Analyzing Mass Media And Popular Culture English Language Essay

Analyzing Mass Media And Popular Culture English Language Essay Data Workshop 1 Analyzing Mass Media and Popular Culture: Theories of Celebrity Gossip Although many can dismiss celebrity blogs such as www.perezhilton.com and www.wwtdd.com as frivolous and mean, the popularity and prevalence of these websites have a considerable social impact on our world today. For this Data Workshop, you will be analyzing entries in a celebrity blog, using one of the three major social paradigms. Step 1: Collecting Data Choose a celebrity blog and pick five entries. Scrutinize the pictures, read the headlines and text carefully, and review the reader comments. Step 2: Thinking about and Analyzing the Data For the five entries that you have selected, answer the following questions from each of sociologys three major theoretical perspectives. Later, use your data-collection form to write a one page essay summarizing the differences in the theories and their value as a sociological analyst. Compare what you observed to what the textbook says in Ch 1. DATA-COLLECTION FORM FOR THEORIES OF CELEBRITY GOSSIP Data Workshop 1 1. Structural Functionalist Theory: What is the function (or functions) of celebrity gossip blogs for society? What purpose(s) do they serve, and how do they help society maintain stability and order? Do celebrity gossip blogs have manifest and latent functions? Are any dysfunctions built into such publications? 2. Social Conflict Theory: What forms of inequality are revealed in celebrity gossip blogs? In particular, what do celebrity gossip blogs have to say about gender, race, and class inequalities? Who suffers and who benefits from the publication of celebrity gossip blogs? 3. Symbolic Interactionist Theory: What do celebrity gossip blogs mean to society as a whole? What do they mean to individual members of society? Can they have different meanings for different individuals or groups of individuals? How do those meanings get constructed in interaction? And how do celebrity gossip blogs shape and influence our everyday lives? -1 Kim Kardashian is good at twitter 53166_kim_kardashian_at_photoshoot_twitpics_01_123_391lo Kim Kardashian doesnt really do anything of course, but before this our famous celebrities who didnt really do anything were fug whores like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. Remember that? What the hell was that all about? So at least Kim is hot, and goes on  her twitter  and posts pics of her kick ass rack. The only way to get even more intimate pictures of Kim is to be black. Comments: Talked ab poop. Said she isnt preggo, hated on blk ppl -2 Rihanna got a new haircut Rihanna By all accounts Rihanna (seen here last night at a Clippers game in LA) is a perfectly nice woman and everyone seems to like and shes a good singer, but very obviously her new bang haircut sucks. If this were  American Idol, these pictures would be turned into a montage with that So You Had a Bad Day song playing over it. Comments: talk ab it being fake, a wig 3 Gwyneth Paltrow has advice for other working moms 56852284 I know some people who have worked with Gwyneth Paltrow and they say shes delightful but that seems impossible to believe. Because shes a complete cunt, delusional and arrogant beyond all comprehension. The latest proof:  on her website GOOP, Paltrow, who is worth 90 million dollars and got married in a castle, has advice for other extremely busy working mothers. Yes that said other. Because thats what she considers herself. And just like all working moms, after she drops her kids at schoolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Did dance aerobics for 45 minutes then all of the butt lifts and the like. Rushed upstairs to have a shower, doing my post workout stretch while the conditioner was doing its magic on my hair to combine activities/save time. Dressed quickly and rushed downstairs. Her day is essentially filled with stuff like that. The stuff that real working moms do when not at work or being a mom. The stuff they have to squeeze into one hour on the weekend is Paltrows entire life, but shes here to tell them how to do it. Because they dont know. They need tips from Gwyneth Paltrow. Im honestly shocked that she isnt punched in the face at least once every time she leaves the house. 4 Kate Beckinsale is in a bikini SPL240191_003 Kate Beckinsale is down in Mexico this weekend, and unlike the hags at the Golden Globes she looked fantastic in this bikini, and I think thats the same place where Jennifer Aniston is always going. I can see why she likes it. Its basically a rock and theres lots of empty space. Just like her womb. 5 Eva Longoria at the Golden Globes Eva Longoria Eva Longoria at least tried to look sexy for last nights Golden Globe awards, but her depressing tits are useless and so it didnt work. This is one of the most boring and unsexy periods I can ever think of in Hollywood. No one ever wears anything good, and most of the big stars are either not pretty or not pretty anymore. About the most positive thing I can say is that theres room for improvement everywhere. You could find hotter girls putting ads on craiglist asking for you to come rape them. