Motivation or Manipulation?

       In an article USA Today posted on its website on Thursday, writer Ann Oldenburg commented on the “bad day” actress Lindsay Lohan had this week. Oldenburg reported that Lohan had been charged with four different crimes in two states all in one day. The actress was arrested in New York for assault and then charged by the Santa Monica Police Department for giving false information to a police officer, resisting a police officer, and reckless driving in a case relating to a wreck she had last June. 

       The article was an unusual and amusing entertainment piece, but what was more interesting to me than the story was the way Oldenburg framed the account to make it appeal to the reader. Humorous headlines and plays on words drew me into clicking on the article. Then, graphic pictures of Lohan’s totaled Porsche decorate the page and encourage me to read the story that was periodically interrupted by links to other related articles and entertaining headlines. Finally, by the last paragraph was a picture of Lohan leaving the Los Angeles Women’s Center as a reiteration of the terrible condition this star is supposedly spiraling into. However, is it really that bad? Or, does Oldenburg’s plays on words, judgement statements like “bad,” and images make us as the audience just think it is a tragic situation? I do not know Oldenburg’s motivations, but I know that I was certainly engulfed by her article as I entertainingly read every word. That is the power of the media. It has the power to captivate us, real us in, and manipulate us into feeling and believing whatever it presents to us. We constantly fall victim to it’s influence through articles, commercials and ads, and even now, as you read this blog, and I manipulate you into believing that I’m manipulating you.

Love the Way You Lie

Flashback Friday: My interview with Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera

Entertainment writer Sandra Sperounes flashed back in her article Friday to an interview with Christina Aguilera in 2000. In the article, Sperounes recounts questioning Aguilera about her “war of words” with rapper Eminem in which she called him out for his lyrics praising domestic violence against women. That was in 2000. The theme continued in 2010 when Eminem released a music video with singer Rihanna for their song, “Love the Way You Lie,” in which there were a number of scenes of domestic violence that were inspired by Eminem’s relationship with his ex-wife. Eminem is just another example of a “gangsta rapper” whose lyrical subject matter integrated itself into his personal life and resulted in not only the degradation of women in his music but the assault of women in his life. 

Eminem with backup dancer

Misogyny in “Gangsta rap” is not a product of the African-Americans singing it, but it is a characteristic of the genre itself as even white rappers such as Eminem portray similar ideas and actions. In our book, Race, Gender, and Stereotypes in the Media, Darren Rhym states, “[Rap] is the way we as blacks perceive ourselves, and the way we are perceived by the world.” However, I would add that it is not solely contained within the African-American community, but it expands into other races as well. As seen in the case with Eminem, domestic violence has been an image so present in rap that it is no longer a mere subject matter but a characteristic of the genre itself, and it integrates itself into the entertainers singing it, no matter their race. I would conclude that misogyny was not a theme brought into the music by a certain race, but it was brought in by a certain social background. Current rappers now believe that they too have to have this “hardcore” background and strive to fit into the genre of music by contributing to this theme and incorporating it into their own lives. As long as the public continues to advocate such practices by purchasing albums, attending concerts, and watching videos that portray misogynistic images and beliefs, then the traditional theme will continue as well, and women will continue to be disrespected and degraded by such music. However, if audiences finally step up and refuse to support artists and labels that promote “gangsta rap,” then the industry will not be able to sustain itself, and a redefining of rap will be required until women are finally respected in the music. 

"Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem feat. Rihanna

music video

No More 'Old White Guys'

GOP glad to have another Bush to attract Hispanics

ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES

George P. Bush has filed papers to run for office in Texas.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/11/11/4404230/gop-glad-to-have-another-bush.html#storylink=cpy

       According to an article in the Star-Telegram, the GOP is excited about Fort Worth Republican, George P. Bush, possibly running for Texas land commissioner. Why are Republicans so interested in this running? Is it his credentials? Is it his previous political experience? Is it even the renowned nature of his name? No, it is his hispanic heritage. This attention comes only days after Governor Mitt Romney lost in the Presidential election last week and received on 27 percent of the Hispanic vote. Such results were a shock to many. The people that nobody expected to turn out to vote did, and they did so in large numbers. Young people, African-Americans, and a large portion of Hispanics showed up to the polls on Tuesday, and they were the deciders of the election. The minorities were the choosers of the next President of the United States. 

       It has been amazing to see the response of the Republican party to the results of the recent 2012 Presidential election. With the surprising turn-out in the polls, the Republican party has had to shift its focus from the “old white guys” to readdressing issues such as immigration reform and promoting candidates of differing backgrounds such as Bush. However, this approach comes with a cost. Candidates could be chosen solely based on their heritage as opposed to their beliefs, moral stances, and qualifications for office. It could boost the Republican party in government positions, but it would ultimately hinder the overall national community. Is there a way to have both candidates that represent the whole of society through their differing social and racial backgrounds and are qualified for the offices they hold? I believe there is, but we must stop focusing on the color of their skin or the neighborhood they grew up in, and instead focus on the morals they keep and the credentials they hold. Once those are present, everything else will fall into place, and the person who will better this country the most will hopefully be in office. 

Innovation or Degradation

Microtargeting: How campaigns know you better than you know yourself

Cleveland Voters Overwhelmed by Ads

(A record number of political ads are blasting the swing state of Ohio. Martin Savidge reports from his hometown.) 

In the midst of the bombardment of political advertisements, such as the ones featured in the video link above, during the final days of the 2012 presidential race, CNN.com highlighted a new area in which voters are being targeted by these campaigns, the web. It’s called microtargeting. This recent technique utilizes browser histories for deeper insight into the preferences and personal interests of the people surfing the internet. These campaigns then use that information to predict how a person may vote and target them based on that prediction at the places they are most likely to visit online. Eitan Hersh, a political science professor who studies the impact of microtargeting at Yale University, explained it this way, “If a campaign knows that you're of this religion and this race and went to college, you're likely to have a different set of values ... the campaign is likely to reach out to you on those attributes." However, in the midst of the innovation of this targeting method, microtargeting has not been as well received by the public as was hoped. According to the article, 86% of Americans said they did not like political advertising tailored to their interests. Herst commented on the statistics concerning this political campaigning method saying, "The downside, of course, is that we might not like being stereotyped."

While it is more common to think of individuals being stereotyped by their race, gender, or physical abilities, it is more shocking to realize that people are now being targeted based on the types of websites they surf online. This phenomenon is not solely contained amongst political campaigns, but it is a method many other companies use as well. Google allows its marketers to target audiences based on demographical information. Facebook lets advertisers seek subsections of their users based on preferences indicated and pages liked. This practice of microtargeting is not just a seasonal use in the midst of the presidential campaign, but it is a method that will continue to grow more commonly practiced and accepted in the online world unless the public stand up against such policies. Over 80% of the Americans surveyed in CNN’s article said they dislike the idea of being targeted based on their interests, and it is time that this majority speaks out before microtargeting becomes a generally accepted practice. Microtargeting stereotypes people and targets individuals in an unfair manner based on generalized assumptions. The world has fought to eliminate stereotypes in many facets of society, and continues to battle those hurtful generalizations. Therefore, we should not, and cannot, allow another method of stereotyping to become accepted in our society. Microtargeting is not an innovation, it is a degradation.