Midterm Blog - The Media's Stereotypes are our Stereotypes

In order to venture through the cultural space of Fairfield County, you must take in the cultural ideals and norms favored across the country, particularly through the media.  Besides a bi-monthly call to Aunt Jenny in California, you must ask yourself: How else do I come in touch with these states so distant from my own?  The United States is a country of over three hundred million people, not everyone can fit into an area the size of Connecticut.  Whether it’s through a TV, radio, computer, carrier pigeon, etc, we must realize that the media has utmost control over how Americans communicate and build perceptions of people across the country.  Separate from making stereotypes, the media also gives people a sense of conformity in their natural environment.  

Whether it be my sister’s beloved (and my dreaded) Pretty Little Liars, my father’s SportsCenter, or my own “Whatever has Jennifer Lawrence in it”, whatever ends up playing on my television creates an image for people to look up to (or down to).  Before addressing stereotypes, one must contemplate: Why do we watch television or listen to the media?  To be frank, there are an abundance of answers to a plethora of questions: Why do people watch the news? To keep updated in their area or the nation.  Why do my sister’s like Pretty Little Liars?  Because they are captivated by the drama.  Why do I watch anything with Jennifer Lawrence in it?  Because I love JLaw.  Therefore, why do we watch television?  For comfort, a natural piece of human nature.  TV makes us feel good; it’s this simple.  But then why not expand the idea further to say, music?  This argument can spread across the whole of the media.  Whether it be genres of music or screenplay, or any other rogue voice in the media, each comforts us humans and “captivates” us based on our acceptance of what is being displayed.

Now we can analyze the stereotypes which, I’m sorry to say, is not the last stop on this media adventure.  After the audience is captivated by what’s shown on screen or voiced behind a microphone, their acceptance enables the image to be portrayed into their mind.  For an example, when you think of New Jersey, many people will think: guidos, spray tans, GTL (Gym-Tan-Laundry) and partying.  Thanks Jersey Shore.  Now half the country looks at your state in a very inaccurate manner.  Another example could be in music: in the rap genre most older generations see a distasteful, corrupting, bad minded spirit of music that has no shortage of terrible English and immoral motives.  Thanks Lil’ Wayne.  Thanks Wiz Khalifa.  Thanks Snoop Dogg.  When hearing the word “rap” not often does one think of Macklemore (who raps fighting for gay rights), Lupe Fiasco (who raps for peace and civil rights), or Eminem who raps for his daughters.  In essence, the media does not create stereotypes; we do.  

These perceptions taken on by communities often mold a sense of being or a precedent to be adhered and conformed to.  Too often a common idea dominating a certain field overwhelms newcomers, furthering its place in contemporary society.  CGS, unfortunately, is a good example.  Though unfair and blatantly ignorant, many everyday Brien McMahon Senators look down on our “minority” as being weird, different, and unwilling to conform.  That’s the key: conformity.  This stereotype is not adopted by students upon a realization say, two years into the school.  This stereotype is enforced onto incoming freshmen by their predecessing upper classmen.  In this hierarchical structure, what those on the top of the food chain say goes.  And so a stereotype is accepted by society and allowed to grow.              

Midterm Blog - The Center for Global Studies' Differential Unity

The Center for Global Studies is unique in its own makeup compared to other schools within Fairfield County due to its drastic diversity and cultural backgrounds.  Many schools like Darien, New Canaan, Danbury, and Fairfield Ludlowe tend to not vary in ethnicity tremendously when compared to the cultural sense of that area’s population.  SImply put, there is not much diversity in many schools in Fairfield County.  Inner city schools, particularly those in Norwalk and Stamford tend to be more diverse than those of smaller towns like Joel Barlow and Greenwich.  Regardless, none of these schools compare to the Center for Global Studies.  

Though Brien McMahon may show some sense of diversity, what CGS brings to the table is astonishing.  Being a magnet school, we attract students with ethnicities venturing all across the globe.  From Lebanon, China, Germany, and Brazil to Japan, England, India, and Mexico and across the seven continents, CGS has roots.  This sense, besides differentiating our small school from schools across Fairfield County, creates our own cultural space, our own cultural atmosphere.  In essence, being different is why we are so similar.  

