Different Understanding of Television

      Social norms have been constructed in social media and TV for a long long time. Men and women play a significant part in social norms and how society wants them to be and appear to others. Though men and women play very different roles, both genders have been assigned ideal characteristics that make them a man or a women. This is called a stereotype. These stereotypes are assigned to a person’s nationality, sex, gender and even sexuality. People can be based off these “stereotypes” because it has been portrayed everywhere. The television show Two and a Half Men focuses on the objectification of women and the men’s behavior towards them in order to show that women are sex objects and do not seem to respected unless they are older and less attractive. Only when humans acknowledge and become mindful with the truth, then society can begin to solve the problem of stereotypes being held towards anyone.
       In “‘Camel Filters and Pheromones” (season 1, episode 12), the most important stereotypes being portrayed are the player, the seductress, the old maid and the sex object.  For example, Berta’s granddaughter asked Charlie if he could play the piano which was pretty obvious he could as she was staring at him play but she gets closer enough to the point where she starts asking for one on one lessons but he said no but she still tries to come onto him. She desired to get their attention. Prudence would be stereotyped as the seductress but also the sex object. She enters the show in almost half dressed and she has to clean and while she is cleaning she is wiping the window in the most provocative manner right in front of Alan and Charlie. Her appearance conveys a powerful erotic impact, the camera focuses on her body, mainly when she has a bikini or her other provocative clothing rather than us seeing her face of something. This is a construction of women being objects in men's eyes.  She is being watched and drooled over by Alan’s 10 year old son.  Plus, she was not the brightest person. She is not viewed for her intelligence or her cleverness or any other characteristic, only her body is what matters. Nothing else. Another example is Berta herself. Berta was a single mother but she was a housekeeper for the men of the house. She is a very outspoken, over 30 woman. She was barely put into the show, she had a little part and when they show her, the camera is not focused on her body but what she is saying and even her face. She is very well respected by the men. While the character Charlie is a very sexual, uncommitted man. For example, the reaction from Charlie of when Berta entered the room and. when Prudence entered the room. Charlie was very shocked and he had to maintain his boundaries because she was underage but if she was older, he would have taken the chance. Another example is his neighbor, Rose. She is  very much in love with him and she hopes that they will sleep together again but he all he does is reject her. Charlie uses Rose to make Prudence stop coming on to him, only using her to his advantage and benefit. He slept with her once and after that, he just messes with her emotions and uses her whenever he needs her. He does not care for these women, he just uses them.

In conclusion, this work is just one of the many examples of where you can find stereotypes within media. It can be portrayed in life as well. In my life, my dad always feels as if a man should always care for the woman. He believes that because I am a female, I do not lift heavy objects and I am to cook and clean the house when necessary. While my brother cannot help with his sister’s hair because it affects his sexuality and it is making him not masculine. He is not allowed to let females do heavy labor because it is not meant for a female. Stereotypes are within our nation and more around you then you realize. It is fair for my brother to be put on with so many expectations and pressure just at the age of 13. Honestly, being a son to a father might just be harder to be a daughter to a father. There is more of a expectation to be just like “his old man” and if he does not, there might not be an acceptance. That is what social norms, pressure from society and stereotypes have constructed for people to believe.  It is only when we pay attention it and do not further allow it is when we have end it for good.

Dust To Glory

The movie Dust to Glory is about a bunch of racing teams at the hardest race in their series, the race they are in is over 1000 miles in the desert compared to their other races that are only a few hundred miles in a circuit track. The movie shows positive aspects and the negative aspects of the race through many different ways. The movie challenges some of society’s dominant ideologies about gender, while reinforcing others. The first stereotype that the movie presents is that men should be the ones doing challenging or demanding activities for fun. The next stereotype that the movie present is that the wives and mothers should be supportive but should not really take part in it. The movie immediately challenges this stereotype by showing one of the teams that is made up of some of the wives and mothers of some of the men that are taking part in the race. The last stereotype the movie present is the stereotype that men should be the tough guy and aren't really affected by pain. As a result this movie reinforces the male stereotype and the ideas around male activities. On the other hand it challenges female stereotypes and the ideas around female activities.

In the beginning of the movie it starts out by show all of the different men that will be in the movie trying to finish the race and one of them say “let's face it this race is not for wusses”. This is reinforcing the idea that men could only take part in challenging activities like this because stereotypically women can't handle the same challenging task men can. This is immediately challenged when it presents the next stereotype. The next stereotype that the movie presents is the wife/mother stereotype that it immediately challenges along with the previous statement. The way it does this is by interviewing some of the wives and mothers of some of the men in the race. After some time though it starts talking about how a few of them have started their own team to go against their husbands and kids to prove to them that they too could complete it without the men's help. The last stereotype that the movie present is the male stereotype of the tough guy or the guy that does not show pain. The movie accomplishes this by showing one of the dirt bike riders that got into a bad crash and broke his leg, wrist and a few ribs get up and get back on his bike and finish the last five miles of the race without any problems.

This movie would not be considered a feminist story because it is mostly focused on the men in it and the women are there just to diversify the movie a little bit. Even though this happened in the movie it did present some stereotypes that are still present today in our society and are very influential on both men and women.

Clinton Bashing Or Giving Facts...

