Propaganda U.S. Food Production [free write]

To me, propaganda is like advertising, but negative advertising. For example McDonald's can have an advertisement showing how McDonald's makes children cheerful with Happy Meals, and reeling them in by including a toy--propaganda would be negative and even sarcastic perhaps showing a fat little baby or child eating McDonald's, low key showing the affects of the fast food on a person. Even though these ads go out, it doesn't completely stop the food production but may slow it down and cause people to stop eating it. Also think about any food at the supermarket like meat, & then ads/propaganda against this food saying perhaps terrible things the company does like how the animals are killed or butchered or how they are cruel to the animals or something-this negativity can cause people to stay away from or boycott that food for just that specific brand...OR there is a brand of food or a company/restaurant makes "chicken" and it comes out that it is NOT real chicken! People will not buy it, and if people are not buying, then it will not be produced...Sucks for producers. 

'Rosie the Riveter'

Christina Berthaud

October 13, 2010

10:30 Class

English Composition

            People may not realize but propaganda surrounds them. Propaganda may be an advertisement, a promotion or just something spread by word of mouth. Whether it be subtle or straight forward.  The goal of propaganda is to convince you to buy something, or convince you to feel or think a specific kind of way.

            Propaganda was especially used in times of war. During the world wars there were many posters with subliminal messages. These posters and flyers were used in order to get the people of the nation to feel a specific way: against the other powers. During the wars, there were plenty of posters to encourage young men to join the cause and fight for their nation. There were also posters to encourage women, who couldn’t go to war, to work and support the troops [Rosie the Riveter].

            In the video from the New York Public Library discussing propaganda, ‘historic trauma’ was mentioned as a cause for propaganda. Historic trauma has close and strong relations to propaganda. Historic trauma is when something negative occurs and people turn to a scapegoat or someone to blame but propaganda provides the answer. For example, if you rewind through history just prior to World War II, you can of course see the propaganda on both sides: the allies and axis powers. And associated with World War II is the power and reign of terror of Adolf Hitler. What people fail to remember is that Adolf Hitler was ELECTED by the people of Germany. You would wonder, why would the people elect such a terrible person to run their country? But Adolf Hitler was the ANSWER to the trauma of that time.

            At this time in history everyone was experiencing a depression. Not just in the United States but all over the world. The Europeans were struggling just as much as the Americans at this point in time. When Hitler would speak, he spoke with power and assurance. He was telling the people of Germany all the things he could do for them. Because they had already hit rock bottom there was nowhere else to go but to have faith in a person who was saying EXACTLY what you wanted to hear and gave them someone to blame for their financial problems, the Jews. This was propaganda [convincing the people].

            A functional myth brings about propaganda as well. A functional myth is a story used to explain the historic trauma or explains why something happened, but yet can be questioned. It’s called ‘functional’ because it works. Whether the story is true or fabricated, it works, because there is no proof that these things happened or nobody will question the authenticity. For example, religion can be deemed a functional myth. Religion is something that can be debated or cause people to double think. [To double think is to the power to hold two contradictory thoughts but yet believe them both.] Religion is considered a functional myth because it can be questioned, but many people dare not question the word of GOD. The stories of the Bible are questioned but may not be proved because there isn’t anyone to confirm the series of events.  

            Propaganda is a part of everyone’s reality. It has always been around for years, through history, and I am sure will continue to make its way through advertisements and all forms of media accessible to man. The media paints a picture of what things are or how they should be. [‘Seeing is believing.’] Propaganda disregards what we hear, or know to be true. It may also send off false claims also making it appealing.  It is like a template of how one should be, look, believe or live. 

Fox News Article [free write]

In class we were given an article to reed [ Fox News Article ]. The article is about a young 18 year old freshmen at Rutgers University committing suicide. Before even reading the whole story I was already hurt to hear such a thing. But apparently his roommate had recorded him via iChat being intimate with another guy. That is already a violation! People have no sense of privacy and i feel  if he was not gay his roommate would not be recording him with intentions of putting it online. I think it's a bit much. Sadly, the two involved in this [Ravi & Wei] cannot really be charged for much but invasion of privacy. People of the gay rights group of New Jersey were trying to deem it a hate crime. I honestly feel it is not a hate crime because they didn't literally inflict physical pain on him, Or maybe I don't know the exact definition of a hate crime. This also reminds me of something similar that happened back in Massachusetts in 2009. In Springfield, Mass a little boy in 6th grade was constantly made fun of and called gay, and he was so fed up that he killed himself. THAT is so sad because he was only 12 years old and to be bullied to the point a baby wants to take his own life. That spring I went to a summit and met a girl who knew him, the little boy was her little sister's best friend. It was just sad to hear how a little girl was hurting so much.  Apparently, many young boys have been taking their own lives due to bullying in school. Bullying is no joke. 