Besides having different cultural backgrounds, many in CGS face different economic and social backgrounds as well.  A life in Darien is not the same as a life in Stratford which is not the same as life in Bridgeport nor a similar to a life in Trumbull.  Though their are wage gaps between the cities and towns of Fairfield County, these gaps do not hinder the Center for Global Studies, they help.  Differences separate people.  In our county, you can find an abundance of differentiations but often cannot find differentiations living together in unity.  This is why CGS is so significant and, to be realistic, valuable.

What different cultures, religions, and societies bring to the table becomes a feast of knowledge and understanding.  Many schools settle to a specific curriculum and bore their students to new heights without caring too much for the outcome of their students.  CGS does not fall under that category.  In its name and its mission statement, the Center for Global Studies does not leave its students behind.  I believe the true value in our school is not for what it teaches you, it exists in what CGS does not teach you: how to learn.  Yes, the Center for Global Studies, in my own humble opinion, does not teach its students how to learn.  I believe that is what’s so “different” about us.  We are not taught how to think, we are prompted to find out for ourselves.  In the words of my sister, a graduate from, well, not CGS: “I don’t know how to learn.  I was never taught ‘how to learn’.  I was taught A + B = B + A.”  My sister was taught the fundamentals.  She was taught that “that’s just how it is” and never questioned why.  She never questioned, “What about C?”  This is where the Center for Global Studies is so different from every other school.  The plethora of differences bring unity, and that unity gives us a sense of understanding.            

                  

Midterm Blog - The Gift of the Mentally Challenged

The understanding of equality in today’s society blankets around the idea that everyone has equal rights, equal voice, and equal opportunities to strive up and beyond social norms.  In a typical utopian society this precedent may last unaltered but today’s society is not one bit utopian.  Today, those who are diagnosed as mentally challenged face silenced discrimination every day without their knowing.  

As for the media, rarely do people with down syndrome appear on national television or on the big screen.  Of the few movies focused around the mentally challenged, one of the most significant is titled “The Ringer”.  In this movie, the main character (played by Johnny Knoxville, a character in Jackass) accepts a bet to erase his debt where he must fake being mentally challenged, rig the Special Olympics, and earn some friends along the way.  Though this may seem like a very negative movie thus far, director Barry Blaustein, quickly revamps the bulk of the movie into a plot that emphasizes the mentally challenged as often being model human beings.  At the climax of his movie, in a 400 meter dash, the favorite to win hurts his leg and is put in a position not to finish.  Steve, Johnny Knoxvilles’ character, is forced to make a decision: win the race and save his debt or turn around and help Jimmy (the favorite) finish the race.  Here marks Steve’s transformation from a selfish, egotistical man at the start of the movie to one withholding morals and virtues at the end.  His alteration lies side by side with the movie’s structure as it transforms from a story making fun of the mentally challenged to a story proving that those with down syndrome may not be the mentally handicapped after all.  

Too often in society we shorthand the mentally challenged.  Too often we look down on them as if it is their fault they were born with a genetic mutation.  Too often do we fail to realize the gift those mentally challenged have when compared to the rest of society.  Behind the curtains the today’s social norms lie an abundance of corruption and disdain.  We often look at those of different races, genders, religions, etc. as different people.  We let our lives get corrupted with hate and remorse.  We let stereotypes rule our lives.  

I have a friend, or in this case teammate who is mentally challenged.  Jaime is a Brien McMahon freshmen who is making his transition from freshmen football to Varsity football.  Prior to this upcoming season, Jaime practiced with his fellow freshmen and, when late August sets in, he will be practicing with players up to two grades older than him.  Jaime never misses a meeting.  Jaime never misses practice.  Jaime never misses weight room.  Jaime is the most upbeat teammate I know.  When seeing him in the hallway he always has a smile on his face.  He always seems to be the happiest kid I know.  That is his blessing.  His shield from the world’s hate is his genetic mutation.  It is a lens against the bad and a magnifying glass for the good.  I believe if our society were to look at life a little bit more like Jaime does, our lives would be a lot nicer; a lot friendlier; a lot kinder.  Maybe there would be less gossip, less worrying about another person’s business.  Maybe people will stop finding fault with each other.  Maybe our lives could become somewhat harmonious.  

Midterm Blog - Finding Nemo's Relation to Child Fragility

Pixar’s Finding Nemo, a movie about a father’s chaotic journey through treacherous scenarios to find his kidnapped son reflects the pure beauty of family and how a child should always listen to his or her parents.  In this rather cute, animated twist, Disney conveyed to opposing views: that children are often worshipped in society and that a child should always abide to his or her elders.  

