Top Ten Things I learned in Media Literacy

10 Things I learned in Media Literacy:

1. Just because they tell you it’s true, doesn’t mean that it is true. This class has definitely reminded me that I have to be a skeptic when looking at any type of media.

2.Lunz scares me. He seemed okay with what he was doing. He didn’t appear to believe that he was misrepresenting information by changing the words politicians use.

3.I was watching the news this morning and saw a clip on U.S. Air. It’s pilots were filing grievances saying that the airline was pressuring them to take on less fuel. The news clip seemed to be very much on the side of the pilots complete with Experts and Plain Clothes interviews. It didn’t quite seem to fit in the local broadcast. I wondered if it was put out by the pilot’s union. Before this class, I wasn’t aware that news broadcasters would do this.

4. How enormous companies like AOL/TimeWarner, Disney, Viacom are. I know they were big, but I wasn’t aware of how diverse their holdings are.

5. Yaks are raised for fiber and meat.

6. The 7 Basic Principles of Media Education and the 29 Persuasive Techniques. Super valuable.

7. The Feed. It’s there and I’m plugged into it to some extent. What does that mean and can I resist the Feed? Should I resist the Feed? These are some new questions that came with this renewed realization that the Feed is all around us.

8. This is big business, man. I can’t find the name of the French consultant that said, “American cheese is dead!” but I was blown away at how much companies will pay to consult with him. I’m very curious to see what his formula is.

9. Political ads are evil. They just prey on emotions. The Bush ads in particular were total fear mongering. How did the dems not beat them?

10. Awareness. It’s important to be aware of the Feed. It’s there. One should always look at whats presented with a critical eye.

Remaining questions?

Is resistance futile? Can you fight the feed? Or, like V’s dad, will we all succumb?

I wonder what critics thought of advertisement back in the 20’s and 30’s. Sure it was factual based, and very different from it is now. All those facts couldn’t be true though. Did Crest really give you the brightest smile? Just a made up example there, but I wonder if people thought critically at those ads.

Where do we go from here? I’m cynical I guess. When Money gets involved with something it immediately becomes corruptible and it’s hard to put right. Clouds TM, school TM, etc. Are these inevitable?

Drew, bring food and project next Friday.

Choose Responsibility

I got going on the beer topic and kinda left it hangin’ (thanks Rob for reminding me).

A day or so after writing that post, I received a mailing from ChooseResponsibility.org

It’s an organization founded by former Middlebury College President, John McCardell. Their mission is to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18. They have some unique ideas like a “learner’s permit” for consuming alcohol.

I really believe in this cause and think our entire approach to alcohol is misguided. I really recommend checking out their site. www.chooseresponsibility.org

Old enough to serve (go to war), but not enough to get served (a beer).

How does that make sense?

Beer.

I love beer. I really love beer.

Now when you read that, what was your first reaction? Was it negative?

It’s my belief that American culture towards alcohol is primarily a negative. When I say I love beer, I often wonder if I’m perceived as an alcoholic or a beer swilling frat boy.

I don’t think I’m either. I just love beer.

I like the taste of beer. Sure it was an acquired taste at first, but now it’s an appreciative taste. Depending greatly on my mood, I may thirst for a Labatt Blue, or a Budweiser. If I’m feeling eclectic, perhaps a PBR tall boy.

Hot summer day, something hoppy like a Magic Hat H.I.P.A. And nothing tastes better than a fresh Switchback after a day of skiing.

So what brings this up? Well, I was on a business trip with some colleagues last week. We had been delayed in Richmond, VA for a couple of hours and we were had a couple of drinks at a bar there. Finally we took off and landed in JFK (most disgusting airport I’ve ever been in) where we were delayed for another couple of hours. By then it was after nine o’clock and I was sick of being in an airport.

The others grabbed a table at a restaurant while I stayed outside to answer a phone call. I got back and they were all drinking waters. I ordered a Yuengling (they don’t distribute to the VT so I try to order it hen I can) and maybe it was me, but I felt like I got looks from the group.

This could have been a total paranoid observation on my part, but I think it did spark something in my mind re: alcohol and it’s perception in the U.S.

When I think of alcohol and it’s effects, I think back to my high school French teacher and his description of the French devotion to wine. He said essentially that the French don’t drink to get drunk, it is instead a side effect tot he experience of drinking alcohol. They drink wine in an appreciative way – appreciating the taste, fell and smell of the drink and conversations and experiences while drinking.

I’ve tried to think of drinking in that way too. I won’t apologize for my love of beer. Like I said before, I love the taste of beer. I love tasting new and different varieties of beer and returning to old favorites as well. Beer varieties can be like tags for the memory. Certain beers will bring up specific memories.

I will always associate a recent trip out west with Fat Tire Ale. College: Labatt Blue, the first summer out of college: Harpoon Summer, a NEACAC conference in Boston: Samuel Adams Summer Ale, a trip to Paris: Heineken, St.Patrick’s Day my freshman year of college: Magic Hat #9, and there are many more.

So where does the problem begin? At what point are we taught that alcohol is bad and people who enjoy alcohol (without taking it to excess) have a vice?

I need to think about a little more. This post is already much longer than I had anticipated.