Allies in Christ

As we navigate social media, it's easy to stumble upon a surprisingly negative and competitive tone when it comes to religion. So often we see many in our faith flaunting that we are the only true church. I don't blame them for their religious pride. I, too, sometimes adopt a smug air when it comes to religion. I love my church! I praise it for the joy it brings, the comfort it offers, and the knowledge it shares. I believe that I belong to the Church Christ established here on Earth--that's why I proclaim that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yet this zealous devotion sometimes can appear down-right condescending--especially throughout media platforms. We shouldn't discriminate against other religions because we believe that ours is "true-er" than theirs.  Such behavior and beliefs are self-defeating. We should be combining our efforts in bringing about goodness and virtue. When unwholesome media seems to permeate our TVs, Facebook feeds, blogs, and Youtube ads, the only way we can really combat it is by spreading our message. As we align ourselves with all decent media efforts in a kind and respectful manner, we bring others to Christ--because of the message we share as well as the way we choose to share it. Now is not the time to be prideful; all who represent Christ deserve our support.

#GirlsCan

I was really impressed by this Covergirl initiative. The premise of this campaign was to prove that girls are capable of scientific and technological advancements. They further address the importance of inner beauty, self-confidence, and disproving stereotypes (especially those regarding gender). I enjoyed this commercial because it showed powerful young women who discovered talents within themselves--it wasn't just another makeup company teaching girls that they have the potential to be beautiful if they use the right beauty products. Oh my goodness. It made me so happy. Watch it.

Bones as Wonder Woman

Guys. I love Bones. I'm only 3 seasons into it, but it has been a magical journey. It's such a unique television viewing experience because Dr. Temperance Brennan (aka "Bones") is such an unusual character. The show centers around Bones, a remarkably intelligent woman whose enormous cache of facts and logic makes her an unstoppable crime solver. She's so stinkin' cool, guys. Though pretty rough around the edges, she wins the trust and respect of countless coworkers and friends because of her honesty and sincerity--she is completely void pretense. She's incredibly rational and consistently relies on her own strengths to accomplish her goals. Honestly, she breaks nearly every female stereotype seen in TV today.

I could write a song about how wonderful she is....

Until I watched the Halloween Episode in season 3.

OH THE HORROR!



WHAT DID THEY DO TO HER????

Oh goodness. It made me so sad. Why did they need to make her wear a nasty outfit? She's my role model--she shouldn't be dressing like that! However, it did make a really really fun episode. And even though the costumes were super nasty, I was glad that they dressed her like a super hero because it served as a very satisfying contrast.

In the episode, she used critical thinking skills to discover a serial killer's lair and to track him down. She also was able to save a little girl and comfort a distressed friend--all while wearing her Wonder Woman costume. I ended up realizing that yes, she was dressed in what media portrays as a "super" outfit, but her behavior was able to supercede her appearance. As she achieved countless obstacle, I realized that the only thing heeding her progress was her silly little costume. She was a force to be reckoned with in spandex, yes, but she is also consistently unstoppable in every other episode as she rocks her lab coat. I learned that she was not what she wore, and that in this instance her actions spoke louder than her appearance. She was far more superior than Wonder Woman ever could be.

Dog With a Blog

For my coding project, I have been viewing television shows geared towards preteens and adolescents. The humor is often base and the plot lines are consistently predictable and unrealistic. But that's besides the point. What bothered me was the portrayal of their leading ladies. As I watched "Dog With a Blog", I was utterly shocked. The star of the show is a young teen girl...who only gushes about her boyfriend, and wears enough makeup, fitting clothing, and hair products to pass for a thirty year old woman. It broke my heart. I felt uncomfortable viewing her, recognizing that a 13 year old was more glamorous than I, but also because I realized that this girl was the new role model for tweens. It shocked me further as I looked at pictures of her from the previous season: the difference between the two was astounding. The fresh-faced, loose clothes, spunky little girl had been robbed of her carefree appearance in a matter of fifteen episodes! Yet, I think she was robbed of more than her wardrobe. Her character was quickly revolutionized from a kid that was completely absorbed in her love for her dog, to a young woman whose dialogue only revolved around crushes and boys. It's tragic. I wish I had something more remarkable to post about this subject, but I'm too bummed about it to think of something profound to say...the only words that come to mind are "ick", "bummer", "gross", etc.


