I think that while reading this it's important to get the main idea but not that the statistics and facts shown are different now. This was published in 2001, over a decade ago.
"It ignores the tragedy of poverty - the suffering, the indignities, the misery indured by millions.... (565)." To me this sounds a lot likewhat loveLife did with HIV and AIDs.
Would people with HIV/AIDs be looked at the same as the "poor" people in America and that is why they weren't depicted in the media in South Africa?
This paper is biased and generalized all the classes so it was hard for me to read. ex "they tell us the affluent in our society are kind, understanding, giving people - which we are not(pg 566)." She puts the * and everything but in my opinion money and numbers don't show how "kind" or "understanding" someone really is.
"...the concerns of the wealthy are the concerns of us all. (567)" I thought those things would only be in places that had more demand for them. This needs more background for me because you don't know who sponsors these things or pays for them to happen. If the government does then there should be more done about it, but if there are people that are paying from their businesses to send messages then why not?
568 first paragraph : I agree that millionaire's should not dominate most government affairs and make their interests "our" interests because they can easily lack understanding of those that are lower classes.
Question: Why is it that the media in the United States focus more on the poverty in other foreign nations compared to the poverty in the country itself?
Question: How different would it be if the media focused on poverty in the United States in a way that was similar to how the media portrayed Africa's proverty in the article "Africa in Western Media"?
Gregory Mantsios mentions that the media often “links to stories about soup kitchens or other charitable activities and sometimes call for charitable contributions” (566). How is Mantsios’ evidence a contradiction to how Mwenda thinks people should help the poor out of poverty?
Epstein and Mantsios both claim that the media presents the truth however fail to mention the entire truth. On page 571, Mantsios state, “A mass media that did not have its own class interests in preserving the status quo would acknowledge that inordinate wealth and power undermines democracy and that a ‘free market’ economy can ravage a people and their communities.” Does Mantsios suggest that people are being tricked into thinking that everyone had the same interests in order to keep a united society? Is he using the idea of a super-replicator like Gilbert?
Much of our society is controlled by the influence of the media, this has been established many times, if we were to create a movement as the one in the videos from Thursday to stop the lies the media feeds us do you believe it would become violent and destructive or do you think it would be a positive turnout?
The mantios essay suggests that the media wrongly describes the working class as having the same problems as the upper class, do you think that this is done with the purpose of keeping the wealthy rich and working class working?
Haley Cutchshaw 1. Mwenda claimed that we should not give aid to impoverished people in other countries and we should put the money where it will grow. The video showed how Kelvin Doe got to come to the U.S. to create inventions with the correct resources, but how will this help his country as a whole and not just his community back home? Is this giving money to an area that will help his country grow and not just treat immediate poverty? 2.In the Epstein text, she claims that LoveLife does not actually talk about AIDS and how to cure it, but rather about sex; what they think kids will benefit from. Is this the same as the media? Does the media only show what the wealthy are interested because they believe it will benefit society?
These are interesting questions. I'd like to know what the class thinks about the first one. Also, in terms of the 2nd question, I'd also like to know, if the the answer to the second part is yes, then HOW will what the wealthy are interested in discussing via the media help society as a whole? Bring these up in class.
1. Mantsios claims that in the United States, "the news media provides meager coverage of poor people and poverty" (564). Why do you think it is that in the US, the media tends to ignore the poor but as Mwenda suggests, when talking about Africa, US media tends to only focus on poverty and the poor and not the continents positives?
2.On page 566, Mantsios mentions that "given the extent of poverty in the nation and the impact it has on us all, the media must spin considerable magic to keep the poor and the issues of poverty and its root causes out of the public consciousness." Do you think that this could relate back to Gilbert's idea of super-replicators? Could the media be keeping people from knowing the true extent of poverty in order to make sure it does not effect the everyday lives of those who are getting by?
In the “Media Magic,” reading, it states, “the news media focuses attention on the concerns of a very wealthy and privileged class of people,”(567) so perhaps if this class’s concern would be poverty, would the media cover it justly so that Americans can have a true sense of what poverty is really like. Does it seem to be the case that the right resources are needed to cover poverty, just as with Cain’s arcade? Such as the videographer that just so happened to stop at the auto shop for a door handle and discovered Cain?
