Blog 4/14/2010

The first article I've chosen describes the effect of sexually explicit images in the media on young children, especially young women. The authors, Sara Bragg and David Buckingham, question the severity of the impact of sex in the media in even the title, asking if these images are now "the facts of life (Buckingham and Bragg 2004). Several anecdotal examples are given throughout the passage which illustrate the widespread invasion of such imagery. This article states "Young people seem to be maturing physically- and showing an interest in sex- at an ever-earlier age," sexualization, the social process of teaching youth about their sexuality, is happening earlier (Buckingham and Bragg, 2004). The article calls this early desexualization ‘stealing the childhoods’ of young people in Britain and the United States. Buckingham and Bragg suggest cutting down on children’s exposure to magazines with sexual themes, television which portrays women in a sexual way and sexually explicit music. The problem with this theory is that sexual images are everywhere, even in advertising, there is no escaping these influences without complete isolation.

The second article explains the tricky situation of describing and measuring the extent and effects of violence displayed in the media. Three flaws can be described. George Gerbner of Temple University using the definition of violence as "the act or threat of injuring or killing another person," from the viewpoint there could be either much less or much more acts of violence in media that don't fall under this category (CITE). The diversity of definitions of acts of violence makes it difficult to compare and contrast studies of media violence, which has a dramatic effect on measuring the severity of it all. Second, the definite outcome of the study cannot be determined either. Some argue a direct correlation and some cite a causal connection between the two. Finally, the exposure children experience can vary by opinion and the individual. Scientists argue a psychological connection to violence can be created and children can respond violently to neutral situations. Several studies have been cited which demonstrate the subtle yet measurable outcomes of media violence. One such example included 24 children watching TV, half viewed a violent cartoon and half of the children viewed a nonviolent cartoon. The observers noted those children who watched the violent cartoon were more prone to break toys and act aggressively toward other children.

These two articles are somewhat useful in highlighting issues related with media violence and sexual imagery.

Works Cited:

Buckingham, David and Bragg, Sara (2004). Young People, Sex and the Media: the facts of life? Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Freedman, Jonathan L. (1994). Media Violence and It's Effect on Aggression. http://www.media- awareness.ca/english/issues/violence/effects_media_violence.cfm.

Group Essay-Tim Wise

The topic of racism is a delicate one in American society. America’s history of slavery and race related conflicts has desensitized us from seeing the subtle effects of racism that have big impacts on people of color. Racism in America is the same as white privilege which is usually defined by skin color (TIME WISE). Racism is the discrimination of others because of the color of their skin, this act is often an unconscious intolerance that has become standard due to a country based on racial separation. The inequality between white people and people of color has become prominent enough to effect the housing market, the job industry and the daily lives of individuals living in America.

Tim Wise, an antiracism activist from the South, explains the motivation behind whites discrimination against others to create a better opportunity for themselves “If people of color are discriminated against in employment, then that’s more employment opportunities for whites” (TIME WISE). This idea fuels the inequality between whites and those of color in the job industry and creates the want for whites to put others down. Tim Wise relates this idea to ‘pressure to perform’ that is placed on both whites and blacks, though intelligence is most often ascribed to race, besides in the case of whites. “We whites are able to be as incompetent or mediocre as we want and never have our mediocrity ascribed to our race” (TIM WISE).

This article helps me realize that there is not only privilege as a white compared to people of color but also as an American compared to the rest of the world. The similarities that whites and Americans have compared to blacks and the rest of the world are very intriguing. Just as whites have privilege to many jobs, Americans have privilege to a lot of food. Furthermore, that Americans might be hesitant to give up their advantage of easy access to food so that the rest of the world can eat. Also since whites have more opportunities for jobs and housing it leads to higher rates of poverty in people of color and this can affect their choices for foods. Being a white middle class student myself, it is hard for me to understand what it means to have to only eat fast food since that only what they can afford. I have always had the privilege of being able to go to a grocery store and get vegetables and fruits without much regard to price.