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 1.What is the function (or functions) of celebrity gossip blogs for society? To make fun of people, to show off the latest/ or not so latest trends, to spread gossip/info What purpose(s) do they serve, and how do they help society maintain stability and order? They serve as entertainment purpose/news/ way to spread info- help society maintain order by letting ppl know what is in/not in what to do/not do- Do celebrity gossip blogs have manifest and latent functions? Find something from bookPos effect on society-possibly could help spread trends/ show who is/isnt role models Are any dysfunctions built into such publications? Bad-neg affect, more so thatn manifest latent, gossip is bad- demeaning to persons self confidence- shows bad role models- more mature content 2. What forms of inequality are revealed in celebrity gossip blogs? First one talks ab her obsession with blk ppl, ( only blk can see more pics)-what celebritys have that most common ppl can not do/ or afford to have In particular, what do celebrity gossip blogs have to say about gender, race, and class inequalities? Blk ppl thing- class the mother issue, females- sexy hot whores Who suffers and who benefits from the publication of celebrity gossip blogs? everyone suffers from these blogs, the ppl who are wrote ab suffer bc it degrades self image, children suffer from bad role models Benefit- writer bc so many read them, if decent blog then the readers celebrities could benefit 3. What do celebrity gossip blogs mean to society as a whole? Past time- way to spread info- teach what is not cool/cool What do they mean to individual members of society? Back to the benefit/suffer part Kids are hurt by this, adults are humored by this, celebrity can be degraded by this Can they have different meanings for different individuals or groups of individuals? Yes they do How do those meanings get constructed in interaction? And how do celebrity gossip blogs shape and influence our everyday lives?back to #1 Info from book Pg 11- theoretical approach: roadmaps that connect basic image of society with research Structional functional approach- repeat behavior that affects the viewers pg 12 Pg 12- this approach was to keep ppl unified Pg 12- social dysfunction:social pattern that disturbs Pg 13- social conflict: inequality building up over time Theoretical Perspectives in Blogs From analyzing celebrity blogs we can learn a lot more than the latest gossip. The celebrity blogs provide great insight in the differences between sociologys three major theoretical perspectives. The celebrity blog that I reviewed had great examples of the structural functionalist theory, social conflict theory, and the symbolic internationalist theory that compared nicely to the books definition of each, but still had some different points. First I examined how the structural functionalist theory appeared in the blog. As known by the definition given by the text book the structural functionalist theory is a theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability (page 11). One of the major differences I noticed between how the blog portrayed this theory from how the book described this theory is the stability. I did not notice any of the different blog entries or any of the celebrities that appeared in the blog entries to work together to provide stability in todays society, if anything I noticed the celebrities all behaving in different manners that disturbed the stability of the blog. While the book describes social structure as ..gives our lives shape in families, the work place, or the college classroom, ( page 12). A similarity I noticed was how the book explained how manifest and latent functions are a part of the structural-functional approach, and you could see each function within the blog. Manifest functions could be recognized from the comments to each of the blogs, the readers adjusted their thoughts and actions based on the blogs that they read. Secondly, the social conflict theory appeared inside the blog and the book. By definition the social conflict approach is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change. (page 13) Overall throughout each blog I examined I saw issues of race, sex, and social classes. The blog that discussed Kim Kardashian was full of issues of race and sex from the main picture to the response. Her risquà © picture provided conflict for the other women viewers who saw it, but the males tended to enjoy it more. Also an issue of race was brought up when the writer of the blog mentioned that you have to be black to get more pictures of Kim. A quote like this could create an issue between all races who read the comment. Thirdly, the symbolic interaction theory that is defined as society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals. ( page 15) appears inside the blogs entries. The blog gives viewers the opportunity to express their feelings and allow them to interact with others. Also the blog purpose of a blog is to collect data and distribute it to followers, this data can be gossip, news, latest trends, or basically anything. Some of the information can play a positive or negative affect based on the type of reader. The