Reality TV: Good or bad?

     I am not a fan of reality TV. I mean don't get me wrong, I do watch it. But I rarely enjoy it. I used to watch American Idol, The Voice, So you think you can dance, etc. etc. But I can proudly say I have never seen a full episode of shows like Jersey Shore. I have seen bits and pieces of it, and that is enough for me! So what is it that draws us to these types of shows?
     Well, what is a better way to make yourself feel better than to see how idiotic and messed up other people are? After all, almost all the people on MTV shows are not people we aim to be. Who's goal is to be Snooki? Lets be real here. Maybe these shows allow us to see that our lives aren't as bad as we sometimes think. Maybe we realize how much we take for granted. Or maybe we just watch purely for entertainment. Who knows, really?
     It is possible that we watch reality shows in a positive light too. American Idol, for instance. At least for me, when I watched it, I didn't look at those people the same way as I do Jersey Shore or 16 and Pregnant. I guess it is important to have a good balance of role models and idiots in reality shows...
     I thought it was interesting that The Hunger Games related to reality TV. There is almost no difference, really. They watched a bunch of kids fighting to their death on TV. We watch a bunch of people talking, living together, singing, etc. on TV. Although the subject matter is different (thank god), it is pretty much the same thing.
     I also found it interesting that we think the Hunger Games was so immoral and wrong, yet we enjoyed the book. Collins put us in the same position of the Capitol. They enjoyed it just as much as we did reading it. Although this is a bit different, we enjoy watching reality shows on TV, but should we? Why do we feed into all that nonsense? Why isn't there a show called 16 and Successful instead of 16 and pregnant? Are we just as bad as the Capitol for allowing these things to be so publicly announced and sometimes even encouraged?
     Reality shows are purely for enjoyment and fun, in my opinion. But, I think there should be a better balance between the types of reality shows. They shouldn't all be about how bad others lives are, or how stupid people are. But isn't that what we like to watch? And, after all, its all about how the media can make money. I guess I am having an internal debate on whether I like reality TV or not. I definitely am a culprit for watching it, but I can't decide if I should feel guilty or not. I feel like we need more positive things in our media instead of all poking fun at people less fortunate. All in all, I don't think we will ever stop watching reality TV. Its funny, enjoyable, and takes your mind off of life for awhile. Although it has its flaws, I have to admit I enjoy it.

Marc Baird comes to Fredonia

     Before his visit to Fredonia, I had never heard of Marc Baird. The first thing that grabbed my attention during his speech was his passion for his job. He must have said 10 times how much he enjoys his job and doesn't even consider it to be "work". Not many people can say that with such honestly as he did! He is so passionate about his work and it definitely shines through. I was impressed with how much goes into making movies. I honestly did not even know that this job existed. Now I see why it is so important in the formation of movies and videos. I found it interesting that story boarders do not use actual pen and paper, like I first imagined. Instead, they use a tablet with 16 million colors! I found it funny that he says he has all these colors to use but only uses black and white, with an occasional splash of red. He also stressed the importance of using arrows when making story boards, which I would have never thought of. I also found the connection between comic books and story boarding interesting, since you can pretty much read a story board like a comic book. Going back to using a tablet instead of pen and paper, I found it interesting that this allows the artist to "copy and paste" old images into the new drawing. For example, he said he has drawn so many pictures of a foot on a gas pedal, so now all he needs to do is just copy and paste that image when he needs it for a new movie. Also, he mentioned how in earlier movies, they had to redraw the background image with every story board picture. Now, they can just copy and paste in the entire set that is used in the movie! Talk about a time saver. I think the thing that intrigued me the most about this entire job, is that I never realized how important it is. I thought that a director just simply had an idea of what they wanted the scene to look like, then just filmed it. It is amazing to me to see all of the behind the scenes processes that occur. Also, during his speech, I saw a student drawing. I thought this was funny and cool that Marc's speech inspired that student to draw. Even though they weren't the best artist, it was nice to see that they were encouraged by Marc to draw. Overall I really enjoyed Marc's visit to Fredonia, and I am glad I got the chance to hear him talk and share his experiences with all of us.

