Stereotypes in media

Do you think that advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotyping people?

Advertisers should not have the moral duty to avoid stereotyping people, people should post whatever they want as long as it is not offensive to a point it would gather up thousands of people and protest to take the video down. All people have different perspectives and take in things they see in a different way, some viewers watching certain advertisements can be very sensitive and easily offended which would cause them to speak out. But, a lot of the times they overlook the whole point of advert which in most cases would include some kind of hysterical and funny appeals to connect with the audience. In my opinion some of these people missing the intended point of the advertisement would be the minorities, but although some advertisements can go overboard in clearly adding in the stereotypes in an offensive and negative way, most would put the characters in a position where some kind of comedy can be created.

Nivea Advertisement Visual Analysis

In products for beauty and skin related brands, women have often become the focal point. Media has shaped and influenced social and cultural standards on how women should look like now days, and this product is no different. In this advertisement it is visible that the women is the intended audience for this product while using the man as more of a side character or someone who would help emphasize a more of a sex appeal for the women. The standards which are set by this product on women, is that they should apply their product on their skin to look like that person and therefore giving the idea of men being more attracted to women with smooth skin by showing interest and affection through the hand gestures and eye contact (vectors). According to the ad, one can see that the more important characteristics or values shown is having smooth skin. While the women being empowered through the use of the woman's placement and vectors. The man gazes towards the woman by side which makes her the focal point and then moving the viewers eyes straight to her direct eye contact which eventually finds the product at the elbow. The man is marginalized in this ad, to emphasize the target audience and and use him as more of an accessory, similarly to the Honda bike ad or as a sex appeal.

Pitch Reflection

The main appeal that was used in the speech was the rational or logical appeal, focusing on the consumer's need for the practicality and functionality of the product. The speech had an explanation of why having a T.V advertisement as the form or medium of advertisement was necessary mentioning its functionality and its exposure to a bigger number of the target audience. Some persuasive techniques used in this speech could be described as the cause vs correlation technique by explaining that the timing of advertisement would be best in the middle of the news as people are often focused and fully aware of its happening in the world, therefore the people would be in a state of awareness when being shown the ad just after the news. This would be effective in persuasion as it tricks the listener by intentionally confusing correlation with causation. The audience and context influenced my approach on this pitch as it made me create persuasive techniques in order to persuade (in this context) a company in advertising their product, had the audience been difference, my text type and context would have changed to fit the needs of the audience and purpose. Things I would do differently in another presentation would be adding in more persuasive techniques and express further more appeals. Some of these that could have been included would be an analogy and an ad hominem. The presentation itself could have been prepared better by adding in more slides showing the main topics and images to help adding in more of a persuasive outcome.

Rhetorical Analysis

This anti-smoking ad by "The truth" targets a wide audience which would include non-smokers by warning them of the damages and outcomes of smoking, to persuade them not to start, while it can also target smokers, to make them realize what they are doing to their bodies when smoking. This therefore makes the smokers consider getting help to try and stop this addiction and prevent further damage or death. 

The ethos in this advertisement is present in the website and organization name "Truth" which helps on spreading awareness and inspiring action in the fight to end smoking. Pathos is used in a very direct way by demonstrating the image of someone who is covered in a white blanket which would mean that the person is dead. This image stands out even more by the tag saying "smoking kills" giving the audience the feeling of nervousness, self-consciousness, regret and fear of dying due to smoking related diseases.  In the result of these pathos, the audience would most likely feel the appeal to their emotions and make/persuade the person to consider a change in their lifestyle. Finally, logos are found in the picture by the organization "Truth" giving out multiple facts that have an impact on people's emotions therefore connecting to a pathos by giving them the sense of awareness of what smoking can do to you. These statistics including 440,000 Americans dying each year of smoking related diseases and 90% of them starting as teenagers. This gives reason and rationality of the negative impacts of smoking with the use of statistical evidence to prove said case. 

Letter to the editor

“Twtr? It's majorly bad! Leading headteacher condemns 'text speak' for eroding schoolchildren's language skills”

The amount of colloquialism and abbreviations used by younger generations on both school papers and phone texts has gone out of control!. There is an obvious correlation between incorrect grammar and punctuation, and the use of one’s phone as a form of communication. The age groups which are using these methods of communicating with one another thinking they are ‘cool’ are damaging the name of Standard English. English should be treated with high importance as it is one of, if not, the most important skill one will have as a person, as Mrs. Jordan wrote “making the difference between landing a job and having a misspelled application filed in the bin.”.