Season One Images:










AND......

SEASONS TWO AND THREE







***Granted, the young lady is consistently dressed appropriately--nothing revealing or terribly provocative, which is actually pretty refreshing. But the whole basis THE DOG ON THE BLOG, was hardly mentioned anymore...because she was too busy flirting! Yikes.
There's so much that needs to be said regarding the implications of media portrayals on young ladies. But I won't delve into it. I'll just say this: we are what we watch. As we continue to show girls TV content where characters are only good for flirting, young ladies are going to adopt a similar perception of their own worth.

Normal Relationships

I was raised in a conservative, Christian home; I was surrounded by conservative, Christian neighbors; and I only had conservative, Christian role-models in my life. I had wonderful, dedicated relationships to reference as I grew up. I always knew what ideal relationships looked like. But I couldn't help but wonder, as I grew up, whether these relationships were applicable to me. I figured that my parents, neighbors, and the parents of my peers were wonderful models of how a desirable relationship should look like, but that I could not personally relate to them because I was a young woman living in the 21st century. I began to assume that these lovely relationships were ideal--but not particularly realistic. I mean, I grew up in a utopia--Utah is, after all, quite removed from what one would experience in other parts of the world. Since I grew up surrounded by Mormons, I could only compare relationships to what I'd seen in a Mormon context.

Where, then, did I look for "real-life" examples of relationships? Well, Grey's Anatomy and Friends, of course. Those shows portrayed relationships that I knew I would never encounter in my small hometown of Centerville, Utah. And though I certainly never aspired to the depicted relationships in these shows, I did assume that their characterizations of love and romance might be more close to what I might experience than the blissful yet dull characterizations I saw at home. I assumed that what I witnessed at home was idyllic, but something that I couldn't personally aspire to. I figured that my parents and neighbors were remarkably lucky, but that I would have to be a little more cautious because relationships simply weren't that squeaky-clean today. I assumed that my home life was far too removed from what really happens in the world.

This makes me so sad. I mean, how does that even MAKE SENSE? Television is more realistic than the things I see in real life???

 No. I refuse to believe that. While sexual promiscuity, including relationships based on sexual gratification as opposed to personal commitment, may be becoming the increasingly popular norm of our culture today, that does not change the fact that ideal circumstances can be MY normal. Yes, my parents' committed relationship does not match what we would expect to see in the "real world", but why on Earth does that matter? It thrived in MY world! I lived it--and so I know that it can be achieved.

I'm not going to lower my expectations about love, dedication, and fidelity in relationships. The experiences of my family and friends may not be "normal"--but I dare say that I knew that from the start. They've always been much, much better.

Email=Efficiency?

Many of my friends rave about the supposed efficiency of email. 

"You can avoid awkward conversations with email."

"You can reply at any time. There's no pressure."

"It's SO MUCH FASTER."

Well, I think they're all full of it. Emails are less than efficient. It would be faster for me to simply walk the twenty minutes across campus than to write a simple email.

Why? Oh, you know, just because I'm the type of person that over-analyzes. Every. Stinking. Thing. 

Honestly truly, it takes me twenty-five minutes to write a one paragraph email. I'm never certain whether my joke is going to come off as sarcasm or if it's not obvious enough to be a joke so that it's instead perceived as a really really dumb comment. But if  I leave it out, I might be considered far too serious and boring. So then I overcompensate, by including smiley faces and exclamation points after every comment. This results in my email appearing to be written by a giggly 12 year old girl...which is just marvelous.

