Hip Hop #1

"Rap music as a whole is disrespectful toward women."

I agree with this statement because a main subject in many rap songs is women. In rap songs women are either disrespected or respected. We can be respected in many ways, but disrespected in many more ways also. In some rap songs, rappers sing about beating women, prostitution, hooking up, or even use foul words to describe them. Music has changed majorly over time and rappers now rap about their lives and their point of view on life. Even though women don't like this form of disrespect, we don't really defend ourselves. Women want attention and will do anything they need to do to get that attention, for example, the way women dress. Women are made to believe that to get a mans attention they need to wear the least amount of clothes possible, so that's what they do. I think women need to be more focused and determined to stop the disrespect given about women, and stand up for themselves.

"Generally speaking, black people do not believe that misogyny and sexism and violence against women are urgent issues ... we still think that racism, police brutality, black male incarceration are the issues that we should be concerned about." -Dr.Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Spelman college

Movies - Toughguys

I wasn't here to see the movie played on Tuesday but I did see the one on Wednesday so I can't really compare the two movies, but i can tell what I've learned from the movie that i did see. From the movie "Tough guys" I learned a man's point of view on what being a man really means. To them, being a man means being in control and having full power. There were many cases of men who beat their wives and even men who rapped little boys and girls. The majority of rapists' in prison were men. To some men, murder isn't something bad. It makes them feel like they're respected by others and have power. Men think that being a man means that you're strong, have a built body and big muscles, take control of situations, never cry, and basically never show any sign of weakness; only strength. Over the years, the media has changed many aspects of what a "tough guy" looks like. For example, star wars action figures and the G.I. Joe dolls have majorly changed. Star wars action figures are more detailed and G.I. Joe dolls are also more developed with bigger muscles and stronger looking bodies. Also in many movies the size of the weapons used have increased. Before, they were small and not that intimidating but now-a-days big guns like machine guns are being used in movies like Rambo. I think that if men keep thinking that being a man means being violent and not showing any signs of weakness, that the percent of woman being abused or sexually assaulted will raise. Men aren't the only people in jail who have assaulted someone or killed someone but the majority of them are. The media is a major thing that adds to these men's perspective of what a man should be by putting big muscled guys in movies. It makes men want to be like that and think they have to be like that so that they're considered to be a man. I think men should be showed by the media a different definition of what a man really is. The picture that fills the minds of many men today, won't be successful or have a good outcome in the end.

Super Bowl

During this week i have learned super bowl commercials are the most "famous" commercials throughout the entire year. Many people watch the super bowl only to see the commercials. This year, 30 seconds of a super bowl commercial costs $300,000,000. The majority of commercials during the super bowl were for beer products probably because most of the people watching the super bowl were men over the age of 21. This year, many companies that have usually posted their commercials in the super bowl haven't advertised one because of the low economy. Denny advertisted their company for the first time. Annheiseur Bush is usually a major advertiser and had three or four advertisements during this super bowl. There were quiet a few movie advertisements this year. These commercials had many sounds and characteristics that grabbed your attention and made you laugh; which then made you go out and buy or see their products.

Key Concept

The key concept that I understand the most is Concept number five which says, "Most media messages are organized to gain profit and/or power." This concept says tells how most commercials are made only for the profit the maker gains from it and that they aren't always made to help you like they say they are. For example, proactive says that proactive can clear up any acne you have in just a few weeks and they even use a famous person to come in and help convince you to buy their product. Why would these people want to help you clear up your acne? What's in it for them? The answer to that question is the money. The only thing that these people gain from people buying this product is the money that the consumers give them. By bringing these famous people into the commercial it may make you want to be just like them and look exactly how they look. On the proactive commercial, Jessica Simpson is the main person to advertise the product and seeing her makes teenagers with not perfect skin want to buy the product to have skin just like her. Basically, companies make commercials to advertise their product and they made that product to make money, just like everyone else in the world.