Some of us have grown up watching game shows on TV, such as The Price is Right and Hollywood Squares. Game shows are competitions where players are eliminated and in the end someone wins a prize. This sounds like Reality TV. The only difference is that Reality TV shows go on for several weeks where a game show changes players each time it.
Reality TV, just like movies, music, and books, follows a certain formula. The standard formula that almost all reality shows follow involves a competition, player elimination and the awarding of a prize. The prize is the main focus of the show. On American Idol, contestants are vying for a recording contract and on Survivor; the prize is a million dollars.
As Morgan (2006) writes, “Reality TV isn't new - game shows have been around since the 1940s and it's the same basic premise. Contestants, all vying for the same prize, compete with each other like the most bitter enemies” (para. 3). We, the viewing audience pick our favorites and cheer from our couches. Our favorites usually don’t win the ultimate prize so we keep watching and waiting in hopes that sometime they will.
The formula for Reality TV is what draws us in. According to Morgan (2006), “And in truth, the American viewing audience just loves game shows, so it's no wonder that we keep tuning in. Reality TV only makes competition more ugly, rivals more pronounced” (para. 4). The next time you tune into your favorite Reality TV show remember, it’s just a game – a game show that is.
References
Morgan, K.C. (2006, December 20) Why do we love reality TV? Retrieved June 14, 2009, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/106897/why_do_we_love_reality_tv.html?cat=39
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
4-1 Weekly Analysis
We don’t hear about them very often, but everyday heroes do exist. We may read about them in our local newspapers but very seldom do we ever see them on television. Reader’s Digest recently published an article about two of these everyday heroes. Heroes: Roadside Inferno tells the story of a man and woman truck driving couple, the Coopers, and another truck driver, Ronnie, who performed heroic acts on the same day.
Ronnie Sanders was running his truck route when he happened upon a van that had stopped suddenly in traffic on an icy road. He observed children in the backseat and knew instantly that the impact of the heavy truck would kill them. Acting on instinct, he immediately swerved to miss the van and his truck plowed down a steep embankment and collided instead with a pile of rocks. Ronnie’s truck caught on fire when the rocks pierced the gas tank.
At the same time, the Coopers were coming down the road and saw the truck on fire. They stopped and heard Ronnie screaming for help. Mr. Cooper ran down the embankment to help Ronnie who was already burning from the flames. It took him three tries but he eventually freed Ronnie from the burning cab and then he pulled off his shirt to put out the flames on Ronnie’s burning legs. Mr. Cooper had managed to pull Ronnie far enough away from the truck before it exploded.
Both Ronnie and Mr. Cooper performed heroic acts by sacrificing themselves to save the lives of others. According to Kersten (2009), “Ronnie spent two months in the hospital and received skin grafts on both his legs. He now wears compression garments for his scars and gets physical therapy twice a week.” As for Mr. Cooper he suffered a few minor burns and some smoke inhalation. They consider each other heroes.
Reference:
Kersten, J. (2009). Heroes: Roadside inferno. Retrieved June 11, 2009, from http://www.rd.com.
Ronnie Sanders was running his truck route when he happened upon a van that had stopped suddenly in traffic on an icy road. He observed children in the backseat and knew instantly that the impact of the heavy truck would kill them. Acting on instinct, he immediately swerved to miss the van and his truck plowed down a steep embankment and collided instead with a pile of rocks. Ronnie’s truck caught on fire when the rocks pierced the gas tank.
At the same time, the Coopers were coming down the road and saw the truck on fire. They stopped and heard Ronnie screaming for help. Mr. Cooper ran down the embankment to help Ronnie who was already burning from the flames. It took him three tries but he eventually freed Ronnie from the burning cab and then he pulled off his shirt to put out the flames on Ronnie’s burning legs. Mr. Cooper had managed to pull Ronnie far enough away from the truck before it exploded.
Both Ronnie and Mr. Cooper performed heroic acts by sacrificing themselves to save the lives of others. According to Kersten (2009), “Ronnie spent two months in the hospital and received skin grafts on both his legs. He now wears compression garments for his scars and gets physical therapy twice a week.” As for Mr. Cooper he suffered a few minor burns and some smoke inhalation. They consider each other heroes.