Through Epstein’s essay, we see that South Africa is also heavily influenced by the media, specifically the US type of media, how can South Africa and other countries avoid this style of media can detriment peoples outlooks?
In the "Media Magic" article he asserts that the media refuses to talk about the poor yet, "the rate of poverty is increasing twice as fast as the population growth in the United States" (564). If this is true, why not talk about it and address the issue? Won't poverty end up affecting us all as a whole in the long run?
Why is it so important to keep this idea of "American Dream" alive? If we didn't have this ideal thought of what the U.S. has to offer and all its "opportunities, is it safe to assume that we would be seen how a lot of people see Africa for example, as poor?
The Mantsios essay talked about how when kids are offered the opportunity to grow and learn, they will. It is also believed that what is expected of them will be the outcome: “Unfortunately many in education, consciously and unconsciously, except more from some and less from others… Statistics support the philosophy that students rise to their highest level if expected to do so and given the opportunity to do so. By the same token, they will fail or be in the bottom classes if that is expected of them” (Mantsios 563). Can this statistic relate to Mwenda’s belief that we don’t allow South Africans in poverty the chance to flourish and put wealth where it can productively grow because we expect South Africans to fail to create wealth?
In “Media Magic” it states, “For the most part, our media is national in nature and single-minded (profit-orientated) in purpose” (563). Media has always been used to encourage charity and awareness like it did for Cain’s Arcade, but does it seem that media isn’t always used for the right reasons such as in Epstein’s essay? If it’s not used for the right reason, then why do you believe this?
Mantsios claims that in the news today, poor people are described as an inconvenience and basically states that they are doing no good in todays society. Is this truly relevant to todays society and news networks?
Mantsios says, "They seek to speak to and for and audience that is both affluent and like minded." With that being said, do you think that the media in todays society is somewhat biased, and if so who is the media favoring and can we really trust what we are being told?
1. In the Caine video is it trying to tell us the best way to affect the lives of people all around the world is to start a movement instead of just talking about it? 2. In the 3 videos of the two kids I believe that children influence the future a lot more than adults do but that children and teens need the help of adults to get things started. It also shows that sometimes adults are mistake about kids that we have a lot of ideas that can be very useful and we care about our communities also.
1. Mantsios mentions on page 568 that society pages and gossip columns keep the social elite informed of each others' doings, which allows the rest of us to gawk at their successes. He then goes on to state that this helps keep the American Dream alive. He is very vague on what he thinks the "American Dream" is and what it means to him. What does this mean to our society? Do different social classes have a different view on the so called "American Dream?" 2. On page 571, Mantsios mentions that the mass media is directed by people who are apart of the upper class. This can explain why the media is mainly focused on this social class. How can this be changed or affected by people in lower classes? What can we do to alter the spotlight of the media?
Jared, your first question is a very important. Let's begin our discussion tomorrow by answering these questions about what "the American dream" means.
On page 566, Mantsois says that the media describes the poor, "they are a nusiance, do not deserve better, and have brought their predicament upon themselves." Do you think this is a fair thing to say about the children that were born into the poor and have a very slim chance of making it out?
Do you think that since the media only portrays the poor as dangerous and reports stories about their crime problems is a factor why some of the upper class don't think they deserve any help?
Do you think that the middle class and the working class get the short end of the stick and in a way get screwed over? Because they aren't struggling enough to get government help, but they are far from rich. So they have to do everything on their own?
Monica, keep this last question in mind during our discussion. You bring up a good point about the middle class. There will be a point during class when this is a very relevant question.
1. Throughout his essay, Mantsios claims that the media creates illusions of poor people and that poor people are pictured the wrong way. How might Gilbert's idea of surrogacy relate to Mantios's claim?
2. On page 571, Mantsios says, "Those who own and direct the mass media are themselves part of the upper class, and neither they nor the ruling class in general have to conspire to manipulate public opinion". Does this still occur in today's world? If so, how can one educate someone to see this manipulation?
Mantsios says that "there is enough wealth in our nation to eliminate poverty if we choose to redistribute existing wealth or income(566)." Why do you think that this hasn't been done yet?
Why is it that the media portrays the poor as so undeserving, inexistent, faceless and unlucky? Mantsios says all these things about how badly the poor are perceived but why exactly is it that this happens?