 The younger minds are being negatively influenced with social media and their ever developing use of slang and abbreviations as an eroded way of communicating, which not only limits their exposure to new vocabulary and dialect but also gear them up for failure in academic areas for school. The evidence and facts is not just prove of broken English which multilinguals would sometimes encounter, but as a form of writing which would then come from someone who is uneducated. It is definitely recommended that students, who are in the age where there is still possibility of exponential growth and learning to be done in the English language, should limit their exposure to such applications and rather continuing to read books. Not only this but the application of text speak can be prevented and controlled by also just avoiding the use of abbreviations when texting someone and starting to add more of a formal tone in their writing to therefore avoid the complete misuse of the language. Is this wrongly utilized vocabulary just a by-product of advancements in technology and communication?

Artist's impact on a community

Option #2 
Write a fictional interview between your chosen artist and a music magazine such as Rolling Stone. Have your artist discuss the intended impact of their music on their community in depth.

Interview between Rolling stone and Black eyed peas on “Where is the love?”

So, Black Eyed Peas, who exactly was the intended target audience for “Where is the love?”?

This song was targeted mainly for all Americans, of all races and states around the country; it was really to send a regional message.

Why did you choose to write these lyrics, is there a specific experience or event this is connected to?

This song was actually made to address world events which have taken place these couple of years, such events as September 11 and America’s invasion of Iraq. I think this is the kind of song people really need right now, diving into some really socially conscious, and thought provoking lyrics.

What were the social and political issues you addressed in your song?

There are a lot of social and political issues brought up in the lyrics, some of these are racism, for example “But if you only have love for your own race, then you only leave space to discriminate” war and terrorism is also a recurring topic with “Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism, but we still got terrorists here livin’, in the USA, the big CIA, the Bloods and The Crips and the KKK. “Nations droppin’ bombs, chemical gasses fllin’ lungs of little ones, with ongoin’ sufferin’ as the youth die young”. Media was expressed as having a negative influence and impact on people, like “Negative images is the main criteria, infecting the young minds faster than bacteria, kids want to act like they see in the cinemas.” And lastly, there is some political questioning in the lyrics, such as “A war is goin’ on but the reason’s undercover, the truth is kept secret, it’s swept under the rug”

 Why is the reason behind the name of the song?

The reason behind the name “Where is the love” was just to add a basic summary of the song. People questioning what happened to the world with all our current issues, being addicted to the drama, that they forget to show love and peace, seeking faith and guidance from above.

What sort of impact do you think this song had to all Americans?

The impact this song has had on this large community it’s to address current issues and wake people up and ask themselves about the truth and reality of what is happening in our world. This song was made to appeal to the many issues we face as a country, inside it and overseas, and then facing those problems with love rather than hate. Taking control of your mind to reflect and act upon them with guidance from our father above.

Do you think there is a wider community in the world this problem can be associated with?

I think this song can be more relatable and reach out to a lot of listeners worldwide, as these problems happening in the US are not just specific to our country but in a lot of places around the world.  

What would be the recurring theme in this song?

The recurring theme would probably be in the title itself….. Where is the love? This questions modern day problems and how we are dealing with them. Can love be found in such situations like these? Love is the key to resolve society and instead hate is being used and spread, mainly affecting the young ones and the next generation.

  

Language - Identity and who you are

Analytical 
Language shapes our identity but doesn’t define who we are. Take a stance on whether you agree or disagree with this statement. Write an argument that supports your position. Make reference to concepts or readings from the course as evidence.

Language shapes our identity but does not define who we are as a person. An identity is something that is achieved, a way in which others can differentiate you with and single you out, but also, something that one changes to fit the needs of the moment. It is not something that can define who you are in terms of your knowledge or value and position as a person.

There are different aspects which make up ones’ identity, master identities are stable and don’t really change (gender, ethnicity, national and regional origins) Interactional identities refer to roles that people take on in their life, personal identities being stable and unique as in ways in which someone speaks or behave to another person, or the traits that you have that make you.  Relational identities being the last one, refers to the relationship that a person has with a specific person or situation. None of the different aspects of identities can really describe or show who someone really is, as it is only that person who is able to control what information they share and do not share, or the type of body language or spoken language they choose to demonstrate as a way of communication.

Language can shape your identity in ways depending on the situation or moment you are in. Personality can change such as, for example, if I was speaking Spanish to one of my relatives, I would be quite formal and speak in a short, slow and low tone. When speaking in English to my friends, I would be more relaxed and be in a more of a laid back position. An example of a person’s identity being affected by language would be Julia Alvarez’s “Names/Nombres”, where she accepted the change and translation of her name to fit the common American ones and how her mother was also influenced and socially pressured in changing the name of “Mauricia” to something she would be better identified with, like “Maureen”.

