Our Culture Turned Upside Down

Culture

Culture in today's society can be defined as a group of people's way of life based on the media, their environment, and predisposed notions that we are born into. Culture shapes the way each individual person grows up. All around the world we are immersed in different cultures. Depending on where you are born or where you have grown up will essentially shape your values, beliefs, and your own individual actions.

Media

In today's society media plays a major role in influencing the direction of your life. Any news station or newspaper for that matter will always have a specific bias no matter what. Basically, the media will always try to make you think a certain way which directly effects culture. Culture is based off of the ideas that people as a whole accept. For instance when we are watching the news we are influenced in a certain way to think or accept a certain idea. Media directly influences us a society by using propaganda. Propaganda is a tool that the government uses to make us think positively or negatively about a certain subject. IN today's society information is not hard to find. Almost all American families have at least one computer in their home or a television. This allows us to have a connection with the rest of the world. We are opened up to a sundry of cultures. In certain countries technology is not a part of their culture so their culture is based off of the world around them. Hence, the fact that certain cultures are shaped differently because of ignorance.

Society and The People Around You Shape Your Culture 

Culture shapes a society as a whole. So one idea instilled into a whole group of people will majorly effect any single person's action, beliefs, or values. As an individual in today's world I  am effected each day by my peers, the media, and the political views of my heritage. As an American I am tought that democracy is number one and that as a nation we are the best, but imagine being born in Afghanistan or in Bulgaria would my views not be completely different? the answer is of course, when you are raised in a certain place or by certain parents their own culture will influence your thoughts and ideas about specific subjects. Popular culture has a major impact on the type of person you become whether you like it or not. Culture will always determine certain ideas or characteristics of the person you become. 

Free Culture

In society today their are three major factors that determine a culture; media, history, and an individuals opinion. The basis of any culture  is the history. Each country or society through out our whole world has its own personal history. For instance, the United States of America is a very young but powerful country. We broke away from Great Britan which in turn made us independent and a democracy. Every individual that is truly an American believes in freedom, meaning that our culture is free. If you are from a different country your society might not think that way. In the MIddle East for instance, women do not have the same rights as men. Their culture has  led them to believe a certain idea or thought of a specific culture. In the end each individual culture essentially shapes the way of life of each society.

Surroundings Will Shape Your Culture  

Culture is a way of life. Different countries or nations each have their own way of doing things. No matter what you believe or what you think your culture has a direct impact on your own individual opinion. The media, your heritage, and your own personal beliefs will always morph your individual opinions based on your own external factors.

 

16 & Pregnant Teaching The Birds & The Bees Talk

16 and Pregnant

Through the media we are exposed to so much more then ever before.  We are able communicate across the world in seconds and even talk to people in outer space.  With all the technology that we have today, we have the opportunity to not only teach but show the consequences for your actions.  The show 16 and pregnant is about teenage girls that are getting ready to have a child, also showing a glimpse of the life they will end up with.  Today people are concerned and actively protesting the show's motives.  The argument is that it is glorifying teen pregnancy and resulting with more intentional pregnancies.  Seeing the hardships of no money, un supportive families, the downfall of 'the perfect relationship' and the exhaustion of no sleep with crying babies are not appealing.

The Birds and The Bees Talk Needs To Be Talked About More

From the beginning of time we have mimicked the behaviors of others and following the words of our parents.  Parents today are becoming more and more conservation and not having 'the birds and the bees' talks with their children.  They are leaving these important talks to some of the schools that will teach it and the uneducated friends.  Teens are given a false sense of security when it comes to sex and are lax to the idea of pregnancy.  By having a show like 16 and Pregnant, we can teach accurate information regarding sex, preventatives, healthy relationships, and in the case of an accidental pregnancy, a healthy way of resolving the fear.  People that are wanting to have the show cancelled are concerned that 16 and Pregnant will serve as a false hope in becoming famous.  Understanding the concept of the show and the episodes that have been aired, you will then understand that they are not being portrayed in a luxurious light but a documentary setting.

Maci & Farrah From Season One 

In the first season, we got to see what it was like for Maci to experience pregnancy in HighSchool and see what it is like amongst peers judgments.  She went from being a popular cheerleader to finding out who her real friends are.  Once you are expecting, you no longer have anything in common with the standard high school student.  She thought she was in a good relationship to soon find that her boyfriend (then fiance then ex) was lazy and not capable of growing up.  The daily challenges that she experienced in trying to raise her son, work and school was truly impossible with out the support of her family.  We also got to meet Farrah.  The father of her daughter Sophia tragically passed away in a car accident.  Farrah's parents did not approve of the father so he never even knew he was expecting.  We learned the hardship of family coming together during a time like this, but the abuse (from her mother) could not stay hidden.  Farrah also holds so much resentment from the lack of approval of her daughters father that it has become toxic in her life. 

