the epistemological nature of each of the following:

A. Public discourse about religion
Postman claims that television has taken the message out of religion, effectively transforming it into a form of entertainment to gain more viewers. One example he uses explains how Father John J. O’ Connor used gags and Reverend Greg Sakowicz used rock music to gain popularity within their crowds of people. This is not the religious message that comes across through the people but an entertaining one. Another example would be the televised religion shows using beautiful people, both the trend and actual photogenic people in their crowds to promote the shows. Postman relates that this would give a home viewer the proper aesthetic view that television provides. A third example would be what Postman calls the “docu-drama” of a person (plain folk trend). Postman believes this makes the message more trivial than the traditional, typographic religious experience is. I agree that there are production techniques taking place here, however the message hasn’t changed. This video shows one woman’s story and yes she is promoting a company, Cornerstone, but I genuinely believe her story is no less true because it was put on television than it was had it been an interview or a story in a book.


B. Public discourse about politics
In politics Postman believes the entertainment world of television has changed the idea of who is the better politician to who looks the best. One example of this would be where Postman claims an aesthetically challenged person (such as Lincoln) would not have a chance of being elected President in today’s televised world. Politics have become more about what you look like than the message you stand behind. Another example would be Postman’s idea that politicians are elected solely for what they can offer us as a public instead of their ideas and how they can change the world. “Big Tim Sullivan and my father voted for the party that represented their interests, but “interests” mean to them something tangible…” (135). Another example of how television changed political discourse would be the NY Senate campaign of Jacob Javits and how he used the television commercial to gain the attention of the majority of voters, versus his opponent, Ramsey Clark who with a more typographical approach campaigned with papers. Javits won, and Postman believes he won solely on the fact that he used the current epistemological setting; appealing to television to promote him.

C. Public discourse about education

In education, Postman believes Sesame Street to be the downfall of the traditional classroom setting. Because Sesame Street appeals to children on a fun level they begin to believe that learning should be fun. Postman equates fun with entertainment and so comes up with education should be entertaining. Another example he uses is the Voyage of the Mimi, a documentary about whale research and Postman says this followed in Sesame Street’s footsteps in replacing books for television in education.
The television show was offered to students though the classroom and provided books and computer information to make it a multi media event. Postman says this is a perfect example of how the books became the audio visual aide to the teaching medium (the television). Postman also thinks that television in education becomes its own curriculum. He explains that curriculum is defined as “…a specially constructed information system whose purpose is to influence, teach train or cultivate the mind and character of youth.” (146). He says that the television does this and therefore is its own curriculum and wipes out the traditional school’s version of curriculum when competing with it.

2. What specific solutions does Postman offer to improve public communication in our "Peek A Boo" world, and our challenges to communicate in a thoughtful and rational manner in "An Age of Show Business"? In other words, how might we prevent a world in which we are "amusing ourselves to death"?
Postman would like certain questions to be asked. A few of them would be “What are information, what are its various forms? What conceptions of intelligence, wisdom and learning does each form neglect or mock?”(160). These questions and others, (directed at the television) he believes, will help our culture start their journey back to rational thinking. He believes that the schools and education systems should (and in his time are starting to) understand that television and other media are a huge part of culture. Educators should find a way to “…use education to control television.”(162). He believes we should distance ourselves from one sort of medium. To expand on this I believe a way to prevent the “Amusing ourselves to Death” is to not just distance ourselves from one medium but to include all mediums into our lives and our culture to create a balance between them. Postman might not agree but I think that books and television can coexist as educational tools in today’s world.

3. HARD Question: Does Postman's thesis about television still apply to our public discourse in today's Age of the Internet? Please explain your reasoning in 4-5 sentences.
I believe that Postman’s thesis about television still stands as television is still aesthetically beautiful and full of peek-a-boo information. It still holds its place over the typographic world which is just a memory at this point. However Postman’s theory would apply more to the instantaneous information we have at our fingertips with the internet. The web obliterates the competition of the television for the peek-a-boo world. However had Postman written his book in this day and age, with our current society, no one would have read it. It’s simply too long.

Exponential Times

1. Carr states that the reflection time taken after research has virtually disappeared with the rapid pace and peek-a-boo pattern the internet has thrown us into as a culture; and this has created an attention deficit disorder society that is more concerned with how fast instead of how deep the research goes.

2. Cascio states that the human species has adapted to and, really, conquered every Epistemological shift we have witnessed and it will be no different in the age of the internet, we just haven’t yet created the tools to harness the power of artificial intelligence being offered to us through the internet; and Google is closing in on creating that tool for us.

3. Carr offers his personal testimony and that of people he has spoken to as evidence we can no longer sit through long periods of reading. He also comments on the London experiment conducted which showed patterns of people skimming from one topic to the next, not really stopping to read the entire text documented. He also uses Nietzsche as an example to show that the epistemological shift will change the way a person thinks and reflects. Cascio starts out summarizing how humanity struggle but survived the eruption of a super volcano and evolved into more intelligent beings because of it. He moves on to quote from Steven Johnson’s book Everything Bad Is Good For You, saying that media culture actually provides details experienced at a quick pace. He compares this with calisthenics; to exercise the brain. He states that Scientists have portrayed these brain calisthenics to “find meaning in confusion and to solve new problems, independent of acquired knowledge.” In other words to think on our feet about idea that concern US.

4. Carr believes the internet is stripping us of our ability to partake in deep thinking. Postman stated the exact same thing concerning television. The Peek-A-Boo world mixed with the Now…This mentality that television created for us, the internet has expanded on and taken to a whole new level. Carr’s statement- “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski.” –sums up Postman’s theory that television has trivialized every topic reported on. Carr believes that the Internet has taken that trivial aspect and applied to our ability to read and reflect critically. The way we read has changed in the quicker pace of the information highway.

5. I believe in different aspects of both articles, however I find myself leaning more toward Cascio’s thought process. While I disagree with his acceptance of enhancement drugs, I agree that human nature is to survive and adapt any change thrown at us. I have found Google’s technological tools valuable in research and because the information given to me is a brief version of the text book’s wealth of information, I am able to look for different opinions, facts and reported on evidence of the topic researched. However I believe that in the new pace of the information age the responsibility to take the time to reflect on the information thrown at me rests solely on my shoulders. Accountability for how you use the vast knowledge you find on the internet is up to you. This article also argues both for and against the information at your fingertips. Professor Fred Mast, of the University of Lausanne agrees with Cascio’s side that the human brain can adapt to anything. However Nada Kakabadse, a Professor at the Northampton Business School thinks portable technology is like a drug that inhibits your reasoning. Both articles contribute good and bad ideas to the debate on the information highway. I believe the internet can be both useful if used responsibly and detrimental if you allow it to consume you.