People can base who a person is by their language, lack of dialect or general vocabulary to make a flowing sentence. This is shown in Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue with the use of stereotypes of non-English speakers, by treating them differently, not taking them seriously or pretended not to understand them. People’s ideas are often valued less or think they are above them as they believe that just because the way someone expressed her/himself was imperfect, their thoughts and intentions were also imperfect. People can base your level of knowledge and assume who you are as a person because the type of language you speak, like “broken” as Amy described it. This off course was not really true in the case of Amy’s mom; as she reads the Forbes report, listens to Wall Street Week, converses daily with her stockbroker and reads all of Shirley MacLaine’s books.

In conclusion, I don’t think that language would really define who you are, but your experiences and the people around you would. However language does definitely affect your identity as one can change in the needs of the moment, using some of the aspects of identity like interactional and personal. 

Stereotypes of non-native English speakers

One of the issues that Tan discusses in "Mother Tongue" is the stereotypes of non-native English speakers, this, out of the many issues stood out to me in an interesting way in which I can definitely relate to. I'm bilingual, speaking Spanish as my first language and English as my second, most of my family except for my mom are too. A lot of the experiences that Tan went through with her mom can be related to my experiences, some of the main stereotypes I have encountered in real life are that if you are not fluent in English, then you are not smart and your ideas are valued less, and also that you are not taken seriously or are not treated the same way as a fluent English speaker might be. 

I started learning English when I moved from my home country all the way to Baku, Azerbaijan, there I went to my first international school where I first started learning it. I had very few people that I could talk to that knew Spanish and I basically only learnt the language by being surrounded by people who spoke it. I had experienced a short but tough time in my school as I definitely felt excluded from all groups and I couldn't express my ideas very well. Here in Abu Dhabi, you don't really see that exclusion as English is not the main language, but in the U.S, from experiences from my relatives living there, some of them are ignored and not taken seriously when trying to explain/express something.   

"Limited" or "Broken" English as Tan describes it, is mostly due because the person has to translate what he/she wants to say from his/her first language to English, and most of the times (if you don't have much experience with the language) they could translate it word for word, similarly to how Tan videotaped one of her mother's conversations. This translating method that a lot of people use, does not make them less educated in general or should be treated any different from others, the ideas are still there, its just that some people can really just judge or make fun of someone because of some grammatical errors. This happens quite a lot in the internet with a number of people getting very upset if you do something like saying "your" instead of "you're" or just miss some words that may affect the flow of the sentence. 

Accent is also a major factor that immediately separates you from everyone else, for some people. It is also an example of how your mother tongue has an effect in your identity and the way of expressing yourself. Someone famous who fits the role of being person who is made fun of because of her accent, and not being taken seriously is Sofia Vergara (Colombian actress). Due to her strong accent, some of the words that she may mean to say could mean another thing to someone else who is listening to her, or she may just not pronounce the word well.

Overall, I do not believe people should be treated differently or have any generalization on people's level of education because of their English. Just like Tan's mother, she is quite smart, reads the Forbes report, listens to Wall Street Week, reads all of Shirley MacLaine's books and converses daily with her stockbroker, but she just cant express herself fully with words but instead uses very simple and direct language which shouldn't be classified as "Broken" compared to the "Standard English".

The name: Ricardo

The name: Ricardo is the Portuguese and Spanish name associated with Richard, therefore it's historical meaning being "Great/Powerful leader". My mother chose my name after my dad, which in Colombia is actually very common for people to name their sons after their father, it is part of the tradition. There are definitely some pros and cons in having your father's name which can definitely form part of the personal significance on my name, these include already having a bond with your dad and there is already an incentive for you to succeed him, but you will also have to deal with this "pressure" to live up to the name and match or improve on his accomplishments or following his footsteps. Similarly to Julia Alvarez's essay, their relatives called her "Julita" and for me it would be "Ricardito" to show a closer connection and to differentiate me and my dad, other cases can be seen when people call me Ricardo Jr even though "Jr" isn't really part of my name. Nicknames or changes to my name have also been said to me such as Ricky and Rick, which for them would be easier or preferable to say, also functioning as a way to translate my name into English. 

