Final Exam bonus question #13

The first wave of feminism fights for basic rights, such as simple and human rights for women. It argues that society should allow women to have equal rights, in other words, it argues for the quantitative. The second wave of feminism fights against sexual harassment, and for equal recognition, arguing for the qualitative rather than the quantitative. For example the second wave fights for equal pay in the job and to break “the glass ceiling”. The second wave fights for roles as opposed to rights. The third wave of feminism re-claims power that the second wave takes away by appropriating signifiers of the dominant. For example the second wave says that being a housewife is demeaning, however a third wave feminist would take being a housewife and give it a sense of empowerment. An image of Hooters girls can explain all three waves. The first wave can argue that the girls have freedom of expression, therefore dressing this way expresses this right. The second wave would argue against this image because the girls are being exposed and sexualized, therefore degrading themselves. The third wave would argue that although the women are being exploited and sexualized, they made the decision to dress this way, therefore they are empowering themselves.

Final Exam question #10

Advertising and Lesbian/Gay Identity by Fejes, Ghosh’s Confusing’ Exotica: Producing India in U.S. Advertising, Black Sitcom Portrayals by Coleman all discuss how the media constructs and portrays the lifestyles and identities of marginalized groups. The trailer for Sex and the City 2 is an example of how homosexual, African American, and Indian cultures/identities are constructed by the media from an American perspective. Fejes states that advertisements often portray homosexuals to live a glamourous lifestyle. Media constructs them to seem like they all have a high income, live in urban areas, and enjoy the finer things in life, constructing “fake homosexuality”. This is exactly how Sex and the City constructs its homosexual characters. The Coleman article discusses how media constructs African Americans as either being as white as possible, or playing on negative stereotypes. For example, in the Sex and the City 2 trailer, there are no black people shown at all, leading to the interpretation that African Americans in New York City do not live that type of lifestyle. The Ghosh reading discusses exoticism, as well as how the Indian/Oriental culture is portrayed through advertising and media by distinguishing the difference between “us” and “them”. If something is seen as different or exotic, it is deemed as “cool”. In the trailer, it shows how they go to India for a glamourous vacation, however constructing the image of that culture from an American perspective. Therefore, all three readings describe how media constructs the image of these minorities. Because the affluent white american is seen as the norm/ideal, the media constructs minorities stereotypically, which leads to the creation of inequality between groups and how society views these groups.

Final Exam question #11

The Miracle Whip advertisement campaign “Don’t Be so Mayo” draws on my overall topic of how the “indie” music industry creates an imagined community by using youth and the commodification of rebellion to sell products. This advertisements shows a group of young adults enjoying themselves (partying) while bonding over Miracle Whip. The song in the background is from the rock genre and the people used are wearing “hip” clothing, mimicking the hipster subculture. The copy in this advertisement says “don’t’ blend in” and “don’t be ordinary” which is what the hipster culture prides itself in doing because it is rebelling against the mainstream. The two readings from class that relate to this idea are Frank’s “Why Can’t Johnny Dissent” and Baudrillard’s “Simulacra and Simulations”. In Franks article, he discusses dissent, or rebellion, and how everyone dissents in some shape or form. He says that “Consumerism is no longer about ‘conformity’ but about ‘difference’” In this case, by purchasing Miracle Whip, you are rebellion against the rest of mainstream society. The advertisement then uses young adults to portray this message because they are the ones most commonly linked with rebellion. Baudrillard’s article discusses the real, the imaginary, and the hyperreal. Basically I argue that an imagined community is created to sell products by creating a desire to be a part of that community. The article says that the real “no longer has to be rational, since it is no longer measured against some ideal or negative instance”, however the imaginary no longer exists as well, which creates the hyperreal. Everything in the advertisement is real, however everything that it is displaying (the relationships between the people) is imaginary, which is what makes up the hyperreal imagined community.

Final Exam question # 9

The article from the Onion called “Mexico Killed In Drug Deal” and a “real” New York Times news clip called “The Most Dangerous Beat: Juárez, Mexico are very similar in what issues they discuss, however the Onion is obviously making a joke out of it. The NY Times clip discusses how reporters are put in danger when investigating drug cartels and how the Mexican government and police force are corrupt. The article in the Onion also discusses the corruption of the government and drug cartel problems. In terms of agenda-setting, both news sources give importance to the issue due to the fact that it boarders the U.S and has impacts our country as well, or at least they manipulate it that way. Also, in terms of gate keeping, the NY Times clip monitors how much information they decide to give or not give, while the Onion will say anything because their information is not real.