 Realistic Portray of Being 16 And Pregnant

The show is very controlled and edited in a way to be sure to always offer assistance.  For all forms of abuse, they make clear announcements that it is not okay and they should go to loveisrespect.org.  Famous celebrity doctor, Dr. Drew even holds specials regarding this show.  They discus the things that people do not talk about.  Domestic physical and verbal abuse.  They show the world what these teens experience  as a platform to spread the awareness.    They talk about different preventatives and do not preach about abstinence (but do provide the information).  16 and Pregnant offers a realistic portrayal of todays teenager. Rater then instilling fear and disgust over an accidental pregnancy, 16 and pregnant shows support groups and information.  So many teens commit suicide over the fear of telling their families, die from unsanitary at home abortions or become a run away. People learn from their mistakes.  If it takes a TV show to show teens everywhere how serious it is to have a child then so be it! 

 

What Happens When Being Irresponsible

The teens casted are from all over the country and are in different situations.  The experiences these girls have had to go through are intense and make you really feel all the fear, frustration and hope they are experiencing.  Just watching the show brings forth issues that had never even crossed my mind until now. For example I think that sex is something so common in todays society that people don't even realize the severity of unprotected sexual encounters not to mention having recreational sex. I think the show really shows that there are consequences for being irresponsible and shows just how short your life really can be cut short. It also shows another alarming trend, which is parents not willing to accept the responsibility of parenthood when it is so unexpected. Which I think any moral being or decent person will realize is highly unfair to an infant. The show has even shown people doing what they think is right by giving there babies up for adoption but showing just how hard it really can be. There have been cases on the show where they truly felt an abortion was the best choice for them,  Watching the show, one doesn't real even think of abortion as an option but rather makes you realize it is just smarter to be responsible and wait until you are truly ready to start a family. I cant fathom what it would be like to be pregnant so young but I do know that after seeing a few of these episodes I will be waiting for a long while.

16 and Pregnant Being Educational 

We need to continue to have shows that are educational.  I understand  that this is a 'reality' show, but the message is sending it true and sincere.  We have an epidemic of children giving birth to children.  The only resolution to teen pregnancy before was abortion.  16 and Pregnant shows that it is possible to keep the child and to not give up your morals to resolve 'the matter'.  Many girls will even try to 'trap' their boyfriends by getting pregnant.  They feel/see their relationship is coming to an end and feel that this is truly the love of their life, not knowing that they lack the life experience to come up with such an idea.  16 and Pregnant has shed the light on this issue and show that this will never save a relationship.  Children just create more stress which will then lead to more fighting/resentment. 

Showing The World 

16 and Pregnant open the eyes of the world to see what is truly going on.  There is nothing easy about having children or getting pregnant.  By having shows like this one, it really makes people talk and discover the truth.  I know that this show has created a positive impact on the world, and we all do not want to be that teenager that is having a baby.  Their life is truly over as they knew it and we can see it rather then just hearing it!

The News You Watch

Channel 11 News VS Local News

Some people turn their TV’s on in the mornings so they can listen to the news while they get ready for their days. The news is a big part of peoples lives. Some people read newspaper to get a fix of the daily news. Some people choose to keep up with the news through weekly news magazines such as TIMES. Some people listen to the news on their radios in their cars on their daily commutes to and from work. And some watch the news on TV. The news on TV is very convenient because it runs many times a day like inn the morning, afternoon, and night. The news can be watched so you can be updated with important things going on around you. If you do watch the news on TV, what channel do you prefer to watch? Do you watch one specific channel? Or do you change between channels to see what every channel has to offer? If you do watch the news you are probably aware that FOX 11 news is known to be very conservative. While all the other channels are known to be more liberal. And if you compare FOX 11 news to other channels on the “fun-o-meter” there are other channels that are known to be more fun. Which brings up which news channel is the best?