Overall Tim Wise’s interview was very beneficial to me. Not only did it help me understand the truth behind racisms but the privileges that go along with it. That a job not allowed to a person of color is another available for a white. Also that I need to be aware of my surrounding and constantly watching out for racism and privilege so that I can help society change. As well as the fact that there will always be people who don’t want to give up their advantage and just want to keep things as they are. Also this will greatly help me improve my paper 3, since it has helped me realize that we as Americans have a privilege over the rest of the world. This article has opened my eyes to the impact of racism and has helped me see that silence is not the answer but to spread the word of equality to help society change.

Choosing Sources for Writing March 29

Choosing appropriate, credible sources whose purpose is to support and justify the claims you make within your paper can be a difficult task. It is a crucial portion of writing an academic essay, whether or not sources are required for the paper being written. When I approach this daunting task I turn to Google Scholars to find articles from academic journals, magazine articles and newspaper publications. Google is such a diverse search engine you can easily switch between 'scholar' or 'news' or even 'images' to find the information you're inquiring about. I have had bad luck using the resources providing on the WSU Library website. Most journal articles must be requesting through the world library program and, though it is something that could use improvement, I am unwilling to request the document, wait for it and then finally use it in a paper whose due date could have long expired. When browsing the results of my google search, using the scholars filter, I look on the right side of the findings for the pdf option. This link to the 'portable document format' is a hint as to the credible of the document, at least that's what I believe. It seems to me, from personal experience and using other search engines, that those documents that have the pdf version available are more credible, to some extent, because you are able to view the entire work and the information needed for citing your results is included on the page. Once I've chosen a source I am able to use any part of the document because I have the whole thing available. I like to choose parts of the text that are emphasized, well worded and compact bits of information that display the point of view I intend to highlight but won't take up a page of writing to explain.

To improve my method of finding and using sources within my writing I think it would be beneficial for me to use the library computers for finding articles and journal publications. However with so much literature converted to online data bases it seems the education system will soon be changing to fit the technological advances that are taking place.

Norman Borlaug

Wow. Norman Borlaug is a very intelligent and motivated man. His ideas and proposals are revolutionary. The way Borlaug presents his thoughts are very different from how most people view genetically modified foods, often referred to as 'franken foods' like Frankenstein. However, there is a lot we can learn from his methods and a lot of good can come from the way he believes things should be done. Though, I can see how some people might be nervous about his concepts. The big words describing the process through which corn can be transformed into a product with higher protein, immunity to disease, and better resistance to pesticides does have a horror movie ring to it. It can be scary to think about someone messing with the GENES of the food you eat. Norman Borlaug has good intentions, he's trying to feed more people with the land, water, and other resources that we have available right now. His cutting edge methods are fixing the food system to include enough yield for all the people on earth, not just Americans. I would hope the government and those who disapprove of genetically modified foods would consider Norman Borlaugs ideas and give him a chance to feed the poor people in the world. "It's easy to 'NO GM FOODS' when you have enough to eat" That's so true, it's sounds like a good cause to get behind, organic all the way, but I think this is a plausible option for helping with world hunger.

The article I chose is about a food community related to the Bible. The Edenic diet comes from the Adam and Eve's Garden of Eden, and the foods they were assumed to have eaten. The article outlines what foods were included in the guidelines. Animals that both chewed the cud and had split hoofs, fish with both fins and scales were acceptable because they ate only plant matter. This assured the consumer they weren't eating any spoiled meat by way of the animal's diet. Flying insects with jointed legs for hopping are also an acceptable animal for eating when on the Edenic diet. There were several other articles that called this type of eating the 'Holy way to lose weight.' Which seems very contradictory. The Bible outlined this style of eating as being the original meal plan. The intention wasn't for humans to eat this way and lose weight, it was sustain their bodies. I think this would be an interesting food community to investigate for paper 3 because it's closely related to the Christian religion. However, not all Christians practice this way of eating. I am interesting in researching whether those on the Edenic diet really eat bugs with jointed legs, or bugs in general. It should be something exciting to study.

