Society's Secluded Individuals

I’ve always wondered why some people choose to acknowledge you as you walk by them while others don’t. Does it have to do with culture, confidence, or the way we were raised? Maybe people just don’t give a shit about other people, and are too wrapped up in their own worlds to care about their surroundings? Maybe, there is no deeper meaning, and people just look where they look with no consistency at all? Or do people’s mood affect where they look? That sounds relevant. I know when I’m angry, which doesn’t happen very often, but when I am, I look at no one, and if I do, it wouldn’t be a nice look, which would lead people to believe I’m an angry bitch, when of course is not true.

It’s starting to seem like my questions have many answers, which really isn’t beneficial when trying to come up with a thesis. All I know is that I find it hard not to look at someone as they walk by me, yet many people choose to disregard my presence and look straight ahead or down. I think I’m able to tell the difference between the person, who simply can’t give anyone the time of day, and the shy, unconfident individuals, that emotionally can’t look at someone in the eye, for fear of…maybe rejection? It is these people that I feel sorry for. It truly affects me when I see people walking down the halls with their heads down. Sometimes I just want to give them a hug.

What about MP3 players, in public places? More and more people are listening to their own music, secluding themselves from the world. Besides being a safety hazard, I don’t believe these music devices should be used during everyday occurrences. I find it rude. I can only see it leading to social problems in the future. I believe interaction with friends and even strangers are healthy rituals that can build character and confidence. When we refuse to interact with others we’re cutting ourselves off from experiences that could lead to endless opportunities. Music is a beautiful thing, and I know I can’t live without it, but there is a time and place for everything.

Although one could argue you can engage in everyday activities while listening to music, I don’t believe your mind, or your heart can be fully engaged in either activity, which has it’s own implications. In a previous post I talked about living in the moment, being physically, emotionally aware of your actions, and when multi-tasking this is not possible. If you’re walking down a busy hallway, fully aware of your surroundings, the people around you, the conversations you hear, the path you take, you might come to conclusions and thoughts that listening to music would have distracted you from. Similarly, when you listen to music, feel the beat, analyze the lyrics, move your body, fully engage yourself into the music, and I promise you’ll experience music like you never have before.

Is one to be worried about our ever-growing technological culture? (No need to answer that one) What other extremities will we go to, to ensure our selves of constantly being entertained?

I’ve looked at restricting ourselves through our eyes, and ears, I guess our voice is next. I remember when soothers were in style (that is definitely something worth analyzing). Maybe they will come back, but 100 times more advanced. They’ll have MP3 players in them, and of course a camera. They’ll be multitudes of flavours that require your sucking in order to be consumed, leaving your voice to be silenced.

How's my shovel looking?

Shoveling shit! Ingenious. I loved Lipton's analogy today. Postman says we're surrounded by too much information, which is not really a positive thing. Sure we might have random bits of knowledge, but unless we are to take on roles and do something with all the information we receive, than it's useless. Lipton called this useless information 'shit.' There's a lot of 'shit' in our own learning, and he hopes he has provided us with the shovels to shove out the shit out, and decipher what information is worth reflecting on. Lipton seems to have perfected his shoveling. He said he will grade the beauty of our shovel; meaning, he's deciding on whether we are interesting people or not, based on the information we've chosen talk about and analyze.
I guess my last question to Lipton will be, "So, how's my shovel looking?"

Leaving my 'Mark'

This Mass Communication class really has become exciting. Not only is every class entertaining, informative and thought provoking, but it also has sparked emotions in me that I've never felt before.
The most important to note, is the desire I've develped to make a difference and leave my "Mark" on the world. Lipton really is someone great to have at the head of a classroom. Learning his motivations, and things he's doing to leave his 'Mark' is quite contagious. If you would have asked me a couple of years ago if I wanted to go to a third world country, to help...in any way, the answer would have been no. I now have a strong desire to help others in need, and would love to plan a trip to a third world country to help and provide whatever service I can. I find this exciting. Some might say the desire to help others is not as innocent as it looks, becasue all good deeds can be seen as self-serving, however, this is a first for me, so I'm letting it ride.
Another positive outcome is realizing that individuals can make a difference. Quite broad, I know, but it really can be used in all aspects of life. In regards to voting, saving the environment, helping others, the list is endless.
I'm left to wonder if I'm on a little "Mass Communication" high, and that the end of this class, will cause my motivation to fizzle. I think it's important to have role models in your life. I some how don't believe any of my teachers next semester will motivate me the way Lipton has. I hope it doesn't fizzle...and it's something that will stay with me, for the rest of my life. Just a little perspective check may all I'll need every once and a while...right?