The name is reflective in my identity and character, as I said before, having the same name as my dad gives me an incentive to be a successful person, looking up to him and following his footsteps, but also makes me want to differentiate myself from him by doing things he hasn't done in the past. This can be seen as I consider myself good at sports and more of an athlete, having played for numerous football clubs and done swimming for around 10 years, his of course would be a totally different area my dad wasn't too successful in. 

Colombia and it's misconception

One major cultural context that I want to discuss about Colombia, is how most people who are not from this country label and assume all Colombians as "drug addicts" or have some kind of connection to the drug cartel. This is one MASSIVE negative assumption that sets a false image for the country. I personally have experienced many cases where people tell me if I have some kind of connection with drugs, and actually, last school year I went to say hi to a new student, and the first thing he asked me was "Hey, where are you from" and after I proceeded to answer, the first thing he said was "oh yea drugs, and Pablo Escobar right? needless to say, I never spoke to him again...

As my family has connections and friends here in Abu Dhabi who are all Colombian, you can probably spend hours just talking about all the misconceptions everyone has on us, so it's not just a personal thing but a very big cultural group that is affected. One statement that most of us will probably say to you would be that even though there is still a big production and export of things such as cocaine, we are not the ones using it, but it is (statistically, not an assumption) shown that the U.S is the one driving up the demand and using it. Around 90% of those drugs are used in the U.S alone.
According to my very limited prior knowledge and a recent 10 minute research on this topic, Pablo Escobar, who was considered one of the richest and most powerful criminals in the world, who is the person some people associate Colombia with as a "whole", died in 1993. And his prime years were he caused massive damage and controversy with his claim on a spot in the government and as a president where in the 70s and 80s. If my Math Standard level knowledge and calculations are right, then, that all occurred over 30 years ago and completely stopped around 15 years ago. Colombia has definitely moved on from this and has acted upon fixing their international image, Since 2001 their production of drugs like cocaine have dropped 72% and that was just until 2010, so it is definitely still decreasing and things are changing. The media hasn't exactly helped much clearing this misconception but instead strengthen it with articles and movies showing a negative view on Colombia. Peace talks with FARC (guerrilla group) has been done and to be finished later this year but the world fails to acknowledge the positive progress the country is in and decide to stick with their negative beliefs and overview on the country.  

In my case the only thing I know about this topic is from the show "Breaking Bad" and it's doesn't even mention the right drug, but it does definitely include Colombians as some of the characters in which  they do deals with. Although I am pretty laid back with these stereotypes and misconceptions, if we haven't met before and this topic is brought up at first meeting then your chances of me talking to you again decreases by around 90%. This is because it is a very tiresome topic to be discussing and correcting, with drugs and past wars having led to Colombia losing the lives of a million, five decades of fighting back against these  terrorist groups and billions of dollars going into defeating terrorism and drug related crimes.

Understanding that Colombia has driven away from the drug trafficking past can definitely lead to better communication and maybe even a little smile and acknowledgment from all Colombians that you have a better personality and education background.

Also one last thing to end my rant..... its ColOmbia NOT ColUmbia, seriously, it's a very simple concept. 

Introduction

Hello, my name is Ricardo Soler, i'm 16 years old and i'm from Colombia. Some of my interests include playing numerous sports such as football in ADYFC, swimming for the school team and occasionally badminton. I also like watching T.V series and also learning about the environment with subjects such as Geography, Biology and Environmental Systems and Societies. I care about improving myself physically by doing sports and weightlifting and expanding my knowledge on my interests. Some of my goals for this year, academically, would be passing all subjects with a minimum score of 5 and improve my time management skills so I don't leave assessments to the last minute, which would be pretty troublesome in Grade 11/12.

Language has a very important role in my life as it is how I communicate everyday with different people, like my family in Spanish and school (and pretty much everywhere else) in English. Also the ability of being bilingual, specially in these 2 very commonly spoken languages in the world, can be very benefiting, like in getting a job and just moving around the world with very few language barriers. It is very important to study language because it will not only improve my reading and writing skills but also my overall communication skills, so things like presenting in front of people, persuading and informing them on certain subjects can be result to be quite profiting in the long run, specially when it comes to getting a job.

I have previously felt excluded due to language barriers multiple times in my life, primarily with me just starting to learn English in my first international school. Even though I understood some of the things that were said to me and around me, I couldn't communicate with anyone therefore not being able to make many friends. Some other language barriers that I have faced would be in these past few years were I have only spoken English except for some words in my house that when I went back to Colombia to visit my old friends and family and couldn't understand some of their slang and vocabulary that my parents and everyone else were raised with, therefore creating some minor awkward moments when you have to ask your friends what they meant with whatever they said.