The Omnivore's Dilemma Ch. 15, 18, 19, 20

The reading for this week was a good portion of the book and had a lot of information that was hard to take in. The most interesting part of the reading was in Chapter 19 "Gathering: The Fungi." Pollan talks about the different ways that humans connect with nature and use their basic survival skills. Some examples he uses are gardening, hunting and gathering and building things. I've always been interested in gardening, from a nurturing standpoint. It's fascinating to me that with only a few ingredients something can be grown. It's a powerful feeling, seeing that little sprout pop up after a few days of careful watering and attention to sunlight. In my dorm I have two plants, one I got for Christmas, a miniature grass growing kit. A snowman shaped vessel 'grows' grass hair when you plant the seeds in his head. My other plant is a forget-me-not starter kit I got for Valentine's day. Pollan is right when he talks about how empowering it is to take care of something and once it's matured, reap the benefits of your labor. When my snowman's hair got long I gave him a buzz cut. Once my forget-me-nots blossom I'll be able to soak up their beauty. It's a what you put in is what you get out relationship and that is something all humans strive to find. Whether you enjoy going fishing or hunting Pollan is right that most humans interest themselves in a 'nature' hands-on project. And I am no exception.

The Omnivore's Dilemma 287-333

This section discussed the approach by the omnivore in food selection. Pollan references a study done by Rozin, in which rats and humans were observed in the way they select what to eat. I found it interesting the way a rat will test a small piece of a substance and wait to see if it makes them sick. If it does, they are able to connect the sickness to the yucky food they ate a half hour before, and code this into their brains so it doesn't happen again. Humans do much of the same thing. If Jack In the Box made me sick, I would be very hesitant to try eating there again.

Last semester I took Psychology and this semester I am in Sociology and Anthropology, the topics Pollan introduced about the cultural, and psychological aspects of food choice made a lot of sense to me since I could relate them to the things I've learned about in other courses. For example Pollan explains we relive the 'omnivore's dilemma' in deciding if eating meat is ethical. My dad always says "If God didn't want us to eat animals why did he make them out of meat?" This approach to Pollan's question is on the far end of the spectrum. The other end, the polar opposite, states that animals have feelings and rights just like people and deserve 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' without people trying to consume them. My opinion is people need to eat meat to survive and get all the nutrients they need. The circle of life includes living and die in accordance with the food chain. We should however, make our best attempts to be ethical and humane in the raising and processing of animals because they are capable of feeling pain and deserve this treatment.

Omnivore's Dilemma Ch. 10

The title of chapter sets the wheels in motion, "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Pasture" seemed like an opinion the 13 ways Pollan sees a pasture. This doesn't mean there aren't other ways to look at a pasture. The first idea Pollan brings up is a metaphor comparing a society of people is similar to a patch of grass. Each is made up of tiny parts that seem almost identical to the other 'individuals' around them. This is interesting once he expands on exactly what he means. Pollan uses an example in which he personifies the ideas and thoughts of cow when the animal is grazing and thus noticing the various varieties of grasses. This thought pulls together the patch of grass/ society metaphor by saying, to a grass novice, the individuals are indistinguishable. However to an expert in grasses, a cow, the patch has much more individuality. Other humans recognize the diversity of the blades of grass around them.

Later in the chapter Pollan makes a very impressionable statement; "In fact, grassing over that portion of the world's cropland now being used to grow grain to feed the ruminants would offset fossil fuel emissions appreciably." To even wrap your mind around how astronomical that trade-off is. However, there would surely be a big deal in feeding our nation's people. We have an ever-growing population and technology really needs to keep up with our growing numbers. This relates to our life right now. And Pollan does such a great job explaining that importance and the urgency behind it.