book mentions two different levels of symbolic-interaction, macro-level and micro-level, while the blog provides a great example of each. From the macro-level observing from a helicopter level, you can see the broad focus of the blog is celebrities different styles. The micro, or street level focus, you can see how their different styles affect the followers. Each of the three theories, structural-functionalist, social-conflict, and symbolic interaction have the same goal in mind of analyzing how a particular item affects a society, while each theory has its own specific areas. I believe that each theory builds on each other to provide a in-depth analysis, starting from how things work together, to conflicts that arise, even down to how everyday interactions. ( The blog I used was from www.wwtdd.com. The five blogs I chose were Kate Beckinsale is in a bikini Jan. 17, Eva Longoria at the Golden Globes Jan. 17, Kim Kardashian is good at twitter Jan. 14, Rhianna got a new haircut Jan. 13 and Gwyneth Paltrow has advices for other working moms Jan. 13.

Philosophy of Space and Time Essay

At the end of the nineteenth century, physicists were looking back at an era of progress unrivaled in known history. Classical, or Newtonian, physics explained the motion of objects in space and on earth, Kepler’s laws accurately predicted planetary motion, and Maxwell’s electromagnetic unified electricity and magnetism theory and predicted, correctly, that electromagnetic waves behaved exactly like light; paving the way for the recognition that light itself was an electromagnetic wave. It appeared that the world was explained. It was not to be. Two revolutionary theories were introduced that changed forever the way in which scientists and lay people alike view the universe. These were the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Physics (Giancoli 730) . Physicists at the turn of the century assumed that any wave must travel through some medium. This assumption required there to be some transparent substance in space that would allow light to propagate through it, much like a ripple on the water. They knew that this could not be air, since light traveled from stars to the earth through the emptiness of space. Another medium had to be responsible. This medium was named the Ether and it was thought to exist in all space. They understood that the ether had a zero density, since it was very difficult to detect (Giancoli 731). Two physicists in the 1880’s, Michelson and Morley, designed a clever experiment that they thought would determine the speed of the Earth in orbit around the sun. They anticipated being able to measure the speed of light in different orientations. They anticipated that the speed would vary with the orientation of the light wave to the ether. What they discovered was that the speed was constant. They believed there experiment was a failure. What their experiment showed, although they did not accept it, was that the ether did not exist. In 1905 Albert Einstein proposed a theory that reconciled this and other issues. This theory would change how scientists and lay people viewed space, time, mass, and energy (Giancoli 730). Einstein’s equation relating mass and energy, E = MC2, is easily recognizable. It brings together matter and energy as different forms of the same substance. This would imply that mass could be converted directly to energy, and vice versa. This radical departure from classical physics had several implications, both for scientists and for our culture. For scientists, the theory of relativity established the ultimate speed limit. The speed of light in a vacuum, c, is as fast as anything can go (Giancoli 748). Culturally, the discovery of relativity and quantum physics made possible such things as nuclear power, nuclear weapons, and medical imagery such as MRI Scans, CAT Scans, and PET scans. The advent of nuclear weapons changed our society. Nuclear attacks were a common theme in Hollywood films. Citizens built there own bomb shelters, argued the pros and cons of the nuclear power industry, and have enjoyed the advances in medicine. Indeed, our society now takes for granted these advances, and assumes that there will be a continued rapid advance as our knowledge base improves. Cosmology, or the study of the universe, has benefited from the theory of relativity. Many phenomenons, such as black holes, are only describable in terms of relativity and quantum physics. The advent of space telescopes, radio telescopes, and optical telescopes that detect emissions outside of the visible spectrum have shown the world the images of a universe unlike the one that was believed to exist just a hundred years ago (Giancoli 914-942). The search for extra-terrestrial life was instigated with the federal governments backing. The private citizens embraced this search, of 3 so much so that when the government quit funding SETI, individual citizens continued to support it. The discovery of relativity, quantum physics, and the new nature of cosmology has changed not only the scientific community but society as a whole. SETI, CAT scans, an Einstein’s name are household terms. The changes in perception of the world around us really cannot be overstated.