By the time I finally compose the letter, and I'm about to press the send button, I begin to wonder: did it take me too long to respond? Oh my goodness. Are they going to assume that I'm not committed enough to them to email quickly? Do they assume that I'm incompetent because it took me so long to email back? Or worse, do I seem overeager by emailing them so quickly?

Oh heavens. It's just the worst. 

Oh my goodness. Look how great this is! With the recent push by church leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to flood the world with the gospel, LDS.org has also pitched in to make church more easily shared through social networking and pinterest. Those little sweethearts have even begun creating their own "memes" of inspirational quotes. Here are some of my favorites:

Living Beneath My Privileges

"You are growing up with one of the greatest tools for good in the history of man: the Internet. With it comes an elaborate buffet of choices. The abundance of choice, however, carries with it an equal portion of accountability. It facilitates your access to both the very best and the very worst the world has to offer. With it you can accomplish great things in a short period of time, or you can get caught up in endless loops of triviality that waste your time and degrade your potential. "
--Randall L Ridd, April 2014

Isn't it cool how I have access to nearly every form of media on my Iphone? In class we've discussed ads, music, books, TV, and video games. Check, check, check,check, and check. We haven't yet talked about social networking sites, but BOOM those are accessible through my Iphone too. Surfing the internet is also a possibility through my phone, and of course there's the means of using my phone to communicate through text messages, phone calls, skype, and snapchats.

What I'm trying to get at is that I have unlimited potential through my phone. Unfortunately, I consistently live beneath my privileges.

I have access to all forms of information--but I usually only access IMDB.
I have a variety of apps that educate me about the gospel--but I only use them on Sundays because I don't want to carry my heavy scriptures.
I have databases full of educational and riveting videos--but I only use Youtube as a means of looking up funny cat videos.

I hope that we can remember the privilege we are entrusted with when we can use such powerful, enabling technology! If we are wise, we literally can use these devices to transform ourselves. We can become like God with these things. It's just a little concerning to me that these devices are often drawing me further, rather than nearer to my Heavenly Father.

Here's one last great quote from our church leadership:

There is much that is good with our easy access to communication and information. I have found it helpful to access research articles, conference talks, and ancestral records, and to receive e-mails, Facebook reminders, tweets, and texts. As good as these things are, we cannot allow them to push to one side those things of greatest importance. How sad it would be if the phone and computer, with all their sophistication, drowned out the simplicity of sincere prayer to a loving Father in Heaven. Let us be as quick to kneel as we are to text.
--Ian S. Ardern, "A Time To Prepare", October 2011

Small Potatoes

As my niece and I were watching TV today, a music video began playing. We were immediately entranced by this brief music segment. The stars of the segment were....SINGING POTATOES.

Needless to say, it was remarkably bizarre. 

My niece and I were a little disturbed by the whole experience. I mean, seriously: just watch it. 

After the song finished I turned to my niece to make sure she wasn't permanently and emotionally scarred by the experience. 

"Audrey, ummm. What did you think of that song? Are... you okay?"

Audrey stared at me. Her eyes were wide open, and her lips seemed to almost quiver. Finally, after what seemed like an endless pause, three year old Audrey responded:

"Mandy. Those potatoes weren't even wearing pants. That's so gross."

It's Exhausting

One of my favorite movie clips comes from "He's Just Not that Into You". In the clip, Drew Barrymore's character Mary explains how with technology, we have unlimited means of receiving rejection by men. It's hilarious, because it's very true. Gone are the days where a man simply says "I"m not interested". Instead, you notice that their responses to your texts are delayed. When you post something on their Facebook wall, they simply like it without responding or they might untag themselves from a picture. And then there's telephone etiquette--is it ever appropriate to have a DTR over text? If a date invitation is carried out via a voicemail, are you allowed to also reject them by leaving them a voice message? In Mary's own words, technology truly does make relationships "exhausting".

General Conference

Some claim that media is a negative resource, one that only transmits negative messages and images, and that often robs children of their innocence. I've been known to join this negative mindset, viewing media as the perfect scapegoat for society's problems.