Biased News
Everybody is given the right to an opinion. And that is exactly what the FOX 11 news is known for; having their opinion. Other channels are known for having their opinion too, but just like in sports, there are biased announcers even though there aren’t supposed to be any. And I guess you can say that FOX 11 is biased compared to other local news channels. If you were to put all the news stations on the political spectrum, you would notice that a lot, if not all of the news channels were on the left, leaning to the democratic side. The news channels that are more on the liberal side just tend to be more open in how they view different things. They do not tell you what should be done to help or economy, they simply provide how our economy is doing. The do not tell you that the President is doing anything wrong, they simply tell you what the President is doing. They don’t do this because they believe these issues are open topics and they do not want to be bias. FOX 11 news lays more towards the middle of the political spectrum. They are considered to be conservative, with views that are sometimes leaning towards the right, which is the republican side. FOX 11 is the type of channel to say that we need less taxes. They think they know exactly how to run the country and they don’t think that Obama is doing a good job. Have you wondered why this is? It is mostly because of the owners. Whoever owns these news stations is either a democrat or a republican. 

Best News Channel
Which news channel is most popular? Which channel is the best? There is probably no specific answer for it, but everyone has their opinion. FOX news and CNN are among the most popular. If you ask 100 people, close to or around 50 out of 100 will say that either FOX or CNN is their favorite. Everybody knows that FOX is more biased and that is what people don’t like about it. CNN news is claimed to be neutral and they do a pretty good job with that with only a little things that are a little conservative. Everybody has their own news channel that they like the best. It may not be either FOX or CNN, it may be KTLA 5 news. Pretty random but it’s a news station. Channel 5 is considered to be a pretty fun news channel compared to FOX 11. Channel 5 will break out of the economic news to give you news that is going on near you. It keeps you
updated on things like arrests, car crashes, burglaries, and even an news that have
happened with animals.

Differences Between KTLA & FOX
By doing research, I watched the FOX 11 news and the KTLA 5 news at the same time; flipping channels. From what I noticed, KTLA 5 went into much fuller detail when covering stories. When FOX had only two minutes of a story, KTLA had about five to seven minutes. FOX 11 had some stories going out of the regular political world news and went into the local news. KTLA mostly stayed on the local news. I saw some of the same news on both channels and FOX was definitely more conservative. Just be watching for a few minutes it was easy to tell. I don’t watch the news much but when I do I watch KTLA 5 news and I was able to tell the difference. I like the fact that KTLA is more liberal because I dint think it is right to be bias especially when it comes to the news. To me, FOX looks like they are trying to be too professional. After flipping back and forth, it was easy to tell that KTLA is more friendly and talkative towards each other while FOX was strictly just news, no smiles or laughs. 

Conservative & Liberal
When you compare the FOX news to other local news stations, you get that FOX news leans more towards being a conservative news station rather than the other local news stations which tend to lean more towards the liberal side of the political spectrum. This depends on the political views of the owner of the news stations. FOX 11 news tends to be more biased when compared to other local news stations. And after watching both FOX news and KTLA news for an hour, it was clear that FOX news is more conservative. They are not afraid to show what they believe in. After flipping back and forth from FOX news and KTLA news, it is also apparent that FOX news tries to have more of a serious news sessions rather than KTLA who is not afraid to have some fun while they are giving the news. 

The Hidden Secrets Of Cosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan 

Sex, naked, boyfriend, thighs, irresistible lips are but a few of the tantalizing words

 that this month's Cosmopolitan magazine's cover used to seduce us to purchase their magazine.  The covers of every Cosmopolitan magazine scream sex and are directed at the consumer, which is the young woman in their sexual prime.  Scantily dressed, often famous women ooz sex appeal set against vibrant hot colored back grounds.  Sex sells and they definitely play the sex card.

Self Worth 

Cosmopolitan not only talks about sex, but it makes women feel that they must sexify themselves in order to have men notice them.  In order to get a man the Cosmo  

girl must be the greatest at sex, learn all the hottest sex moves, wear the sexiest clothes, and over all look perfect and be the perfect sexy girl.  The cultural ideal that the magazine 

portrays is all about sex, it defines who young women have to be, the values they have to set or ignore to be a desirable woman.  Promiscuity is glamorized, skanky dress is encouraged, and competition with women is established.  It makes women feel worthless except for their ability to attract men.  The body image that the magazine promotes is stick 

thin, has a big bust, silicone induced, puffy lips, big butt, and other unrealistic proportions that real women don't naturally come in.

Younger Women Are More Provocative 

The shock value of sex has diminished greatly due to Cosmopolitan reaching women for over fifty years.  Cosmopolitan has changed generations of women across the world.  Increasingly more provocative each year, sex has continued to be the draw and the 

success of this magazine.