Vampire Diaries Recap

            It starts with Caroline telling Stefan and Daemon of her experience of going to The Grill to see her “ex?” boyfriend, Matt. While there, she runs into Katherine who tells her to tell Daemon and Stefan that she wants the moonstone or she will “rip this town apart till it rains blood. Tonight, at the Masquerade ball.” Caroline wants to just give her what she wants, but Daemon and Stefan have other plans: to kill Katherine. 

            Jenna gets home from the hospital after being compelled to stab herself. She is confused and embarrassed of why she would do such a thing. Jeremy is insistent on getting revenge on Katherine, but Elena does not want him involved. Such a sweet, sweet older sis. She says Katherine wins, since her and Stefan are over (like that will last).  Jeremy says she is being naive.

            A new character is introduced, Lucy, an old friend of Katherines, who is a witch. She invites her to the Masquerade ball to help her get the moonstone back

                                                             

            Katherine decides she is going to impersonate Elena at the ball, by straightening her hair-like she doesn’t look identical to her already. Lucy realizes that Katherine wants her to break the curse

            Jeremy, Bonnie, Rick, Caroline, Stefan, and Daemon all gather to discuss a plan to kill Katherine. However, as usual, Bonnie seems uncertain. She thinks it is too dangerous. Isn’t it more dangerous to have Katherine alive?! Bonnie agrees to help, using a spell to trap her. 

                   

          Matt tells Elena that he has “something to do” tonight at the Masquerade ball, leaving her confused. Elena says she is staying home with Jenna tonight. Matt gets all sentimental towards Elena (when will he ever get over her?) telling her that he is always there for her.

            At the ball, Tyler asks his mom about Mason, who responds by saying we won’t be hearing from him (does she know what happened?) Tyler thinks the party should have been cancelled since it was his fathers idea.

            Katherine runs into Matt at the ball, who thinks Elena was not coming. She compels him to get Tyler Lockwood drunk, start a fight with him, then beat him up until he snaps, and won’t stop until Tyler kills him. Mischievous plan, Katherine.

                                   

            Bonnie and Jeremy find a room in the house to start the spell out of Emily’s book. Bonnie runs into Lucy, discovering that she is a witch too. Lucy is worried that someone else knows she is a witch. Bonnie finds Lucy later, and tells her to stop the spell she put on Elena. She says she will if they give Katherine the moonstone. Lucy says Katherine saved her life, so she owes her this favor and does not have a choice not to. Bonnie and Lucy realize they are related.

          Elena starts to become suspicious that she has not heard from anyone all day, and begins to think something is going on. Elena learns that everyone but her is at the party, Rick tells her to “let it go”. She decides to sneak off to the party anyway (shocker) and finds out that they are trying to kill Katherine.

           

            Stefan and Katherine dance at the party (hopefully their last dance, ever) while discussing the moonstone and Jenna. Katherine kills a girl who complemented her on her dress in the middle of the party (how did no one notice…)

                    

            Jeremy pretends he does not know Katherine isn’t Elena, telling his “sister” that Stefan wants to meet her at the edge of the woods to give her the moonstone. Katherine catches on, and asks Caroline what Stefan and Daemon are up to. Caroline tells her they are trying to kill her and that Bonnie has the moonstone, but is in reality, fooling Katherine, trapping her in the room where the spell took place. Stefan learns that the moonstone was Katherine’s to begin with, and that she had been checking up on him throughout the years. He asks her who she was running from when she faked her death, and she mouths the words “I love you”.

           

            Daemon shoots Katherine, but all goes wrong from here. As Katherine gets shot, Elena feels the bullet as well. Stefan and Daemon learn that Katherine had this planned out the whole time, through Lucy’s spell, linking Elena to Katherine.