1. In the Caine's Arcade videos, it shows videos of kids creating their own arcade machines after watching Caine's videos. These kids are hooked on the fun of creating an arcade and one of these kids says "Caine you're awesome man." Is this the tactic that Lovelife was trying to achieve? Trying to get South African AIDS victims to seek a change in their lives by creating something that these victims are interested in .
2. From the Gilbert reading and the Kelvin Video, Kelvin learned how to create these electronic devices from his own experiences.Kelvin and a student said that they're expanding their world by interacting with each other and learning from each others experiences. Now can Kelvin set an example for others in Sierra Leone and become a sort of surrogate to influence them? Can the people of Sierra Leone who lack a variety of things learn from Kelvins experiences.
On page 568 the author talks how 2/3 of the senators are millionaires and how this is not seen as unusual. But, it is a very disproportional representation of society. Why is it not weird to have a larger proportion of the wealthy represent what the entire country wants when they don't know much about what the poor want or need from the government? On page 565-6 the author talks about how the media depicts the poor as "down on their luck" during the holiday season and advertises charitable acts, but the rest of the year the media shows the poor, if they show the poor, as lazy people who brought poverty upon themselves. Why do they do this?
In "Media Magic" it basically says that the media will only provide us with sensational stories about welfare cheats, drug addicts, and greedy panhandles (565). Could this potentially be the reason no one wants to help the poor? It's important to realize that there are some people that really have no choice and can not do anything about their struggle, but to me it just seems like people only pay attention to the bad parts. It states that twenty-three corporations own more than one half of all the daily newspapers, magazines, movie studios, and radio television outlets in the United States (563). Is it true that some of these corporations own multiple news papers, and tell different stories to the public in each of them?
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I think that while reading this it's important to get the main idea but not that the statistics and facts shown are different now. This was published in 2001, over a decade ago.
ReplyDelete"It ignores the tragedy of poverty - the suffering, the indignities, the misery indured by millions.... (565)." To me this sounds a lot likewhat loveLife did with HIV and AIDs.
Would people with HIV/AIDs be looked at the same as the "poor" people in America and that is why they weren't depicted in the media in South Africa?
This paper is biased and generalized all the classes so it was hard for me to read.
ex "they tell us the affluent in our society are kind, understanding, giving people - which we are not(pg 566)." She puts the * and everything but in my opinion money and numbers don't show how "kind" or "understanding" someone really is.
"...the concerns of the wealthy are the concerns of us all. (567)"
I thought those things would only be in places that had more demand for them. This needs more background for me because you don't know who sponsors these things or pays for them to happen. If the government does then there should be more done about it, but if there are people that are paying from their businesses to send messages then why not?
568 first paragraph : I agree that millionaire's should not dominate most government affairs and make their interests "our" interests because they can easily lack understanding of those that are lower classes.
Cierra, what about the videos we watched for last Thursday? Any discussion on those and how they may tie into our readings?
DeleteCierra, I like that you are reading "against the grain." We should discuss your fourth claim in class. Bring this up.
DeleteQuestion: Why is it that the media in the United States focus more on the poverty in other foreign nations compared to the poverty in the country itself?
ReplyDeleteQuestion: How different would it be if the media focused on poverty in the United States in a way that was similar to how the media portrayed Africa's proverty in the article "Africa in Western Media"?
Great questions, Michael! Ask these in class.
DeleteGregory Mantsios mentions that the media often “links to stories about soup kitchens or other charitable activities and sometimes call for charitable contributions” (566). How is Mantsios’ evidence a contradiction to how Mwenda thinks people should help the poor out of poverty?
ReplyDeleteEpstein and Mantsios both claim that the media presents the truth however fail to mention the entire truth. On page 571, Mantsios state, “A mass media that did not have its own class interests in preserving the status quo would acknowledge that inordinate wealth and power undermines democracy and that a ‘free market’ economy can ravage a people and their communities.” Does Mantsios suggest that people are being tricked into thinking that everyone had the same interests in order to keep a united society? Is he using the idea of a super-replicator like Gilbert?
These are great questions, Jennifer. Bring these up in class.
DeleteMuch of our society is controlled by the influence of the media, this has been established many times, if we were to create a movement as the one in the videos from Thursday to stop the lies the media feeds us do you believe it would become violent and destructive or do you think it would be a positive turnout?
