Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

          Newspapers. I don’t like them. I hardly read them. I don’t subscribe to none of them. So, when I found out this week’s reading would consist of the rise and fall of newspapers, I cringed a little. When I sat down to read this chapter, I expected it to be painfully mind- numbing, but to my surprise it was not. Although, there were times when the information spewing out from the text felt a bit lengthy and redundant (particularly the listings of topics newspapers put in their papers). A few things sparked my interest while I was reading this certain chapter. First, I did not know that Julius Caesar developed a somewhat newspaper entitled, Acta Diurna. I guess I missed that information in my social studies class. Second, I did not know that the first newspaper, developed by Benjamin Harris, was the last newspaper. It’s a shame it was banned after one issue, maybe the title Publick Occurences, Both Foreign and Domestick, was just too long to read and did not sound very patriotic. Or could it be the fact that, “having a negative tone regarding British rule,” did not help Harris’s newspaper in the long run. Third, I saw the irony of how the New York World, bought by Joseph Pulitzer, and the New York Journal, bought by William Randolph Hearst would compete against each other even though Albert (Pulitzer’s brother) founded the New York Journal. If this chapter has taught me anything, it has shown me that the newspaper business is a dirty, backstabbing industry that would do just about anything to stay on top. It seems as though newspapers went from being partisan “just stating facts”, to being interpretive, to eventually being mostly about displaying as many advertisements as it possibly can. Now what does that say about today’s American society?

            It’s no secret that newspapers are struggling, but books seem to withstand the hands of time. From the papyrus of Ancient Egypt to Amazon.com, no matter what form/medium writing takes place in, people will read! Books are here to stay.

Blog Thoughts

        Truthfully, the only time I watch the news is to check and see what the weather will be like for the day. I guess it’s because I get sick of hearing a long stream of murders, muggings, money loss in stocks and other terrible things happening locally, in the city, or globally.  Even when there is a slight chance that a reporter might actually report a positive story, it is always followed up by something devastating or horrendous. I feel like not only sex sells, but violence does to (or maybe that’s just stating the obvious).  Thus, I question, would people still watch the news if a news show dedicated itself to just presenting positive news for a week? I wonder if ratings would go down by Tuesday. Secretly I think people are drawn about hearing other people’s misfortunes. Yet, of course being in a civilized society where we no longer act brutishly and behave like troglodytes, would we ever admit to enjoying someone else’s tragedy (until it hits close to home and even then we still do).

      The news is a sad reality. You can never escape hearing about how people lie, steal, and kill from news anchors. So, why am I not surprised when I hear in the movie Outfoxed that Bill O’Reilly is a pathological liar or that Fox news reporters would use the line “People say…” to cover up their own personal opinions. Have we really evolved?  I believe that people’s innermost thoughts are caveman-like but are repressed in a more subconscious level. Except for people like Bill O’Reilly, they flat out act upon their enraged feelings alone. Probably that’s why our jails are packed with inmates who we deem are a danger to society. Still, I can see why people like watching O’Reilly, he is lively, zealous, and most important entertaining. And that is what is going to boost ratings.

        Anyway, I know you mentioned you like to look at cool and interesting things on our blogs, well if I only knew how to post links and remember I don’t even have a myspace, facebook, or a twitter: just bare with me I’m learning.  But I can refer you to one song by M.I.A. entitled “THE MESSAGE”. It’s catchy don’t worry it’s nothing crazy, it relates to the media and the government. You might find it…dare I say it… Entertaining! And now I must get back to studying.

Who's in Charge?: Television and Movies

          Underneath McDonalds there is a small, dark room where three men run world! Seriously, after watching the movie Manufacturing Consent last week, I have questioned if the cooperate world has ever really been for the people. Advertising, agencies and conglomerate chains have all but two goals: to sell and to profit (mostly profit). But who is to blame? Do we blame ourselves for indulging in false images and sounds that leave empty promises only to promise “new and improve” versions of products? Or do we blame advertising agencies for constantly distracting us with luring images that promote only a short term of self-satisfaction? Either way you look at it it’s a never ending cycle, but who started the cycling frenzy to begin with? Could there possibly be a secret society running this whole economy? Is it likely that advertising and promoting new products, particularly technology, is just a mere tool to something greater?

            As I read through chapters 5,6,7 and recall fond memories of VHS tapes, movies, and the infamous PBS station that put me to sleep as a child, I am alarmed by such rapid advancements in technology. Not only can we turn on the TV, dial numbers on a wireless phone, swipe a card at the grocery, we now have the power to personalize our TVs, cell-phones, credit cards, and much more to our likings. If you like a certain television show DVR it, surf the internet, make movies, and much more on a cell-phone, and even if you have bad credit your credit card can at least look “pimped out” with personalize pictures. Truly, I feel that if we keep personalizing our technology, soon it will become part of us physically. No airwaves or electronic signals needed. Just the human body and a computer chip implant.