Omnivore's Dilemma Ch. 12, 13

"Slaughter" as chapter twelve is titled, has a passage within it's first couple pages where Pollan describes Joel's reasons for killing and processing his own chickens. These reasons extend a vast range of aspects including economic, ecological, political, ethical, and even spiritual. These seem a bit unclear, even to Pollan, until the process is described.

Immediately I picture an episode of Dirty Jobs where Mike Rowe is subjected to the icky tasks of private business owners. This reality TV cover helps me to read through the gory parts I'd rather skip. Pollan is such a good sport throughout too, which allows me to compare him even more to Mike Rowe. He begins by conquering his fear of killing a chicken. Simply reading about his experience made me sick to my stomach and also, deep down, appreciate those honest farmers who still raise and process their chickens by hand. At least, I guess, the chickens lived a somewhat normal life, not like factory raised chickens whose beaks are cut when they are days old to avoid pecking due to the literal absence of personal space for the chicks as they grow. It took me awhile to get through these two chapters because of the difficult subject matter. I'm not much of a meat-eater myself and didn't enjoy the bloody details of how they move from farm to food.

Chapter 9 "The Omnivore's Dilemma"

Chapter nine of ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma’ discusses the quickly growing organic side of the food economy. The idea that ‘Whole Foods’ is a more quality place to purchase groceries because of the ‘Supermarket Pastoral’ added onto the label. This little tid-bit of precisely worded material serves to connect the consumer with the people who raised the food he or she is buying and thus create a superficial relationship, which comforts the buyer into paying twice as much for this milk from cows that ‘live free from unnecessary fear and distress’. Pollan is amused by the tactics of advertisers to include such claims. However he himself shops at Whole Foods and feels better about the food he buys because of the conditions described that stimulate his imagination and help him to imagine a better life for the animals he’s exploiting.

Later in the chapter Pollan describes the government action taken in 1990 pertaining to the organic food market. The Organic Food and Production Act was passed by Congress which required the Department of Agriculture to establish national standards for the word ‘organic’. A battle ensued over how to define the money-making term. Finally a somewhat blurry line was established between what is and what isn’t appropriately organic. Gene Kahn and his followers argued for the allowance of synthetics in organic food, which contradicts the entire idea of organic, natural foods, while the organic farmers wanted recognition for keeping their products chemical free. In the end the blurry line stood fast, there is now such thing as a ‘microwavable organic TV dinner’.

The Omnivore's Dilemma Ch. 2, 6 and 7

While reading The Omnivore's Dilemma it's easy to picture what Michael Pollan is describing. He does a wonderful job of outlining exactly what it looks like, and that depth within his writing allows the reader, me, to stay with him in his explanations and friendly story telling. In chapter two Pollan begins to describe the farm and the methodology of farming the Iowa farmer George Naylor. Pollan speaks of his friend the farmer in a admirable way, and the story of Naylor's life is one that you'd hear from a grandparent around Christmas time. It's humbling to hear of the life of someone who lives off the land, mostly because that's becoming rare these days. There has been such a change in the corn industry that even the honest farmer has boughten into the idea of hybrid breeds of corn which can withstand the complimenting pesticides and the yield increasing use of special fertilizers. This change in the industry is innovative, yet tragic. The changes in corn have helped the plant become the booming commodity it is today, however inflation has created even more work for the farmer. A corn planter needs twice as much crop to make the same lousy amount of money that he could yield before the transformation. Corn is cheap these days.

Moving on to chapter six, Pollan begins to discuss what all this cheap corn has turned into. Due to the excess amount of the commodity corn is being made into much more than a side dish at the dinner table. Sweeteners, alcohol, cereal, even twinkies are derived from the yellow stuff. These items are now more readily available, and cheap, so the sales rise and so does the number on the scales in American households. Obesity is a raging problem in the United States largely because of the cheap calories produced from corn and fed to thrifty Americans. There is such an emphasis on weight in our culture and this critical factor makes Pollan's point hit home. We don't eat as healthy as we should, it is going to hurt us as a society, and yet it seems the only thing being done about it is creating more and more of the stuff that's hurting us.