Reference:
Kersten, J. (2009). Heroes: Roadside inferno. Retrieved June 11, 2009, from http://www.rd.com.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Article Analysis 1-3
In the article Monster Masculinity: Honey, I’ll Be In The Garage Reasserting My Manhood, Peter Tragos discusses the causes of feminization of the masculine culture and how culture artifacts are being used to return men to their traditional roles.
It began with the post feminist era when the roles of women were redefined as strong and independent rather than subservient. While beauty is not what defines women, the traditional expectations of beauty and sexuality are expected to be maintained. As Tragos (2009) writes, “Unwilling to yield, or even share power, men accepted a new strong and independent woman as long as she fulfilled beauty expectations” (p.542)
The author explains that the man’s role today is more complex than it was decades ago. The ideology that “men were men” and women were weak no longer exists. Today’s man is more sensitive and attuned to his feminine side. Evidence of this fact can be found in the various magazines just for men that focus on the metro sexual male who is all about appearance and the latest style trends. Some of these magazines are GQ, Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Men’s Journal and Vanity Fair.
While the version of a more sensitive, feminine male is ever present in popular culture, a search is on by men who seek the familiar, comfortable aspects of manhood. To meet those every growing desires, various media are trying to return to the days of what the author calls “retrograde sexism”. Tragos (2009) states, “You can look at any magazine cover, pop music lyric sheet, or music video to find evidence that male chauvinism has returned and women are just objects of sexual desire” (p. 546).
Magazines such as Maxim, FHM, and Stuff are now prominently displayed and promote all things manly – sex, gadgetry, beer and sports. Even television networks have jumped on the bandwagon. Shows such as The Man Show on Comedy Central, feature a groups of guys hanging out, drinking beer, talking shop, and watching bikini-clad women. There is even a so-called network just for men – Spike TV. Oh, and let’s not forget about the Super Bowl half-time show that featured lingerie clad women playing football.
The main point of this article is that while various medium are promoting retrograde sexism there are two shows on the Discovery Channel that provide the male population an outlet to return to the more traditional roles of masculinity. Monster Garage and American Chopper focus on a place where men can be just men – the garage. The author states that men need a place where they feel accepted by other men. A place where there are no questions, no challenges and where masculinity is prevalent.
These desires are traced back to what the author calls the postwar hot rod culture. As Tragos (2009) writes, “When World War II G.I.’s returned to the California coast, they brought with them vigor, pride, accomplishment, a little bit of money, great new skills, and the need for speed” (p. 548). The objects of their desire were cars or motorcycles, both of which were either too expensive or hard to find. The solution was to make their own which gave rise to the birth of customized cars and bikes.
Our American culture is forever changing, along with roles and expectations of both men and women. As the saying goes, for every action there is a reaction. As a man’s masculinity was challenged to become more feminine, retrograde sexism appeared. Monster Garage and American Chopper are milder reactions to the change. Tragos (2009) states , “TV shows like Monster Garage and American Chopper fulfill the desire for men to safely return to the cave’s modern avatar – the garage – as a means of vicariously asserting their manhood through hyper masculine stars like Jesse James, the Teutul Boys, and their fantasy garages and alluring outlaw lifestyles” (p. 551).
Reference
Tragos, P. (2009). Monster masculinity: Honey, I’ll be in the garage reasserting my manhood. Journal of Popular Culture, 42(3), 541-553. Retrieved June 6, 2009, from Ohiolink electronic journal finder.
It began with the post feminist era when the roles of women were redefined as strong and independent rather than subservient. While beauty is not what defines women, the traditional expectations of beauty and sexuality are expected to be maintained. As Tragos (2009) writes, “Unwilling to yield, or even share power, men accepted a new strong and independent woman as long as she fulfilled beauty expectations” (p.542)
The author explains that the man’s role today is more complex than it was decades ago. The ideology that “men were men” and women were weak no longer exists. Today’s man is more sensitive and attuned to his feminine side. Evidence of this fact can be found in the various magazines just for men that focus on the metro sexual male who is all about appearance and the latest style trends. Some of these magazines are GQ, Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Men’s Journal and Vanity Fair.
