A new report by Berkeley Media Studies Group, part of the Public Health Institute in Berkeley, California focuses on the different methods companies use to advertise food to kids. It focuses on methods that have become popularized in the last two years such as the utilization of social networks. The main concern is that though mediums such as TV are somewhat regulated, but the online world still has no true regulations. Junk food advertising has been a huge concern and lawmakers have started to move to present a proposal to Congress to restrict junk food advertising. One author of the report says “With social networking, marketers are getting the kids to create the ads and share them with their friends. It is incredibly sticky and it is viral. Regulators need to understand that.”
There is Media, then there is Reality – Abortion
On one side, we see life through the lens of media. We see love stories, we see excitement, we see happy endings. Then there is reality where there are life scarring break ups, daily boredom that drives you mad, and people who are not very happy with where there life is going. We watch, see what we want, expect our lives to be pan out in a similar way and when it doesn’t.. we can easily become discontent with what we have now. Why don’t I have this? Why don’t I live like that?
Last week I wrote a blog post on media’s affect on sexual freedom and how media glorifies the promiscuous, carefree lifestyle and how it has impacted our views on the merits of abstinence. Well on the other side of this lifestyle is the dark realities that go often unspoken. Scarred hearts, ruined lives, loss of trust in people after being hurt, and the big ones such as STDS and Abortion. The real life consequences that for some reason TV shows don’t like to highlight and if it does, the problem somehow wraps up in 30 minutes or an hour and all is good at the end.
There is a site called “abortionchangesyou.com” that has stories of real people and their real experience dealing with the emotional consequences of abortion. Some speak for themselves, others for a loved one. Either way its a stark reality check that life isn’t as simple as the fictional stories we see on our tv screens or movie theaters. It also gives a moment of pause for those battling between pro choice and pro life that amidst all the fighting and arguing, there are real people out there that we should be sensitive to especially as it has become such a prominent political issue.
Think: At current abortion rates, 1 in 3 women in the US will have an abortion by age 45.
My Child would have been 22 this year
As a teenager, I assumed legalized abortion was necessary for women to attain their educational and career goals. So it’s not surprising that when I became pregnant at 18, I had an abortion.I was completely unprepared for the emotional fallout after the abortion.
Reacting to Religion Based Movies
No one would argue that movies and TV shows have tremendous impact on our culture and our worldview. Where do you get your concept of courage? How about what an ideal friendship should be like? An ideal spouse? What is acceptable when it comes to violence or any moral decisions? What is culturally normal and not normal when it comes to how we treat different circumstances, especially circumstances we’ve never experienced but may experience in the future? Would you know how guns work, or how two lovers engage in love? Where did you (or your parents who told you) get the idea of “if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything”? (Which I would argue goes against the grain of reality, though really nice to cling onto).
It has always been interesting to see how nonchalant viewers are to all the culture defining messages found in film. Either they don’t see it, or they don’t care. However when it comes to a faith themed movie, there seem to always be strong reaction. It is treated differently. Below are some excerpt from Breakpoint which describes this situation. Though the article itself is directed more towards Christian I found it to be an interesting read.
When the Christian film Facing the Giants came out in 2006, far more interesting than the movie itself were the reactions to it. Mainstream critics were almost universally dismissive—it “feels like an overly earnest church sketch of the type many evangelical congregations use as a teaching tool on Sunday between the worship music and pastor’s message,”
And yet some enthusiastic viewers unwittingly gave the impression that they had enjoyed the film because it was their duty to do so. That impression was perhaps best summed up by Ted Slater of Boundless, who wrote, “Let’s not knock a movie that encourages faith in God.”
Media Perception of Beauty Revisited
Just wanted to let you all know that the onslaught video video link was fixed. If you find any other links not working please just leave a comment and it’ll be fixed right away.
For those who might not be familiar with the onslaught video, it is the one of the video that dove created in their “beauty” campaign where they tackle the issue of media’s influence on the perception of beauty. It followed a video called “evolution” that quickly went viral and had became a huge topic of discussion. It is a must-see video.
Note that you could click on one of the “categories” on the right to see the full list of entries by category. If you click on Video, you’ll see some great videos worth watching.
My Personal Favorites
Untitled – Great Video, beautifully made, wonderful story
Nickelback – Savin’ Me – Makes you think about the fragility of life. Puts life into perspective.
Please leave comments and share your thoughts!