Just 'Live'

Today we started our class with a big breath and the thought of, what I summarize as, living in the moment. Teaching ourselves to do this is important for our sanity, our health, our ability to put things into perspective, and to live a balanced life. One of my most influential mentors to date, a choreographer I worked with, used the term “living” to describe people consumed in the moment. He would tell us to “live” when we’re dancing. Someone laughing hysterically can be seen as “living,” that is, living in the moment- a moment that is physical, emotional and spiritual. You won’t be able to look away from a dancer that is not just dancing, but living. Every movement, shape and emotion portrayed combine to form a meaningful experience. That is living.
Technology can be seen as hindering us from living in the moment, because it is the cause of chaos in the world. We are often not thinking about what we’re doing; rather we’re thinking about how we could be doing it better or faster. We constantly think about what we need to do, or could do. It’s true, that thinking or living in the moment is a skill that can be understood, but requires practice to be accomplished. At the beginning of class, I can say I was living in the moment, aware of my surroundings, understanding the greater purpose, or reason, for why I was sitting in class today, but to say I was living in the moment throughout the whole class would be a lie. It’s not that I wasn’t listening to what Lipton was saying; I didn’t attach his words to the big picture. If we involved ourselves, that is our whole body, mind and soul, to all of our experiences, there would be no limits to what we could achieve, no day we would regret, and no sickness we couldn’t fight. Lipton says it involves putting yourself at the center of the universe. Healthy coping strategies such as: exercise, healthy eating, sleeping, friendships, and meditation can help you achieve that.
The idea of developing ourselves as interesting people came up again today (“redundancy is the key”). I believe the same person living in the moment can be classified as an interesting person. To be in Lipton’s class, just listening and taking notes is one thing, but to be in class, listening, comprehending, making connections, asking questions and answering them, is what living in the moment is about. Critical thinking and new ideas create interesting people, the ones who Lipton says will get the job.
Translating what’s in your head, through your fingertips, to the paper, is a skill. As a student we are learning that this is an important skill to develop. This was recently a challenge to my group and I, when discussing the assignment to trace technological inventions to current cultural trends. At first it was overwhelming to think about, because every technological invention has affected how we live today. Like Lipton says, creating a new technology doesn’t just mean we have a world with a new technology; we have a whole new world. My brainstorming for the assignment started with looking at current problems of today’s society: The decline of the ‘family,’ or family time, which goes along with the decline of participation of church attendance. What about our current and never-ending struggle with time, and satisfaction? Will we ever be pleased? As you can see, a lot of ideas were floating around, but they can all be traced as an effect of consumerism: the fact or practice of an increasing consumption of goods. When studying this “disease of consumerism” we learned that the need to have more and want more, stems from producers, advertising, and technological inventions that we outline in our assignment.
We chose to trace the cause of consumerism back to 1200BC with the first traces of money. Trading object, for object, is not necessary, with the invention of money. The printing press allowed reproduction for mass consumption. The production of advertisements can be argued as creating if not all, many of the problems of today’s society including: self esteem issues, such as eating disorders and the thought that one is not good enough unless they resemble the model in the advertisement. The advertisement creates wants and the means to please those wants, which is never really possible. This creates a never-ending search for satisfaction, which leaves one feeling empty and worthless, which of course stems into psychological problems, affecting your health.
The sewing machine, and mass production of clothing lead to the fashion industry, which continued to devalue society. Picking what you wear, to determine your status in the world can be seen as a sickness in itself, and can only be found having negative results. Consuming based on class prevents equality and promotes prejudice. This relates to why the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
The artificial light bulb brought about more ‘awake’ time, in which people could work longer hours, to buy more things. The assembly line furthered the idea of mass production, and allowed for products not only to be made quicker, but more efficiently. This created isolation for workers, and a struggle for the consumer to keep up to date with the newest trends.
Credit cards brought about the idea to ‘buy now, pay later.” Buying on credit has caused trouble for many people, especially those with little will power. Living in debt can cause one to feel somewhat drowned, which psychologically cannot be healthy. Issues involving money with friends, family and spouses can cause a great deal of tension, and often results in the end to these relationships. All of this, because the idea that borrowing money is acceptable.
Marianna was the one who put the slide show together. I researched the effects of the light bulb, the printing press and the assembly line. This assignment was a collaborative effort, as all of our previous assignments have been.
Each invention listed has lead to the consumerism of today’s society. However, each one in itself had it’s own effects as well. Lipton’s description on how each new technology creates a new world clearly demonstrates this point. Overall, I’ve put a negative spin on these inventions. I guess my next challenge will be to prove how each one of these inventions has lead us to better, more fulfilled lives (to be continued of course).

A little L'n'L

I love when Lipton talks about love. Love fascinates me- or MY idea of love fascinates me. No one knows what love is. They may have a version, or a thought about what they think love is, which is fine, but love is a metaphor.
Lipton talked about Maslow's hierarchy of human needs and shared something with us that I thought was very personal. He talked about his time when he first moved to New York as being very lonely; having no friends, family, or even a phone for communication. It is this unhealthy isolation that inhibits us from experiencing love. A sense of belonging is recognized as a basic need, so if there's no sense of belonging in your life, you really are not in a position to be in a relationship. To understand the full richness of love you must have a sense of self-consciousness and reach self -actualization. Only with a sense of belonging and an awareness of one's self in the world is one able give and receive love.
Am I ready for love? Let’s just say, I will be.