ReplyDeleteThe mantios essay suggests that the media wrongly describes the working class as having the same problems as the upper class, do you think that this is done with the purpose of keeping the wealthy rich and working class working?
Haley Cutchshaw
ReplyDelete1. Mwenda claimed that we should not give aid to impoverished people in other countries and we should put the money where it will grow. The video showed how Kelvin Doe got to come to the U.S. to create inventions with the correct resources, but how will this help his country as a whole and not just his community back home? Is this giving money to an area that will help his country grow and not just treat immediate poverty?
2.In the Epstein text, she claims that LoveLife does not actually talk about AIDS and how to cure it, but rather about sex; what they think kids will benefit from. Is this the same as the media? Does the media only show what the wealthy are interested because they believe it will benefit society?
These are interesting questions. I'd like to know what the class thinks about the first one. Also, in terms of the 2nd question, I'd also like to know, if the the answer to the second part is yes, then HOW will what the wealthy are interested in discussing via the media help society as a whole? Bring these up in class.
Delete1. Mantsios claims that in the United States, "the news media provides meager coverage of poor people and poverty" (564). Why do you think it is that in the US, the media tends to ignore the poor but as Mwenda suggests, when talking about Africa, US media tends to only focus on poverty and the poor and not the continents positives?
ReplyDelete2.On page 566, Mantsios mentions that "given the extent of poverty in the nation and the impact it has on us all, the media must spin considerable magic to keep the poor and the issues of poverty and its root causes out of the public
consciousness." Do you think that this could relate back to Gilbert's idea of super-replicators? Could the media be keeping people from knowing the true extent of poverty in order to make sure it does not effect the everyday lives of those who are getting by?
In the “Media Magic,” reading, it states, “the news media focuses attention on the concerns of a very wealthy and privileged class of people,”(567) so perhaps if this class’s concern would be poverty, would the media cover it justly so that Americans can have a true sense of what poverty is really like. Does it seem to be the case that the right resources are needed to cover poverty, just as with Cain’s arcade? Such as the videographer that just so happened to stop at the auto shop for a door handle and discovered Cain?
ReplyDeleteThrough Epstein’s essay, we see that South Africa is also heavily influenced by the media, specifically the US type of media, how can South Africa and other countries avoid this style of media can detriment peoples outlooks?
In the "Media Magic" article he asserts that the media refuses to talk about the poor yet, "the rate of poverty is increasing twice as fast as the population growth in the United States" (564). If this is true, why not talk about it and address the issue? Won't poverty end up affecting us all as a whole in the long run?
ReplyDeleteWhy is it so important to keep this idea of "American Dream" alive? If we didn't have this ideal thought of what the U.S. has to offer and all its "opportunities, is it safe to assume that we would be seen how a lot of people see Africa for example, as poor?
The Mantsios essay talked about how when kids are offered the opportunity to grow and learn, they will. It is also believed that what is expected of them will be the outcome: “Unfortunately many in education, consciously and unconsciously, except more from some and less from others… Statistics support the philosophy that students rise to their highest level if expected to do so and given the opportunity to do so. By the same token, they will fail or be in the bottom classes if that is expected of them” (Mantsios 563). Can this statistic relate to Mwenda’s belief that we don’t allow South Africans in poverty the chance to flourish and put wealth where it can productively grow because we expect South Africans to fail to create wealth?
ReplyDeleteIn “Media Magic” it states, “For the most part, our media is national in nature and single-minded (profit-orientated) in purpose” (563). Media has always been used to encourage charity and awareness like it did for Cain’s Arcade, but does it seem that media isn’t always used for the right reasons such as in Epstein’s essay? If it’s not used for the right reason, then why do you believe this?
Ask this first question in class.
DeleteMantsios claims that in the news today, poor people are described as an inconvenience and basically states that they are doing no good in todays society. Is this truly relevant to todays society and news networks?
ReplyDeleteMantsios says, "They seek to speak to and for and audience that is both affluent and like minded." With that being said, do you think that the media in todays society is somewhat biased, and if so who is the media favoring and can we really trust what we are being told?
Good questions, Kyle. Keep these in mind for our discussion
Delete1. In the Caine video is it trying to tell us the best way to affect the lives of people all around the world is to start a movement instead of just talking about it?