Sexy Advertisements 

In the body of the magazine Cosmopolitan promotion has a page directing readers to find Cosmopolitan on ipad.  The ad reads loudly, "SEXY FUN AT YOUR 

FINGERTIPS!"  Cosmopolitan is advertising themselves on the web and on the news stand with the same tactics, sex.  An article on how to meet men in the March issue tells 

readers that one of the best ways to meet men is at the ipad display at the Apple store where men are playing with the new product.  Conveniently Cosmopolitan is available on ipad and it is their new promotion.  Ipad has sold over six million ipads world wide (CBS News, February 2011).   This is a huge platform for Cosmopolitan to launch their magazine.

Who Reads Cosmo 

     The demographics of the Cosmopolitan reader show us that sixty percent of the readers are age eighteen to thirty-four.  The medium age of the reader is thirty years and seven months.  The average income is $27,044 for individual income and the average house hold income is $62,620. sixty-two percent attended or graduated from college and fifty two percent have children (Cosmo Demographic Profile).  The Cosmo reader is educated, 

employed and has a high disposible income.  The age of the reader is surprising as thirty 

years old is higher then the twenty something MTV generation that you would expect the 

reader to be.

What Cosmo Articles Teach You 

Young women who read the articles in Cosmopolitan learn that it is important to know what turns you on sexually and more importantly what turns him on.  There is an emphasis to think about sex all day.  By using your sexuality to get your needs met really hurts women.  Girls often end up loosing their self esteem and this results in a life of 

expecting less then what life should offer you.  The young readers, especially young teens 

see their older sisters or parents reading this material and falsely believe that it displays expectable even desirable behavior.  They see them acting out sexually and these are the young teens role model.

Sex Quiz 

The Sex Quizzes distinguish what type of sexual person that you are.  By choosing 

more of letter A, B, C or D you find out if you are more tactile, visual, verbal or if your 

pleasure MO (motivation) is novelty.  Figures portray sexual positions for each category.  

You begin to determine who you are by your answers to a sex quiz.  It is ridiculous, makes 

women feel like sexual objects and in the end gets in the way of women obtain solid morals and values.

Sexy Photos 

The general ads in the magazine are very sexual too.  There are many naked or semi-naked women.  The models are covering their mouths as if they have nothing to say but have a sultry look as if that is their message.  There is the finger in the mouth depicting 

innocent sexuality.  

How Men Categorize Woman 

The article "The Cute/Pretty/Hot Debate" attempts to crack the code on how men 

categorize women as either cute, pretty or hot.  After asking 100 guys they determined that 

cute women are flirty and playful, pretty ones are chic and ladylike, and the hot chicks are vixens.  The problem is that women strive to be the sexy vixen and in the end the cute and pretty descriptions would be a better image.  For career, marriage and relationships being more playful and lady like is a better image.

Self Esteem Comes From More Then Sexy Looks 

It is sad when you see the forty old women still living on her sexuality.  There is an age when it seems all important and an age where the emphasis on sex turns ugly.  In current culture the cougar is a known species.  She is the older woman usually over forty, who dresses provocatively to seduce young men.  They can't get over the fact that they are loosing their desirability from men and they feel that is where they get self worth.  In fact it is the opposite.  The more they put their self worth associated with sex the less self esteem they have.  You can not have self esteem by wearing sexy clothes, flirting provocatively, or acting sexy.  Self esteem comes from doing esteem-able acts.  No where in these articles do we see encouragement to do charity, or think of others needs, unless they are sexual.

Sexual Conversation 

Women talk about sex with their friends, both male and female.  Instead of having an intellectual conversation they end up sexualizing the conversation.  Sexting, or texting sexually suggestive messages is common in today's culture.  

My New Thoughts On Cosmo

After researching Cosmopolitan, the sexual agenda is apparent.  I choose to stop reading this magazine because it puts women down and doesn't teach us the morals that we should be learning.  It is easy to be influenced by these images and articles without being aware of the fact that they are here just to sell magazines and products.  This is all about money and has nothing to do with helping women.

Awareness In What Advertisers Are Telling Us 

Awareness is the first step in protecting yourself from the sexual propaganda.

Through awareness we can make a conscious decision as to what we will feed our minds.  

We can look for strong role models in successful women and pay attention to what we read, what we listen to and all forms of media.  We don't have to another casualty, women can feel empowered and worth more then just their bodies.