In this ad, Clinton is tieing Trump to the white supremacists of the world. Hillary is using pathos to make the audience feel a certain way about Trump's supporters. Clinton's pathos is believable due to her evidence of white supremacists associated with Trump.
White supremacists and trump believe in the same things, making trump out to be supporting the whites. In the background of this part of the video you hear one the "KKK" members say this, which makes it more believable. The first concern, is donald trump actually supporting the supremacists in their movement. Why are the members so comfortable with saying that Trump supports them if it wasn't true?
A reporter then asks Trump does he want the vote from the white supremacists, he replies saying he has no idea what the white supremacists are. which makes that very hard to believe, because with history this country provides all the way from slavery how could you not know what the supremacists are? Which brings up the question why is donald trump acting so brand new to this situation.
Then with Trumps new campaign CEO is a supremacists, so with that being said, there's nothing much else to say honestly.
All of this being said in one campaign ad, really leaves us, the people, thinking is this someone we want to be in office soon. Do you really want history to repeat itself even more than it already has?

A Real "Walking Dead" Man

“The Walking Dead” is a show aired weekly on the television network AMC. The show’s main character Rick Grimes, is a sheriff and family man who has just awaken in a hospital room and soon realizes that the world has been hit by a zombie apocalypse. In this episode Rick is shown as a strong, brave, and emotionless stereotypical man. Rick quickly learns how kill what the show calls “walkers” and leads his family and a group of survivors on a journey to find a safe place to live. This episode shows the ideology of what the world considers a man to be.

The Perfect "American Dad"

American Dad is a show aired late night, a cartoon for teenagers and adults. The show perpetuates the ideology of how a man is supposed to be, and what he is supposed to do. Stan, the main character and father, works for the CIA and is shown as incredibly muscular and big. He has a deep voice, proudly wears the American Flag, and is the sole provider for his family.



His son, Steve, is a sympathetic “cry-baby”, but Stan, being the perfect “American Dad”, has to make his son into a man by hammering the ideology of the perfect “American Man” into his head. The perfect man in America is usually big, muscular, handsome, rich, and brave, and all of these qualities describe Stan.

Another Love Song

In the song “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood on the album I Love You, reveals about how a man fantasizes about himself and his love together, having sexual relations together, living together, and facing the cold world together.

Jesse James Rutherford begins “All I am is a man / I want the world in my hands / I hate the beach / But I stand / In California with my toes in the sand / Use the sleeves of my sweater / Let’s have an adventure / Head in the clouds but my gravity’s centered / Touch my neck and I’ll touch yours / You in those little high-waisted shorts.” You might be thinking, Jesse is speaking about fashion, clothes, hating the beach or being in California. No that’s not what the artist means at all. Jesse James Rutherford wants to say make the best of the situation you're currently find yourself in. That’s why the Jesse James Rutherford says “Let’s have an adventure / Head in the clouds but my gravity’s centered." 

 Jesse James Rutherford sings “Cause it’s too cold / For you here and now / So let me hold / Both your hands in the holes of my sweater.” The artist is using imagery to describe a romantic moment where himself and his love face the cold world together, that’s why Jesse James starts with / “So move to a place so far away.” Another example where the artist implements the thought of imagery, moving far away from the “cold world” meaning society, with his girlfriend.

 
Jesse James Rutherford speaks about having a sexual moment with his girlfriend, Jesse James Rutherford sings “The minute that my left hand meets your waist / And then I watch your face / Put my finger on your tongue / ‘Cause you love to taste, yeah.” This reveals how their is butterflies in his stomach and is imagining sexual intercourse with her, and describing his love and romance for her.

Blurred Lines- Clear Lyrics

The song “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke has been talked about as one of the most degrading songs of the year. The song describes how the male is in complete control of the woman no matter what she wants. Women become just sex objects. The woman is also shown as submissive because of the way Thicke convinces her she wants it. Finally, in the video, multiple men are shown as players while women parade around as they watch. “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke is a clear representation of contemporary art that represents the still sexist dominant ideology towards women in America today. 

In patriarchal societies, men are known as the superior gender. In the 1950s especially, women were being treated as nothing but housekeepers and sex objects. Today, it is 2016 and for the most part life is very different in terms of equality. Women are getting jobs that they were never able to have, they are able to vote, and they can live a life of their own. Although there are many good outcomes of many feminist movements, there is still discrimination portrayed through social media and society as a whole.

Music has always been something that brings people together, creates strong relationships, and can lift everyone’s mood. The song “Blurred Lines” did just that. It spread throughout the nation and became a catchy tune everyone could get up and dance to. Pop music is known for sounding fun and exciting, making it easy for listeners to get hooked, but then things can turn the other way once you really understand the lyrics. Thicke sings, “Baby, it’s in your nature,/just let me liberate you”.

The context of these lyrics is him mostly likely at a bar or party where a girl is being harassed by another man. He tells her he wants to save her from him and prove he is the better guy. He most likely does this so she will think of him as a tough guy. From this, you may think he is meaning no harm, but then he continues to sing “I know you want it, I know you want it, you’re a good girl.” clearly hinting at sexual acts. This makes him out to be the dominant and her as a submissive because he is telling her what to do and is telling her how he thinks she feels.

As if the song was not enough, there is a video, which magnifies the lyrics and shows them visually. The video consists of multiple men singing and standing there in nice tuxedos while women parade around half naked as objects they can look at. This video clearly objectifies the women as only something nice to look at. The director clearly prefered the male gaze because of the way the men look at the camera. When the women walk by, the men stare and smile and joke to each other as if it was entertainment.

This song and video reflects the patriarchal structure of society by showing men superior from women. This is shown by having the men sing and be the main focus of the song and video, while the women are shown as something hot to look at. The lyrics sung by Robin Thicke are made clear to see the discrimination happening and chauvinism being shown by making it clear the woman does not have a choice in what they do together.