Yet after watching eight hours of completely wholesome media this weekend, I recognized how one-sided my faulty thinking has been. How remarkable that satellite broadcasting can enable the inspired words of God's prophets to be spread across the world--reaching the 15 million members of this church!

I'm truly humbled that our Heavenly Father has allowed the development of this technology, which can transmit his words so quickly to his children. I realized that the sweet spirit I felt was brought to my home, using a (supposedly treacherous) television as its medium.

I love general conference. I love God's word. I'm so grateful that millions of God's children, dotting 130+ nations of this world, were able to listen to his words.

Youtube Viewing History

Sometimes, do you ever just want to sneak into your crush's Youtube viewing history? I mean, it basically tells you everything you need to know about that person: their favorite music, movie quotes, and funny clips. But Youtube's expanse of influence is much bigger than that. You don't just learn about a person's interests, but about the means by which they procrastinate--and how long they need to rejuvenate themselves by watching cat videos before they're ready to dive into their research papers again. You might learn what their aspirations are, based upon the "How To" and "Do It Yourself" videos they watch. Heavens, you might even learn about their guilty little pleasures, such as a need to listen to Britney Spears when they're sad on a Friday night. And with the push to make the Church a more global organization through the utilization of technology, you can even see how often a person chooses to view inspirational videos. As I'm now reflecting on what I've watched on Youtube, I realize that I'd be mortified by the things others would learn about me! I never view anything that is truly unwholesome or shameful, but I worry that I waste my time on things that really don't edify and enlighten. 

I truly believe that we are what we view. I'm making a goal, starting now, to watch more uplifting media. Not because I worry about what others might find, but because I want to be more accountable for my actions. So much of what we view on the internet is done within the safety of our bedrooms, behind closed doors--beyond anyone else's supervision. I hope that I can become a person that "virtuous, lovely, and of good report" regardless of whether the door is open or shut. 

Fake Punches

We all know that TV viewers are prone to mimic what they see on television. Thanks to countless studies regarding TV content and aggressive behavior, we know that physical aggression on the screen is often mirrored in real life. 

I've never been too concerned about this correlation, since I'm a big fan of sappy romances and happy endings. I don't think I've ever been accused of watching too much bloody or violent content. However, I am a big fan of cheesy shows about justice, like Matlock, Walker Texas Ranger, and MacGyver. These shows aren't morbid--there's rarely any blood or macbre displays of physical beatings. The fake punishes and exaggerated groans and falling down after a "fatal" hit are incredibly entertaining. I never feel gloomy after these shows...I usually feel pretty perky. 

But I have to wonder--is TV violence still impactful even when it's obviously unrealistic? Even though these shows aren't gruesome, can they still have an effect on me? I'm too lazy to do the research, but I'm just curious. 

Why we love Hallmark

Hallmark movies are known for their cliche story lines full of unbelievable plot twists and impossibly closed-minded or naive characters. Within five minutes of the film it's obvious who the intended lovers are, and another twenty minutes into the movie can reveal how their love will be tested. And almost every one of these love-testing trials are easily resolved through an embarrassingly public proclamation of love--usually at an airport if at all possible. The characters on these movies often simultaneously possess the worst and best of luck I've ever seen. They usually are unusually attractive...or unusually weird looking (and possibly even deformed).
Needless to say, these films are low-quality. They're predictable. They are unrealistic.
But I think that's why I love them. I mean, who doesn't just relish an escape from reality? These films give me hope that one day I will waltz right into a predictably perfect love story...with an unusual looking man who simply can't act.