Final Exam question #8

Mouse Trapped 2010 is an example of both cultural studies and political economy. Grossberg argues "the fact thats people do use the limited resources they are given to find better ways of living, to find ways of increasing the control they have over aspects of their lives, is significant, not only in itself, but also in terms of understanding the structures of power and inequality in the contemporary world and possibilites for challenging them "(630) This is shown with one of the men who was interviewed when he discussed how he has to choose between his medication and the food for the family, and he has to choose food. Understanding his personal troubles, leads us to look at the faults and inequalities of the institution (Disney) and challenge them. This film discusses how the Disney Corporation does not give their workers high enough wages or increases in pay, which can be argued with political economy. Mickey Mouse Monopoly gives an example of political economy when discussing how Disney buys ABC network, showing how the Disney Corporation has become a powerful corporation. This documentary is a great example of cultural studies because it discusses how Disney constructs social identities, and masks them with entertainment. Grossberg says that cultural studies looks at the nature of consumption and how it can produce pleasures, while simultaneously exploiting and manipulating aspects of the market. Therefore watching a Disney movie is enjoyable, however it constructs cultural ideas.

Final Exam question #7

The video How to Make Your Breasts Look Bigger is an appropriation of sexual signifiers such as how the girl "Penny" wants to sexualize herself to become more attractive to the opposite sex. Therefore by buying all the proper products, and doing the proper exercises, she is buying into consumerism and exemplifying how Americans will do anything to get noticed. In the end of the video, the sexual signifiers are then re-appropriated by Penny achieving her goal and rejecting Hank Rugburn, giving her back power in the situation. The film has a cheesy early pornography feel to it. It uses similar structure to the pornographic storyline of the girl calls the repair man to fix some appliance and then she seduces him into sleeping with her. In this case, she calls the repair man to get the attention wanted, and then once she receives the attention, she rejects him.

Final Exam question #6

Globalization is the spreading of cultures to other areas of the world. This advertisement shows globalization by how Conan immerses himself in the culture. It shows how he has already been exposed to the culture by respecting their way of living. Exoticism appropriates other elements of a culture and incorporates it into one culture, making it “cool”. The process of Conan making the curtain for his show, and then bringing it back to America is an example of this. Because the curtain is from another country, it makes it seem better than a curtain that was made in the U.S.

Final exam question #5

Ideology is the science of ideas, or in other words, common sense, while hegemony is the sustaining of the ideology. In the Urinal Flash game, the ideology is the idea that a man needs to find a urinal that creates the least awkward situation. One does not want to stand right next to a person, creating enough personal space, while also making a point to look directly ahead. Hegemony is reified in the game because it shows the pattern of always making the decision to find the least awkward situation and urinal. The last hypothetical situation in the game, the correct decision is to leave the bathroom and wait until there is an available urinal that will not create an awkward encounter. This proves that the ideology and hegemony will not be broken.

Final Exam Question #4

René Margritte's image of the pipe represents a combination of wealth, race, and age. The image brings an imaginative picture to the mind of an older white male, smoking a pipe with a friend, while having an intellectual discussion. This shows how one image can represent and signify a multitude of of things in society. Semiotics separates the signifier and the signified, the thing that it denotes and the thing that it connotes. Therefore the image of the pipe denotes a tool used for smoking, while it connotes wealth, age, race, etc.

Final Exam Question #3

The two videos portray similar stereotypes of black race and culture. In the Ghetto Delta Airlines video, the stereotypes are obviously exaggerated with the language of the white flight attendant which comically to appeal to African Americans, by discussing butts and blunts. Also, the apparel of the black man compared to the white attendent displays the differences of social class. The Everest College Advertisement negatively portrays the African American man in this advertisement as a part of the lower class and uneducated. This ad uses someone who is an African American to negatively describe others from the same race. While one video portrays the construction of race comically by using a white flight attendant to point out the stereotypes, the other video realistically degrades African Americans by using negative stereotypes and generalization.

Final Exam Question #2

“Audience fallacy” is when we assume that the entire audience interprets something the same way. For example, in a Dolce and Gabbana advertisement where the female is sexualized and appears to be dominated by men, one could not say that that is how everyone interprets this advertisement. An “authorial fallacy” is when one takes the argument of the author and sees it as truth. Because their intention is not available, you cannot argue the authors true meaning. Therefore your interpretation of the authors intention is a fallacy if you state it is the only way. Knowing these two fallacies is significant when it comes to criticizing media and culture because it helps to avoid generalization and assumptions.

Final Exam Question #1

Cultural theorists separate words with with capital letters from those without because it is used for grouping. If the word is not a proper noun, using a capital letter makes it one. Doing this signifies that you are discussing the cultural construction of this word.