Ain't Nothing Like Hip Hop Music [Free Write]

So, I have the biggest crush on....Hip Hop. For as long as I can remember I have been listening to music. When I was younger my brother was my best friend. Everywhere he went I was there, whatever he was doing, I was doing it too. And because my brother loved music so much, I began to like it just as much. So from a young child to present day I have been a hip hop junkie. Though when I was younger I only listened to what my brother listened to, and as I got older I developed my own taste and preference. Sometimes when I speak to my brother now, we get the whole 'how is school?' thing out of the way and go straight to talking about music. I really found my love for music and radio in late middle to early high school when we had no cable at home (-__-). My father didn't pay the bill, so I got my music source/fix from the radio, I listened to the radio night & day. That was when I realized I wanted my future to involve music and wanted my own radio show. Till this day I still listen to the radio over watching television. I also get my music fix by logging on to blogs like Nah Right and On Smash. Also over the summer I became part of a hip hop promotional group [Barrel House BKLYN]. I promote music, fashion, and a movement.

Bad Influence [Shop 'Til You Drop]

Christina Berthaud

October 11, 2010

10:30 Class

English Composition

            What is mass media? The mass media is any way or form that news reaches you, whether it is through print like magazines and newspapers or through television and radio. I have come to realize I have an issue with shopping. I love to shop and spend a lot of time shopping. Therefore I am a major consumer, mainly of clothing. I will also admit that the media also has a major influence on what I buy and wear.

            Media also influences consumers because of their advertisements and promotions of course!  The person had to have seen it somewhere for it to catch their eye. When advertisements are created, like billboards there is a whole science behind how they look and their placements. For instance, beers like Coors Light and Corona, are mainly drunken by men, and so for the advertisement beautiful women in bikinis may be placed drinking the beer, in order to catch the eye of the man.  Another example, another form of advertising is by getting people to “jump on the bandwagon”, meaning making it seem like everyone is doing it or buying it therefore, you do or buy it as well.  

            The way I see it is, if I am flipping through a magazine and I see Kim Kardashian has on a shirt and I think it is cute. I just might want it. Unconsciously I will think the shirt is cuter because it’s on Kim Kardashian.  Knowing me, I would not purchase the same exact shirt for it will probably be incredibly expensive. Kim and I are definitely not working on the same budget. But what I will do is purchase a shirt that looks just like it.

            I feel like when people purchase things they seen glorified on television or in magazines they buy it and wear it in hopes that someone will recognize that someone else, perhaps a celebrity or A-lister, has on the same item.  For example, Ugg boots, those are made in Australia, originally as house shoes, then they made it to the United States via celebrities and people began buying them. Many people said that Uggs are ugly, but when they were seen on the feet of celebrities and their children, people began buying them and wearing them year round. I was also part of the group that said they were ugly, but then they began to grow on me as I noticed more and more people wearing them, and they are also actually quite warm and comfortable and took it upon myself to order a pair though they were expensive.

            As much as people make claims saying they don’t jump on the bandwagon or follow the latest trends and fads, I feel they are lying. I say this because whatever the person has on, they have seen it on someone else or somewhere before, and by purchasing the same thing; you are in some way, a follower. Always remember, someone was wearing it before you. So yes, my shopping habits are influenced by media.

What am I? [Free Write]

Everyday I sit atop the table by the window. From sunrise to sunset. Each and everyday I get turned on. When they push my buttons I warm up. Fibers get to moving, things spark inside me and move all up and down the spectrum. Once they turn me on, they sit and watch, for hours upon hours. I love it. I'm on for hours upon hours. But by like 2am, they look at me and seem to have had enough and press my buttons. I die out. This is the part i hate, I sit alone in the dark for hours. Until someone decides to show me some attention. What am I?