Assignment 3: Censorship or Garbage?

Books are an integral part of American Society. Many times, professors say on the first day of classes, "The book needed for this course is _______. You know, those things in libraries that are filled with paper." This was funny the first twenty times I heard it. As a nineteen year old, I still know what books are. I am not just addicted to the internet like many adults may believe children and young adults are today. Books teach people the past but they do more than that; they do so in a way that allows for interpretation of understanding.

The text explained that 2 out of every 3 American children has read one of the Harry Potter series books. With that said, how are people censoring this information and these specific books? I have not personally read any of them but I know that the information contained in them is all the rage. They allow for one's mind to run free and for one's imagination to let loose. Is this not what we want the children of our society to possess: animated imaginations?

Although public schools may be censoring racist and foul language in music, they should not use the same guidelines when censoring books in their schools. Obviously sex catalogs and drug how to's should not be on school shelves but at the same time, stories involving these topics should not be taken off necessarily. Yes, if a man and woman are having sexual relations in a book and it is on an elementary school shelf, the book should be of elementary reading level which means that it would be put into words like, "They were seeing each other." Reading levels are a great way to censor books much like the way video games have ratings. In a video news clip of Katie Couric, she quotes Judith Croog in saying, "Anyone who thinks a book is inappropriate is free to stop reading it, but added, don't take away my right to choose what I want to read." (I would have posted the video but it was directly from CBS News and it was disabled)

I have never realized that such popular books that I read when I was a child are censored in many American schools due to topics such as sexually explicit, offensive language, violence, promotes homosexuality, promotes religious viewpoint, and antifamily (Baran, 76). While the 'labeling' of books is called censorship, it is not fair that they are taken from shelves altogether. There should be the same laws for all types of media such as video games, movies, television shows, etc. It is important that the many people who are media illiterate know where certain ratings stand on different topics. Ratings and warning labels would be an appropriate way to label books.

On page 75 of Baran's textbook, a compiled list of banned books is shown. I have read such books as Of Mice and Men, The Chocolate War, The Giver, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Color Purple, Beloved, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Outsiders. I have written and enjoyed almost every one of those books and have gone on later to write research papers on the background meanings of these stories. I also have learned some valuable lessons from them and some of the characters even stay in my mind. It is important to let these books stay on shelves because although children may be reading them only for the simplistic story today, they may remember them for the rest of their lives and get something out of them that lies beneath the pages. Remember, books allow for interpretation of understanding.


Works Cited

Baran, Stanley J., (2008). Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Assignment 2: Corporate Takeover...

Internet is a powerful tool; one in which a plethora of opportunity can be derived from. As of right now, just like I will be doing in the next couple of hours, one can post a blog where they can publicly voice their opinion regarding any topic. The Internet is just one avenue that allows people the opportunity of freedom of speech, something that is stated in the Constitution which pertains to all citizens of the United States. Having a voice is easy: point, click, type, post. Although giant corporations like Time Warner, AOL, and Verizon would like control over the internet, they absolutely do not have it yet and anyone has the freedom to voice whatever they want on the Internet.

Corporate domination will eventually take over and limit public dialog. The stage that encompasses the Internet right now is called Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality is a term which means that no one single person has complete control over the internet rather, the millions of people who use it do. By giant media corporations having 'ownership' over the Internet would mean putting restrictions and filters on the information that is shown to you on your computer screen. Controlling the information that is available to Internet users is like playing God, corporations will only show sides of stories that make them look good and eventually the world will be controlled by one giant monopoly.
If large corporations were to take over the Internet, prices would skyrocket for Internet service and many people would not enjoy the freedom of surfing the World Wide Web. This is especially true for those that do not live directly in an urban area; rural dwellers would easily pay four times as much for Internet hookup and a monthly service. I do not see corporate domination as a good thing in any direction I look at it. The internet in many ways is like open sourced software, people can add to it for a minimal fee, if even a fee at all. That is what got the internet to what it is today, the thousands of people who come up with amazing ideas and implement them publicly for everyone to see.
On some levels, corporate domination is apparent already in relation to the Internet. Microsoft and Apple, the two computer software powerhouses, are being paid billions of dollars for certain brand advertising by other companies. Yes, it is true that businesses pay these software companies to display their logos or make them the default page when one opens their computer. This is where brand advertising steps into place. Corporate domination will continue to follow the flow of money which is always increasing. One can only wonder that if the Internet were to become completely controlled by one company, if advancements and technology would follow in the fast past footsteps of its predecessors.

Works Cited:
Network neutrality. (2008, January 24). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:49, January 24, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Network_neutrality&oldid=186552131

Assignment 1: Do Not Believe Everything You See

Whether we like it or not, the media is constantly surrounding us. It bombards us with new information or reminders about present situations on what is 'cool' in today's society. A popular current media outpouring is focused on 'going green', or saving the environment from further human damage. People are concerned that the environment and resources we have so greatly enjoyed might not be around for our grandchildren or even our children. Celebrities have even latched on to the campaign to bring awareness to the world to conserve natural resources and to help support the reduce, reuse, recycle method of living. Wherever you are or have been in the last year, you most likely have heard of this gigantic media message regarding a greener world.
The media literate person will inevitably gain more of an understanding of the culture that surrounds him/her. By being in an environment in which someone is actively interacting by asking questions and engaging in a deeper thought process, one will gain a multi-layered understanding of the culture around them. Taking the first step to use your mind to challenge the media will expose aspects of culture that may have been hidden. For example, how would someone know about the current military situation in a foreign country if they only were exposed to the media's side of the story? Often times, we only see one side of the story because we do not do our own research and investigation of information, we let the media do it for us because it is easier to turn on the news, or read the paper.
Not all media content will take an active role in clarifying the way we understand our culture. We might not always understand why the media will latch onto something and not let it out of their sight for months or even sometimes years. On the other hand, what some people might not comprehend is that everything the media does, they are doing it because they think that is what we want to see. They think we want to see Brittney Spears on the cover of every celebrity magazine and on every news channel being strapped to a bed and rolled into a hospital.

For some reason, that’s what they think we want to see. For the most part, we do want to see groundbreaking stories and hear of shocking instances affecting the world however, the bottom line is that the media controls what we do and do not see. This then affects what we interpret and evaluate when we are searching for and understanding our culture.
Understanding media may not always give you a clear picture of one's personal culture. Culture is the story that has been around and the new one that we are creating in our lives therefore; the media may be a misrepresentation of one's own culture. Gaining a personal insight into oneself may require challenges and questions and I am not sure the media is the right place to look for the answers.


Work Cited

WGBH Educational Foundation (1999-2008). Frontline: Merchants of Cool.
Retrieved Jan 16, 2008 from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/