While the version of a more sensitive, feminine male is ever present in popular culture, a search is on by men who seek the familiar, comfortable aspects of manhood. To meet those every growing desires, various media are trying to return to the days of what the author calls “retrograde sexism”. Tragos (2009) states, “You can look at any magazine cover, pop music lyric sheet, or music video to find evidence that male chauvinism has returned and women are just objects of sexual desire” (p. 546).
Magazines such as Maxim, FHM, and Stuff are now prominently displayed and promote all things manly – sex, gadgetry, beer and sports. Even television networks have jumped on the bandwagon. Shows such as The Man Show on Comedy Central, feature a groups of guys hanging out, drinking beer, talking shop, and watching bikini-clad women. There is even a so-called network just for men – Spike TV. Oh, and let’s not forget about the Super Bowl half-time show that featured lingerie clad women playing football.
The main point of this article is that while various medium are promoting retrograde sexism there are two shows on the Discovery Channel that provide the male population an outlet to return to the more traditional roles of masculinity. Monster Garage and American Chopper focus on a place where men can be just men – the garage. The author states that men need a place where they feel accepted by other men. A place where there are no questions, no challenges and where masculinity is prevalent.
These desires are traced back to what the author calls the postwar hot rod culture. As Tragos (2009) writes, “When World War II G.I.’s returned to the California coast, they brought with them vigor, pride, accomplishment, a little bit of money, great new skills, and the need for speed” (p. 548). The objects of their desire were cars or motorcycles, both of which were either too expensive or hard to find. The solution was to make their own which gave rise to the birth of customized cars and bikes.
Our American culture is forever changing, along with roles and expectations of both men and women. As the saying goes, for every action there is a reaction. As a man’s masculinity was challenged to become more feminine, retrograde sexism appeared. Monster Garage and American Chopper are milder reactions to the change. Tragos (2009) states , “TV shows like Monster Garage and American Chopper fulfill the desire for men to safely return to the cave’s modern avatar – the garage – as a means of vicariously asserting their manhood through hyper masculine stars like Jesse James, the Teutul Boys, and their fantasy garages and alluring outlaw lifestyles” (p. 551).
Reference
Tragos, P. (2009). Monster masculinity: Honey, I’ll be in the garage reasserting my manhood. Journal of Popular Culture, 42(3), 541-553. Retrieved June 6, 2009, from Ohiolink electronic journal finder.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Weekly Analysis 3-1
A ritual is any act carried out by an individual or group that has a symbolic value based on tradition or religion. Holidays and celebrations that we observe every year are examples of rituals. So have you ever wondered how Father’s Day became a ritual that we celebrate every June?
A special day was first proposed in 1909 by a Mrs. John Dodd who wanted to honor her father. William Smart was a civil war veteran and a single father who raised six children on a farm in the eastern part of Washington state (holidays.net, 2009). Mrs. Dodd realized after she grew up the sacrifices and courage that it had taken from her father to accomplish this task.
According to Holidays.net (2009), “The first Father’s Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington.” A presidential proclamation was signed by Lyndon Johnson in 1966 that officially declared the 3rd Sunday in June as Father’s Day.
We all have our special ways that we honor our dad’s on this day to let them know how much we love them and appreciate them but this day isn’t just for them but for every man who at times acts as a father figure to us or to someone else.
Reference:
History of Father’s Day (2009). Retrieved June 1, 2009, from http://www.holidays.net/father/story.htm
A special day was first proposed in 1909 by a Mrs. John Dodd who wanted to honor her father. William Smart was a civil war veteran and a single father who raised six children on a farm in the eastern part of Washington state (holidays.net, 2009). Mrs. Dodd realized after she grew up the sacrifices and courage that it had taken from her father to accomplish this task.
According to Holidays.net (2009), “The first Father’s Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington.” A presidential proclamation was signed by Lyndon Johnson in 1966 that officially declared the 3rd Sunday in June as Father’s Day.
We all have our special ways that we honor our dad’s on this day to let them know how much we love them and appreciate them but this day isn’t just for them but for every man who at times acts as a father figure to us or to someone else.
Reference:
History of Father’s Day (2009). Retrieved June 1, 2009, from http://www.holidays.net/father/story.htm
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