           Matt starts to antagonize Tyler, saying bad things about his dead father. They start to fight, but Caroline hears it. Not being able to stop Matt, she knocks him out instead. A girl comes after Tyler with a knife, stabbing him in the shoulder. In self defense, she pushes her out of the way, killing her, which triggers the curse.

            Lucy comes into the room with the moonstone that she got from Bonnie, saying that Katherine is free to leave since the spell has been broken. When Katherine gets the moonstone, she falls to the floor, gasping for breath, dying. Stefan thinks this means him and Elena can be together again, but she thinks otherwise (nooo!) She wants to feel safe before they can be together again.

           

            Katherine wakes up (guess shes not dead, afterall) in a tomb and can’t get out. Daemon appears and goes to lock her in, but Katherine says that Elena is in danger, which is why she hasn’t killed her yet. Daemon locks her in the tomb anyway. The episode ends with a person in a mask taking Elena

            I used the models of tvgasm and televisionwithoutpity to write this recap. I liked how these write ups were personal and included the authors feelings about the episodes, while including the actual content of the episode. 

Spiderpig! Spiderpig!

          My dad is obsessed with comic books. Like literally, he still has all of his old ones from when he was a teenager. They are all neatly organized in a box in our basement, not haven been touched in years. My mom always yells at him to sell them, since they could be worth a lot of money, but nope. He won't budge. He loves em' too much. But why? Why would you keep all those useless (well, useless to me) comic books, when you could sell them for so much money?! These are the questions that keep me up at night (ha. kidding). When I got Neil Gaiman's The Sandman in the mail, he snatched  it up and read the whole thing. He went on and on about how great it was and tried talking to me about it (Listen Dad, I'm not into comic books!). But really, what is the fascination? Why are they so important to him?
          I wasn't shocked to see that the majority of our class hasn't read comic books before, or are not interested in them. It seems that in our generation, comics are not as important to us. Maybe this is due to the fact that we can read everything online. Or maybe our generation just does not like to read as much. Or maybe its just a fad in itself that died out awhile ago. But whatever the case, it was very important to my dad's generation. The comic book changed drastically during the 1970s-1980s. This was due to (according to Stephen Weiner's article): the creation of a direct market, and other factors. Which a direct market, publishers could sell comic books directly to comic stores, whereas before, they were sold to newsstands and news agents. With this, customers could buy and sell back comics, a cycle of sale-or-return. They were also a lot cheaper at comic stores, which would naturally lead to greater sales. This also led to the sales of comic related merchandise, such as t shirts and posters. With all of this promotion of comics, it only seems practical that future generations were so into comics. As for my dad, this was all happening during his teenage years- the 70's.
          So although I am not a fan of comics, I do have to say that so far I am kind of enjoying The Sandman. I do find it hard to follow, however, since I don't always know how to read the page, and find myself jumping around the panels a lot. I do like how kinetic comics are, though. Like we were talking about in class, when you read comics, the story just flows. It isn't just one picture with words, after another, like a kid's story book. The pictures are so detailed and are truly art forms. I never really looked at a comic before this one, so it is an interesting experience! It is much more interesting than just reading a novel. However, it does take away from the imagination of the reader, which I am not sure if I like yet. I am not a big super hero person (except for Spiderman. I LOVE Spiderman), which may play into the reason why I am not a huge fan of comic books. Maybe this is even a female thing. Even though there are girl comics, it just seems like a guy stereotype to read comic books. Maybe it is not a big part of our culture today due to the fact that it isn't look at as "cool". Or maybe our generation just genuinely do not like comics. Who knows?
          I do think that comic book culture has not fully gone away. Since technology has advanced so much in the last few generations, there is almost no need to read a comic book anymore. Instead, we have batman, spiderman, the avengers, superman, etc. all in movie form. There are even TV series about comic characters. So, why would any young boy want to read a comic when they could just watch it on TV? This is kind of sad in a way, since it is clear that older generations loved comics so much, and future generations most likely will not get to experience this. I guess thats the way society works, though.