Balto: Based on a True Story

My friends insisted that I watch "Balto", a touching film about an ostracized half-dog-half-wolf-full-hero who--with the help of his trusty sidekick Boris the goose--exhibits selfless kindness to all creatures (including polar bears), harnesses his inner-wolf heritage as a means to lead his dog sled team back to safety, overcomes society's preconceived notions of his self-worth (even when they accused him of being a worthless and wild wolf), rises to his true potential as a phenomenal sled runner, rescues a small town from a diphtheria outbreak, and woos the foxiest dog in Nome, Alaska.
After watching the film, I felt totally pumped up. Man. I was going to resist peer pressure, I was going to find true love, and I most certainly was going to befriend polar bears (who according to the film are notorious for having speech impediments and low IQs). After such a life-changing experience with this animated children's film, I was only too pleased to learn that the movie was based on a TRUE story!

I eagerly hopped onto Wikipedia to learn the truth of Balto. He indeed led a dog sled team to carry the diptheria toxin to Nome, Alaska--but was one of 22 teams. He did save those sweet children from a diptheria outbreak--but did so along with the help of countless other dogs and sled drivers. He overcame peer pr--well, no. He actually didn't really do that. He befriended geese and polar bears--well technically, no he didn't do that, either. He accepted his wolf heritage--okay, again, no. He didn't actually have a drop of wolf in him.

Needless to say, I was a little bummed. I guess media has the ability to use the term "based on a true story" loosely.

Singing In the Rain--Lipception

Singing in the Rain is a classic 1952 film packed with glittered costumes, sappy love songs, and incessant dance numbers. I love it. It's a unique show to watch, because it honestly feels more like a collection of performances than an actual story! But, disregarding the numerous show-stopping dances, the film does have a pretty enjoyable plot. It takes place in Hollywood, 1928 after the introduction of "talking" movies. The main character is a handsome and successful actor who is worried that his career will now flop since the actress he's always been paired to act beside in silent films has a grating voice in real life. He fears that their films will fail since her voice is so terrible, so he gets another young lady to be the "voice" of the squeaky actress. The young lady ends up providing all of the vocals for the film. When the public realizes that the squeaky-sounding actress was lip syncing, they decide that though she was lovely and dignified, she lacked real talent because she couldn't provide dialogue and singing for her films. The lip-syncer ultimately ends up destroying the squeaker's career. It's a fun film, until you realize that IT WAS A HOAX!

My roommate let me know while we were watching the show last night that the girl who played the lip syncer was actually lip syncing the majority of the songs in the film. And the lovely voice that she provided for the squeaker--yeah, it wasn't the lip syncer's voice either. In fact, the actress who played the squeaker provides the lovely voice that she's supposed to be lip syncing. The squeaker is lip syncing to a voice that the lip syncer is lip syncing to, which is actually the squeaker's original voice. It's like inception, only more confusing. It's LIPCEPTION.

Once Upon a Time Season 1: Dreamy

"You can do anything as long as you can dream it!"

I'm always a little bit nervous when a television drama tries to teach its audience a moral. I don't know, it's rare for a TV show to remain loyal to its exciting storyline while also sharing a good message. In this episode's case, I found the if-you-can-believe-it-you-can-achieve-it message hard to swallow...because it really didn't seem too moral to me! At the end of the episode I didn't feel enlightened or inspired--I kinda felt motivated to rob a bank or something.

Basically, the episode was about a grumpy man (Grumpy the dwarf, if you must know) whose pessimistic attitude, according to the other characters, was to blame for his unsatisfactory life. The grouch was told that he could attain anything he hoped for--no dream was beyond his grasp. Well, in this case his dream was to impress a young woman by successfully selling 1,000 candles. Unfortunately, he had little success after pursuing multiple advertising routes. Determined to sell his candles--and ultimately attain his dream--the man, through vandalism, caused a city-wide power outage so that people were forced to buy his candles. The episode ended with Grumpy wooing the girl, and receiving approval from his friends. A true happy ending, teaching us that we can achieve anything we desire--as long as we stoop to criminal levels. 

Another Class Blog.

So. The last time I used this blog was almost two years ago. I made it for one reason: to get class credit.
It was a really touchy-feely class, where you documented memories, feelings, and impressions. With that being said, if by some chance one of you cute classmates from my Media class ends up on my blog--will you please NOT judge me? Because that'd be great.