In regards to the media aspect of his class, my overall opinion is that the media plays to its audience and that to some extent we use the media as a scapegoat because it’s not an individual but rather an object. In other words, I think the media is simply an outlet for the stereotypes of individuals and no individuals want to admit to holding these stereotypes or prejudices.
This is all rather wordy and I’m not sure if I’m explaining myself well, but the point of this ramble is that I think each of us needs to be more responsible for and take more credit for our own opinions and beliefs. I say this because when I think about the media and the racial and gender stereotypes embedded within it I’ll ask myself, “So if everyone thinks this is racist or sexist or whatever, then why is this image still portrayed?” The only logical answer is that somebody or some group, somewhere must believe and support these stereotypes. I think that these somebodies are realistically closer to home than we would all like to believe. Therefore, I think the media can’t really be entirely to blame. We all have to overcome the inclination and social pressure to believe these stereotypes and then the media can and will reflect the lack of bias.
On the topic of blogs… blogging is something very new to me. I remember several times as a little girl trying to start a journal, probably because the teenage characters in the shows I watched and the books I read kept ones and I thought it would be cool if I kept one too so that I could have the drama that these movies/shows/books had.
As it turned out, I never was much of a journal keeper and my attempts always ended within about a month. Journaling always seemed to become something on my “to do list” rather than an enjoyable, emotional outlet. Similarly, I’m really not into drama and don’t find the opinionated, feeling-laced writing very fulfilling.
I feel the same way about blogging. I don’t really enjoy writing about my opinions because I don’t get anything out of it. This isn’t because I’m “stuck in my ways” and don’t care about other people’s opinions. It’s really quite the opposite. I really do like having morally challenging conversations with people, but in a non-argumentative way. I would rather have these sorts of blog conversations in person with people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. I think typed writing can often be misinterpreted and feelings don’t come across with the same casualness and humor, or they don’t come across as serious and sincere.
Also, I don’t feel that blogging for a class, when a grade is on the line, can ever be really representative of a person’s opinions. I think students try and cater their responses to be either in accordance with the professor’s opinions or at least not in direct opposition. The idea of blogging abou
t the topics that we discuss in class is great in the sense that in theory it should be an outlet through which students can express their opinions without censorship and minus the feelings of discomfort. However, the true anonymity of the internet is compromised when it’s for a class and the teacher and other students know who the blogger is. There really isn’t a way around this last issue I just think it’s necessary to realize that blogging for a class isn’t the same as blogging on your own.