Today's Fast Food Industry

An Ethical Perspective 

Many people sacrifice their morals and values in attempt to try and get ahead in life.  Cheating and scheming will not get anyone where they want to be. If they happen to achieve what they set out for, then they did it while sacrificing their happiness. When some happen to achieve what they desire, while hurting people along the way, they soon realize that it wasn’t worth it. Nothing they do can ever make up for it. Franchising schemes have been around since the nineteenth century according to the author of Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser. When deciding how one should go about with their business, there will be many things taken into consideration such as honesty, what will be best for them, and what the outcome will be.

Self Worth 

Honesty is something that should always be practiced in every day life. Without honesty, you have nothing. Your word and reputation is worth nothing and no one will ever be able to believe anything you say. Once you destroy your self -worth, there is no turning back. It is important to have a good reputation not only for yourself, but also in order to be successful. What franchisee will want to invest in a company if the company has a history of being dishonest? I know that I definitely wouldn’t. Build yourself from the bottom and be an honest person. This is what true success is. It may seem impossible and if you fail, you can always try again. If you die failing, then it wasn’t meant to be, but don’t give up because you will never be able to predict the outcome of a situation even if you have failed before. In Fast Food Nation, Schlosser writes about Ray Kroc’s willingness to be patient and in result, leading to success. Many franchises during this time were only out to make a quick buck, compromising their self worth. Kroc wasn’t driven by greed. He was interested in expanding McDonalds and he knew that it would take time. He decided to recruit real hardworking people while avoiding the businessmen that looked at everything as just an investment. If the workers devoted themselves, then Kroc promised he would in turn make them rich. He was an honest man that kept his word. 

Think About Others 

When many people end up selling themselves and others out, they normally aren’t thinking about anyone but themselves. They are concerned only with what will be best for them. Many people have risen to the top, and then crashed and burned in their industries. I feel that it has a lot to do with what they did and how they treated people along the way. Maybe just not having what they wanted was enough to show them what they did was wrong. Allowing them to have it, and then taking it all away might be a little more effective. Others may lose an important person from their lives, which can make them feel as if they have nothing. It will all come back in some form. Success isn’t just about money. Being a good person has a lot to do with it. Only thinking about what is best for you will never get you anywhere. If you are considerate of those around you, it will get you a lot farther than lying and cheating. Kroc and his partner Sonneborn traveled the country spreading the news about the expansion of McDonalds. They were smart and thought of not only themselves, but others as well. Instead of demanding large amounts of money or selling supplies to franchisees, they decided to lease. Becoming the “landlords” of McDonalds was not only fair, but honest as well.  They thought of others as well as themselves. While having this “land lord” contract, the partners decided that it would be only fair if they made sure that the franchisees were doing their part as well as they were. Rules were made that absolutely had to be followed. The rules included the obvious, such as cleanliness expectations and common courtesy. The meat that was supplied by each of these restaurants had to be hormone free of course. This is hard because there is such a high demand for mass production and such little time and resources. To respond to this, our country injects animals with all types of hormones and steroids to force them to grow faster. There were many rules, but if they were not followed, it would result in “eviction.”

Think Before Doing 

When something is done without contemplating the consequences, it is most likely going to be something that one will regret. When many business owners first start in, they go into things thinking about what will make them the most money. That is one thing that should be thought about, but not the only thing. There are many things to consider in order to be successful. Sonneborn once told a group of investors, “We are not basically in the food business. We are in the real estate business. The only reason we sell 15 cent hamburgers is because they are the greatest producer of revenue from which our tenants can pay us our rent.”  The new ideas for the McDonalds Corporation made McDonalds skyrocket! I honestly believe that if these men were to be like everyone else, they wouldn’t be nearly as successful as they are. If they were to sacrifice others along the way, they wouldn’t be happy. They did things the right way and thought wisely about the outcome of their actions.

The Outcome Of Kroc And Sonneborn 

The actions of Kroc and Sonneborn inspired people around the world. They built a business on loyalty and respect. They built a business that has been around for many many years, which I am sure, will be around for much longer. They changed things for the better and decided to make money from a good idea instead of making money from their franchisees. They wanted to help people just as much as they wanted to help themselves. People began to use their ideas. Although some still did it while sacrificing themselves and others in the process, many didn’t. There are many ethical people that still exist along with their corporations. Honesty, what will be best for the businessman, and the outcome of his actions are all things that need to be taken into consideration when one is deciding how to go about their business. Inspiration is how many of us learn. If we continue aspiring, with the right kind of behavior, we can make this a better place.