How to Find Stories to Cover in Your Hometown

Are you looking for newsworthy stories to cover but don’t know where to start? Here are some places you can dig up ideas for news articles worth writing about right in your own hometown. Once you’re written your article, see if you can get it published in the local community paper, or put it on your blog. The Police Precinct If you want to cover the local crime beat, visit your local police precinct or station house (it’s good to call ahead first.) If you’re in a small town, get to know the police chief, detective and beat cops if you can. Ask them about any interesting cases or crimes they’ve handled recently, or ask to see the arrest log for a day-by-day listing of incidents. The Courthouse The local courthouse can be a treasure trove of stories. Your local district court will typically be where less-serious cases are dealt with – everything from traffic tickets to misdemeanor offenses – while a superior courthouse will be where felony trials are held. Check with the court clerk’s office to see what cases are due to be heard on any given day. Town Hall The city council, county commission, town board or village committee – whatever you call it, local government can be a rich source of stories for any reporter. Start by finding the website for your local town government. It will probably list times and even agendas for upcoming meetings. See what issues are being discussed, do some background research, then head to the meeting, pen, and notebook in hand. The School Board School board meetings can also produce great stories. Again, school districts typically have websites that list school board meeting times and agendas. Such sites will probably list the members of the school board along with contact information, which can be useful for doing pre-meeting research or for doing interviews after the meeting. High School Sports Events Aspiring sportswriters need to look no further than their local high schools for games to cover. Many top sportswriters – those who cover the NFL, NBA, and MKB – got their start covering high school football, basketball and baseball games, among other sports. Check your high school’s website for schedules. Community Centers and Local Libraries Places like these often have bulletin boards listing upcoming events in your area. Such facilities also often host events like lectures from visiting speakers or authors or community forums. Art Galleries and Performing Arts Venues Is there a new exhibit by an up-and-coming artist at your local gallery? Review the exhibit or interview the artist. Is a community theater group performing a new play? Again, write a review or interview the actors or directors. Local Colleges Colleges and universities typically host to a wide range of lectures, concerts, and forums that are often free and open to the public. Check the college’s website for listings of such events. Businesses Want to become a business writer? Interview local merchants for their thoughts on the state of the economy. Are their businesses thriving or struggling? Are new shops opening up or closing down on your local Main Street?