In most cartoon movies or television shows, children are deemed the most delicate pieces of society.  The plot and characters of what hits the television are not necessarily important; what is important, however, is the tone, diction, and structure of these screenplays.  

A prominent characteristic of Finding Nemo, like many other Pixar movies, is where the main character (most likely young or relating to young children) is faced with problems that he escapes with someone else’s help.  In this movie, Nemo always seems to get himself caught into a pickle, only to be saved by either his friends or by his father.  For an example, in the fishtank, Gill saves Nemo from being sucked up in the filter.  Then later, upon his escape from the dreaded Darla and the dentist’s office, Nigel (the pelican) gave Nemo and his friends the key idea on how to escape.  After playing dead, Nemo found his way to Sydney’s Bay.  Finally, after relying on his friends, Nemo saved an entire school of fish by telling them to swim down after being caught in a mass feeding frenzy by local fishermen.  The climax of the film, here Nemo becomes the “hero” and saves the day while getting reunited with his father.    

Though the story is rather cute, the most significant attribute is the structure which seems to repeat in many Pixar movies.  In Finding Nemo, the main character is faced with many troubles only to be relieved by his friends and family.  The climax of the movie appears when the protagonist saves the day by himself.  This sort of structure seems to play over in movies like The Lion King, Mulan, and Toy Story.  

Another prominent attribute of this Pixar film is parental role which also correlates to many of the movies previously stated.  Before his capture and Nemo’s first day of school, Marlin told his son not to swim out into open water and to stay with the class.  Obviously defying what his father told him, Nemo swam out into the open water at “the drop off” in order to prove to his friends that he wasn’t scared to “touch the butt”.  Not surprisingly, Nemo then gets captured by divers.  

The last significant characteristic of Disney movies in general are their tone towards the younger audience.  In almost a countless number of these children’s movies we find a very gentle tone appealing to the intended audience.  These movies dabble with cute yet surreal characters, a happy, bubbly tone, and a traditional hero ending.  Nowhere in these movies would you find horror, tragedy, or vice.  This is because of society’s view on the next generation as being young, delicate, and emotional.  

Ownership is Nothing Without Perception

Whether it's inanimate or only existing in one's mind "ownership" over something is not necessarily a boost to one's class, but what separates humanity from itself and other species.  In my mind, ownership is possession and in so stating there are countless forms of ownership, not all of whom are accepted with open arms.  One may possess a certain disease or malignancy.  Someone may be plagued with a deformity or disorder; nonetheless possession or ownership can define who we are in a society as small as a school or as great as a planet.  No too people are the same right?

Take humanity first for example.  What makes humans different from animals?  What makes us civilized or uncivilized?  Men or beasts? The answer is possession.  Our species uniquely owns a rare, ever expanding brain that can process tons more information than brains of different species.  These brains have taken advantage of tools and water, opposable thumbs, and branched to create a civilization of more than 6 billion creatures developing and acquiring knowledge for itself.

Within our species, ownership of different outlooks on life is prevalent in finding difference among human mentality.  Leftist Democrats at one end of the political spectrum, for example, look at politics very differently than right-winged conservative Republicans at the opposite side.  In literature and the media, Marvel superheroes and super-heroines command different super powers that make them different from each other and general society.  These powers can either be mental or physical, which prompts the physical difference of human beings.  Here’s a hint, clones haven’t come into full production yet so, at the time, humanity only gets duplicates when born out of the same womb or with a random freaky coincidence.  Regardless, finding a non-twin double of yourself is practically impossible.  To make the point blatantly obvious, each human on Earth has a unique genetic makeup that makes them different from everyone else (physically at the least).  

Ownership is then a human right.  Besides separating humanity from animals, possessing something grants one the freedom to exploit it (or explore it, to put it nicely for Annie, my blog commenter ;) ).  One may, for example, exploit the benefits of owning a car.  Another example can be one’s ability to look at scenarios from different angles to literally maintain a different, rare outlook on life.  In essence, owning something gives the owner a sense of freedom.  This freedom can work many wonders; it can be an escape, an opportunity, an obstacle, or anything else one may believe.  Whether it be possessing a disability or owning a sensitive super nose (Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie), owning something can benefit in a number of ways.  Therefore, it means a lot to own something.  Many don’t realize it but life actually is a game of snakes and ladders but, if you keep your eyes open, your ears open, and pay attention, it won’t be that bad of a ride after all.