Spiderman, just cause he's awesome

List of movies based on comic books:  http://www.imdb.com/list/4dJnAsPmHzw/  

Popularity Pressure

         Popularity can be such an evil word. I mean, who could honestly say they did not want to be popular or at least liked, especially in high school. For me, I guess I can say I have seen many types of "popularity", since so far I have been to two different high schools and two different colleges. During class we all shared our experiences about popularity and our high schools. But, no one said anything similar to mine. In my town, there are four high schools, each with graduating classes or 300-400 students (crazy, I know, especially compared to those of you who said you graduated with a class of 24). But instead of having "clicks" in schools, our schools themselves were clicks. I mean, yes we had clicks inside of each school, but they were not as important as what school you went to. We had a school for the kids who liked to party and do drugs, a school for music, "weird", really super smart kids, a school for "stuck up" rich kids, and a school that mostly consisted of black or hispanic kids. First, I went to the party school, but then left and went to the school with black and hispanic kids. It felt as though you "formed" to the schools stereotype, instead of going to that school because you were that type of kid. I find that very interesting. Also, a couple people said in class that as new students in their high schools, they were not given much attention by other students. I however was attacked with attention (good attention, that is) when I came to my new school. It was like "Oh my gosh, new girl. Gotta go meet her!" (Not complaining, it was awesome). But still, I find it interesting the way that different schools function, and what they consider to be popular.
          None of our schools really had "popular" kids. I guess the only way we considered someone popular was if they had a lot of friends, were outgoing, and like-able. I find this similar to the story we read, Bernice Bobs Her Hair, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Although Bernice was considered to be pretty, everyone still thought she was "sorta dopeless" and was "no fun on a party." This just goes to show that contrary to what many think, your appearance is not all it takes to become popular. Bernice eventually chops all her hair off into a bob hairstyle, in the name of popularity, but it all goes downhill from there, and ends up ending her moment in the spotlight. I think this gives a very positive message that appearance is not everything. In today's society, it seems we are obsessed with how we look. Reading this is refreshing in the fact that it is opposite of what society is telling us. The personality should be golden.

                                                      Example of a bob haircut from this era

I just found this awesome video that explains everything you need to know about popularity in high school. Watch it!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaBljXZFcLw

Spirit Photography

          Speaking for most people, I think it would be safe to say that if a person saw a "spirit" in a photograph, they would automatically just assume it was photoshopped and would not think anything more of it. But, in the 19th century, people thought just the opposite. In fact, people would pay to get their picture taken, to see spirits of their loved ones in the background. This was known as spirit photography. It seems hard to believe in this day in age that people could be so oblivious to think these images were true. However, during this age, photography was just being invented, so many people did not know how it worked. Photography especially became important during the Civil War, specifically the Battle of Gettysburg. Since this age was the era of the rise of science, rise of x-rays, and photography, there were many new things that were still unexplained, resulting in so much belief in spirit photography.

          There were also many different passionate religious beliefs during this time period, with many extreme beliefs and many extreme skepticisms. Both of these sides are extremely important, in the fact that they both depend on each other. Without one, the other would not exist. Certain religious groups took different sides on spirit photography. For example, Puritans, being strict, traditional, and straightforward, took the skeptic side. One strong argument for the skeptic side is that of Freud. He argues that, "Spirits and demos are only projections of man's own emotional impulses. He turns his emotional cathexes into persons, he peoples the world with them and meets his own internal mental processes again outside himself." However, many found comfort in believing in spirits. Many thought "there is a strange feeling of comfort and hope expressed in such ghostly surveillance." Spirit photography was a symbol of national mourning. Since there were so many casualties during the Battle of Gettysburg (over 50,000), people needed a way to cope with death. Thus, "spiritualism's belief in the afterlife and the possibility of communication with the dead manifested itself in the realm of the visible by means of these photographic proofs imprinted upon glass-plate negatives."