How the Statue of Liberty Became a Symbol of Immigration

When the Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, the ceremonial speeches had nothing to do with immigrants arriving in America. The sculptor who created the enormous statue, Fredric-Auguste Bartholdi, never intended the statue to evoke the idea of immigration. In a sense, he viewed his creation as something nearly opposite: as a symbol of liberty spreading outward from America. So how and why did the statue become an iconic symbol of immigration? The Statue is now always linked in the public mind with arriving immigrants thanks to the words of Emma Lazarus. Lady Liberty took on deeper meaning  because of the sonnet written in its honor, The New Colossus. Poet Emma Lazarus Was Asked to Write a Poem Before the Statue of Liberty was completed and shipped to the United States for assembly, a campaign was organized by newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer to raise funds to build the pedestal on Bedloe’s Island. Donations were very slow in coming, and in the early 1880s it appeared that the statue might never be assembled in New York. There were even rumors that another city, perhaps Boston, could wind up with the statue. Fundraising events were organized, one of which was an art show. The poet Emma Lazarus, who was known and respected in the artistic community in New York City, was asked to participate. Lazarus was a 34-year-old native New Yorker, the daughter of a wealthy Jewish family with roots going back to the colonial era in New York City. She had become very concerned about the plight of Jews being persecuted in a pogrom in Russia. Newly arrived Jewish refugees from Russia were being housed on Wards Island, in New York Citys East River. Lazarus had been visiting them, and had gotten involved with charitable organizations helping the destitute new arrivals get a start in their new country. The writer Constance Cary Harrison asked Lazarus to write a poem to help raise money for the Statue of Liberty pedestal fund. Lazarus, at first, was not interested in writing something on assignment. Emma Lazarus Applied Her Social Conscience Harrison later recalled that she encouraged Lazarus to change her mind by saying, â€Å"Think of that goddess standing on her pedestal down yonder in the bay, and holding her torch out to those Russian refugees of yours that you are so fond of visiting at Ward’s Island.† Lazarus reconsidered and wrote the sonnet, â€Å"The New Colossus.† The opening of the poem refers to the Colossus of Rhodes, an ancient statue of a Greek titan. But Lazarus then refers to the statue which â€Å"shall† stand as a â€Å"mighty woman with a torch† and the â€Å"Mother of Exiles.† Later in the sonnet are the lines which eventually became iconic: Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door! Thus in the mind of Lazarus the statue was not symbolic of liberty flowing outward from America, as Bartholdi envisioned, but rather a symbol of America being a refuge where those oppressed could come to live in liberty. Lazarus was no doubt thinking of the Jewish refugees from Russia she had been volunteering to assist at Wards Island. And she surely understood that had she been born somewhere else, she may have faced oppression and suffering herself. The Poem â€Å"The New Colossus† Was Essentially Forgotten On December 3, 1883, a reception was held at the Academy of Design in New York City to auction off a portfolio of writings and artwork to raise funds for the statue’s pedestal. The next morning the New York Times reported that a crowd which included J. P. Morgan, the famous banker, heard a reading of the poem â€Å"The New Colossus† by Emma Lazarus. The art auction did not raise as much money as the organizers had hoped. And the poem written by Emma Lazarus seems to have been forgotten. She tragically died of cancer on November 19, 1887, at the age of 38, less than four years after writing the poem. An obituary in the New York Times  the following day praised her writing, with the headline calling her An American Poet of Uncommon Talent. The obituary quoted some of her poems yet  did not mention â€Å"The New Colossus.† Thus, the sonnet was generally forgotten not long after it was written. Yet over time the sentiments expressed in words by Lazarus and the massive figure crafted of copper by  Bartholdi would become inseparable in the public mind. The Poem Was Revived by a Friend of Emma Lazarus In May 1903, a friend of Lazarus, Georgina Schuyler, succeeded in having a bronze plaque containing the text of â€Å"The New Colossus† installed on an interior wall of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. By that time the statue had been standing in the harbor for nearly 17 years, and millions of immigrants had passed by it. And for those fleeing oppression in Europe, the Statue of Liberty did seem to be holding a torch of welcome. Lady Libertys Legacy Over the following decades, especially in the 1920s, when the United States began to restrict immigration, the words of Lazarus took on deeper meaning. And whenever there is talk of closing Americas borders, relevant lines from The New Colossus are always quoted in opposition. Still, the poem and its connection to the statue unexpectedly became a contentious issue in the summer of 2017. Stephen Miller, an anti-immigrant adviser to President Donald Trump, sought to denigrate the poem and its connection to the statue. Two years later, in the summer of 2019, Ken Cuccinelli, the acting director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Trump administration, sparked a controversy by suggesting that the classic poem be edited. In a series of interviews on August 13, 2019, Cuccinelli said the poem should be changed to refer to immigrants who can stand on their own two feet. He also noted that the Lazarus poem referred to people coming from Europe, which critics interpreted as a sign of current bias toward non-white immigrants.