ReplyDelete2. In the 3 videos of the two kids I believe that children influence the future a lot more than adults do but that children and teens need the help of adults to get things started. It also shows that sometimes adults are mistake about kids that we have a lot of ideas that can be very useful and we care about our communities also.
1. Mantsios mentions on page 568 that society pages and gossip columns keep the social elite informed of each others' doings, which allows the rest of us to gawk at their successes. He then goes on to state that this helps keep the American Dream alive. He is very vague on what he thinks the "American Dream" is and what it means to him. What does this mean to our society? Do different social classes have a different view on the so called "American Dream?"
ReplyDelete2. On page 571, Mantsios mentions that the mass media is directed by people who are apart of the upper class. This can explain why the media is mainly focused on this social class. How can this be changed or affected by people in lower classes? What can we do to alter the spotlight of the media?
Jared, your first question is a very important. Let's begin our discussion tomorrow by answering these questions about what "the American dream" means.
DeleteOn page 566, Mantsois says that the media describes the poor, "they are a nusiance, do not deserve better, and have brought their predicament upon themselves." Do you think this is a fair thing to say about the children that were born into the poor and have a very slim chance of making it out?
ReplyDeleteDo you think that since the media only portrays the poor as dangerous and reports stories about their crime problems is a factor why some of the upper class don't think they deserve any help?
Do you think that the middle class and the working class get the short end of the stick and in a way get screwed over? Because they aren't struggling enough to get government help, but they are far from rich. So they have to do everything on their own?
Monica, keep this last question in mind during our discussion. You bring up a good point about the middle class. There will be a point during class when this is a very relevant question.
Delete1. Throughout his essay, Mantsios claims that the media creates illusions of poor people and that poor people are pictured the wrong way. How might Gilbert's idea of surrogacy relate to Mantios's claim?
ReplyDelete2. On page 571, Mantsios says, "Those who own and direct the mass media are themselves part of the upper class, and neither they nor the ruling class in general have to conspire to manipulate public opinion". Does this still occur in today's world? If so, how can one educate someone to see this manipulation?
Mantsios says that "there is enough wealth in our nation to eliminate poverty if we choose to redistribute existing wealth or income(566)." Why do you think that this hasn't been done yet?
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that the media portrays the poor as so undeserving, inexistent, faceless and unlucky? Mantsios says all these things about how badly the poor are perceived but why exactly is it that this happens?
Great questions kimmy. Ask these in class!
Delete1. In the Caine's Arcade videos, it shows videos of kids creating their own arcade machines after watching Caine's videos. These kids are hooked on the fun of creating an arcade and one of these kids says "Caine you're awesome man." Is this the tactic that Lovelife was trying to achieve? Trying to get South African AIDS victims to seek a change in their lives by creating something that these victims are interested in .
ReplyDelete2. From the Gilbert reading and the Kelvin Video, Kelvin learned how to create these electronic devices from his own experiences.Kelvin and a student said that they're expanding their world by interacting with each other and learning from each others experiences. Now can Kelvin set an example for others in Sierra Leone and become a sort of surrogate to influence them? Can the people of Sierra Leone who lack a variety of things learn from Kelvins experiences.
On page 568 the author talks how 2/3 of the senators are millionaires and how this is not seen as unusual. But, it is a very disproportional representation of society. Why is it not weird to have a larger proportion of the wealthy represent what the entire country wants when they don't know much about what the poor want or need from the government?
ReplyDeleteOn page 565-6 the author talks about how the media depicts the poor as "down on their luck" during the holiday season and advertises charitable acts, but the rest of the year the media shows the poor, if they show the poor, as lazy people who brought poverty upon themselves. Why do they do this?
In "Media Magic" it basically says that the media will only provide us with sensational stories about welfare cheats, drug addicts, and greedy panhandles (565). Could this potentially be the reason no one wants to help the poor? It's important to realize that there are some people that really have no choice and can not do anything about their struggle, but to me it just seems like people only pay attention to the bad parts.
ReplyDeleteIt states that twenty-three corporations own more than one half of all the daily newspapers, magazines, movie studios, and radio television outlets in the United States (563). Is it true that some of these corporations own multiple news papers, and tell different stories to the public in each of them?
Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon. Big thanks for the useful info. natural pool builder spicewood tx
ReplyDelete