          One component of spirit photography that I found interesting (and even kind of morbid) was Momento Mori. This included taking family portraits, for example, with a recently deceased member of the family. To even consider this today would be appalling to most individuals. However, in the 19th century, it was a way to hold onto loved ones a little longer. In class, someone mentioned the "worlds most beautiful suicide." This almost seems like a modern day example of Momento Mori, since the photograph of the deceased was used in an almost advertising way. Here is the picture:

          So, although we do not participate in spirit photography anymore as a society (thank goodness!), we still are involved with the fascination of spirits. It seems that no matter what, we will always wonder about the deceased and the afterlife. Even if it is not the same as the 19th century, we find different ways to mourn, such as visiting the person's gravesite (people did not have individual grave sites back then). It is fascinating to research the different beliefs about the dead and to find similarities with how we think now. It seems we will never really know for sure about life after death!
         

Wild, Wild West

          Buffalo Bill's Lost Legacy. Everyone has heard of Buffalo Bill. Or at least the football team. But, how many people could actually tell you who he was? This article by Nancy Peterson demonstrates deep insight into the life of William F. Cody. Peterson explains Cody's quest in creating a film that demonstrates battles between the United States Army and the Indians and its lasting legacy.
           Buffalo Bill was a white, middle-class man, who Peterson describes as being, "arguably the best-known, most-pictured man in the world." He is most famous for his killing of Yellowhair, and leading rich people on buffalo hunts. As Peterson describes Cody, she does so in a way that reflects him as being a generous, kind-hearted man. In July 1913, Cody thought about all of the members in his cast, how they were left with no food, water, or shelter. It, "Broke [his] heart" that his cast was being treated like this. As a result, a $500 donation was made, along with a public auction to raise money. According to Peterson, even though Cody did not have much money himself, borrowing $20,000 from Denver Post co-publisher Harry H. Tammen, he still aimed to help his cast and neighbors.
          Nancy Peterson also glorified Buffalo Bill by explaining his other accomplishments. Many people depended on him, in fact, he employed 4,000 and another 400+ in his show. Some of his workers were involved in irrigation projects, working mines and staffing papers. But, Cody's most glorified moments came from his Wild West shows:

This is a picture of Buffalo Bill Cody reenacting his victory over Cheyenne Chief at Warbonnet Creek.

          It is interesting to note that in Wild West shows, Indians were allowed to participate, even though they were not being portrayed as "human". However, Indians actually enjoyed participating. Since their reservation land was not good, it gave them an opportunity to get away from it for awhile. They could also practice their culture, while performing, even though it would be illegal to do so outside of the show.
          Peterson suggests that in Cody's quest for realism in his shows, he may have gone too far. His shows may have become to intense and too real for the audience at the time. She suggests that the calvary was portrayed to much as a killing machine. But, however, audiences enjoyed watching the shows, since "comedy is injected into an otherwise very serious affair."Just has you and I enjoy going to the movies, people enjoyed seeing Wild West shows, and still do today!
          Overall, I think Nancy Peterson glorified Cody very well, just as she intended. She truly believes in his accomplishments and the legacy he has made. She made all of the now called horrible things we did to the Indians seem like something that needed to be done during the time, and that the Wild West shows portrayed just that. The very end, in 1890, the Battle of Wounded Knee, was the Indian's last armed stance, where they were outnumbered by the United States army, and were defeated.
          Here is a link to a wild west show I found on youtube. Wish I could have made it to the real one in Sinclairesville!
          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcnkv6ZVBCo


Link to this article: http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=22&sid=29c3cdb2-44db-488e-a546-8aaafc0bed6f%40sessionmgr112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ahl&AN=10473087