Yoko's Avant-Garde, McCloud's Comic

Studying The Beatles and learning about John Lennon's wife Yoko Ono, allowed me to compare Yoko's avant-garde artwork to thoughts from McCLoud and McLuhan.
Yoko Ono pushed the boundaries of art, film, music and theatre media, through her interactive conceptual events, which required the viewers' participation, forcing them to get involved in her artwork. We learn from her online biography that Yoko's "most famous piece was the 'cut piece' staged in 1964, where the audience was invited to cut off pieces of her clothing until she was naked, an abstract commentary on discarding materialism." Creating this abstract art, Yoko clearly demonstrates McCloud’s theory of our culture, and why we're "inthralled to the simplified reality...By stripping down an image to it's essential 'meaning' an artist can amplify that meaning in a way that realistic art can't" (McCloud 30).
The cartoon, similar to Yoko's art, "is a vacuum into which your identity and awareness are pulled...an empty shell that we inhabit which enables us to travel into another realm" (McCloud 36). Her artwork in the "This Is Not Here" exhibition in the early 70's included a living room completely painted white with various objects: an armchair, grandfather clock, desk, television set, even an apple, cut completely in half (Celebrity Websites, paragraph 4). The viewer must complete the scenario with a reference memory of the whole object. McCloud describes this phenomenon of observing the parts, but perceiving the whole, as closure. "In our daily lives we often commit closure, mentally completing that which is incomplete based on past experience...closure are deliberate inventions of storytellers to produce suspense or to challenge audiences" (McCloud 63).
Yoko, like the comics creator, "asks us to join in a silent dance of the seen and the unseen. The visible and the invisible" (McCloud 92). Both McCloud and Yoko share the belief that "Participation is a powerful force in any medium," and have realized the "importance of allowing viewers to use their imaginations" (McCloud 69). "The idea that 'less is more' has real practical implications...The mastery of any medium using minimal elements has long been considered a noble aspiration" (McCloud 83).

Yoko's art, relates to McLuhan's postulation of hot and cool media, embracing a "cool" experience. Her artwork requires us to look within ourselves and fill in or complete the image. McLuhan described in an interview with Playboy the idea of hot media excluding the audience, and cool media requiring participation, as one of the reasons "why the medium is the message, rather than the content; it is the participatory nature...itself that is important, rather than the content of the particular...image that is being invisibly and indelibly inscribed on our skins" (McLuhan interview).


The Playboy Interview: Marshall McLuhan." 1994. Playboy Magazine. 7 Sept. 2007

Celebrity-websites.com. Love Earth Network. 31 Oct. 2007.

Thank you for Smoking

So, I’ve been away for a couple of years and am a little behind with movies. As a PR student my boyfriend thought I should watch “Thank you for Smoking.” I thoroughly enjoyed it and will try and understand why.
I thought the main character, Nick Naylor, a professional lobbyist for cigarettes, was just incredible at his job. In the opening clip, he’s on a talk show with other 4 other guests: a Mother Against Teen Smoking rep., a Chairwoman of the Lung Association, a top aide from the Health and Human Services and last, but not least, Cancer Boy. Besides being quite humorous, watching Naylor manipulate the conversation is intriguing and praiseworthy. He actually gets the audience to turn on the top aide from the Health and Human Services, explaining that he would benefit from the death of Cancer Boy, as it would provide him with more money for research. On the other hand, the smoking companies want their customers to live, to obviously spend more money. He does have a point! Throughout the movie Naylor continues to spin various situations, all leaving me in awe. He lectures at a school and justifies smoking by telling them to “think for themselves. In stead of acting like sheep when it comes to cigarettes you should find out for yourself.” His choice of words and the angle he takes on defending smoking is that of the best manipulators I’ve ever seen.
Naylor describes his job to his son, as, “Spin Control. That’s where I come in. I get paid to talk. I don’t have an MD or law degree. I have a bachelor in kicking ass and taking names.” He explains himself as someone with “moral flexibility.” “Michael Jordan plays ball. Charles Manson kills people. I talk. Everyone has a talent.” He also explains, “If you argue correct you’re never wrong. I don’t have to prove that I’m right. I just have to prove that you’re wrong.” Another one of my favourite quotes definitely worth noting is: “You know that guy who can pick up any girl? I’m him, on crack!”

By the end of the movie, we actually end up feeling sympathy for this “crook” which just proves how truly amazing he is at his job.
I think any person getting into PR, would benefit from watching this movie. Speech is an art, which Nick Naylor has mastered. Listen and learn kids!