Quick Hits – Media Impact on Children
Does Media have an impact on our children? This question is no longer a question but something validated through numerous studies over time. Yet why is it that most families continue to allow our children and teens to sit hours on end in front of a TV screen or bother to read up on or screen movies before allowing them to watch? Is it because of the convenience of using the TV as the ultimate babysitter? Is it because we don’t bother to really think about it and assume it our children and teens would know the difference of what is right and wrong? Is it because we have gotten used to the violence and sexual imagery used in almost every single TV show and Movie? Every single one of these points are probably true. We all know how much media affects us, how much more for the internet generation where every piece of media is only a click away?
I had such a fellow in my kindergarten who was very sensitive to television watching. In his play he always identified enemies, be they sharks, monsters or other children, and fortified himself and attacked them. Gradually, as TV was minimized in his life, (unfortunately it was never eliminated), his play became more social and less aggressive. However, several times during the year he visited his grandparents for a week at a time, where the TV was on most of the time. He came back in full attack mode. At such times he would push children down on the playground, and he would say to me, “They were going to hurt me,”
If the World was 100 People..
If the world consists of 100 people..
6 People own 59% of the entire wealth of the community
13 are starving or malnourished
If you have a refridgerator for your food
A closet for your clothes
A bed..
A roof..
You are richer than 75% of the world.
If you have a bank account you are one of the 30 wealthiest in the world
18 Struggle to live on $1.00 a day
53 Struggle to live on $2.00 a day
Untitled – Simple Plan Music Video – Permeating Effect of “Sin”
Simple Plan – Untitled – How Could This Happen to Me
This video is called Untitled (How Could This Happen to Me) by Simple Plan. It is a powerful music video. You can feel the feeling of regret and pain of having done something incredibly wrong. Though this video is mainly focused on the regret and consequences of drunk driving I want to highlight a scene that may be easily brushed off as something just “artistic”. I am referring to the scene near the end of the video of the family members flying across the screen. This is such a poignant scene. At first it may seem odd and wild, but this is what I would consider the permeating effect of sin. It is so tempting to isolate sin as effecting the “sinner”, but the truth is – it effects everyone around him or her.
Our Sins Permeating to Others
This video may be highlighting an extreme example of death, but this is true of any sin or wrong. We live a life in constant contact and asserting various impact (whether we like it or not) on those around us. Every small decision to do right or wrong, to be selfish or loving, to reach out or hold back effects the trajectory of our character. Little by little our character moves toward one direction or the another and throughout that whole process we are effecting the people around us. Our character defines the way we treat other people, what we may say to someone around us and the very way we behave around others. Their perception of life, perception of people, of love, of relationships, of perhaps the religion you stand for or whatever “category” you fall into all is shaped in the mind of others by you. There is an adage for Christians that says that nonbelievers don’t read the bible, they read Christians. This is true for all things. Whether its parents, friends or complete strangers we live in a web of relationships. We may want to believe that my life is my life and I can do whatever I want with it, but do we really live in the bubble called “my life” as much as we think? Could be true that the very decisions you make now will effect others as well?
Either way, the video itself is great and I am sure most people can relate to the sense of regret over things one has done and can’t take back.
Get Simple Plan MP3 Here
Simple Plan – Untitled Music Video
Download the Simple Plan Untitled Music Video
It’s $0.99 – 
Find the Simple Plan Album Here:
Originally released as “Untitled” as a single, then released again under the “Still Not Getting Any” album.
Sorry couldn’t get the link to work right, so just type in Simple Plan then find the Still Not Getting Any album below!
Download the Simple Plan Music Video Here
Casting Crown – Does Anybody Hear Her
Casting Crown – LifeSong
Casting Crown’s “Does Anybody Hear Her” from the album LifeSong, reveals the responsibility of not only Christians (as portrayed in the video) but people in general to live a life in consideration of those around them. There are a lot of people who struggle through life, go through hardships and many who will sooner or later struggle with the meaning of life. Life has a way of asserting reality and the sooner we come to grips with the broken world we live in, the better we are in dealing with it. Of course along the way there is a desperate need to reach for something or someone outside of ourselves because we weren’t made to go at it alone. It’s not easy to open oneself to the trouble of others, let alone strangers but this video highlights how we are all called to love.
Get “Does Anybody Hear Her” Here
Casting Crown is a contemporary Christian band. This video is obviously not intended to bash on church goers, rather highlighting the brokenness of the world and the desperate need for Christians to take heed of the call of needing to love those around them.