Media Journal Entry #13

In closing the semester, I feel an appropriate journal entry should simply convey the importance of media literacy gained throughout the course. Through deconstructing and delving into different media forms I have a cleaner perspective on massively circulated media. I look at magazines, commercials, films, songs, etc. with a different eye.

Students have commented throughout the semester that critical theory and deconstruction "kills" media. I remember at one point someone asking: "Do you think we're going too far, do you really think we should pull that apart so much?" It is true that dissecting media may take away from overall entertainment value however you cannot deconstruct something "too much". Without a critical eye the media wins. Unless media is taken critically and deconstructed, the social stereotypes and biases constructed present day society will be perpetuated and locked in. Media does more than entertain, it has the capability of "brainwashing" or creating individual mindsets. I find that if all viewers and consumers were more familiar with critical theory the true meanings behind director motives and production costs would shine through more clearly.

The more media literacy is widespread, and the more critical we as consumers grow to be, the better the quality of media. Media will still be one-sided and bias if critical approaches are not taken. I find that through spreading knowledge and insight, quality will increase as ignorance and continued objectification are erased.

Media Journal Entry #12

I recently viewed the documentary Paris is Burning , and without much foresight as to the content of the film it was definitely interesting. The movie follows the lives of gay men and transvestites living in New York City, completely dependant on the gay subculture for fame and confidence's sake. The doc focuses in on the passions and popularity of "the ball" in the gay community. Considering I just presented on homosexuality in the media and the creation of gay subcultures, this documentary was relevant to the processes of my thoughts lately. It is both sad and inspiring that this community has so much to look forward to and depend on within the ball community. It is unfortunate that the transvestites and queers interviewed and depicted in the film cannot feel the fame and fortune of their ball in a hetero-based festival. It is refreshing, however in that these marginalized groups have the ability to create their own inclusive environment outside of such a subjugating one. The joy involved with the ball, and in particular the ball for these men called "Paris is Burning" is bittersweet. It is joyous that these events may exist annually and sporadically across the area yet depressing considering the social constraints creating a means for such a sub festival.

Media Journal Entry #11

This was my favorite music video in middle school. I feel the video still stands in terms of visionary cinematography and creativity. Cristopher Walken is perfect for the role and cracks me up every time.

Media Journal Entry #10

The media as a catalyst for arrogant ignorance.

Especially at a liberal arts school one can easily observe students discussing politics and world issues on a regular basis. Unfortunately the people I hear talking about issues the most are those whose knowledge is based on snidbits of broadcasting heard here or there or at some point during class. I find news media these days, if anything, is most informative in the way that it provides younger generations to take small pieces of information and run with them. A teacher of mine dubs this "arrogant ignorance". I define this arrogant ignorance as an elevated position certain people uphold concerning world issues where the basis is a one-source segment of information, mostly pulled out of context after a few twists and turns. There are exceptions and I am completely generalizing and by no means am attempting to dismiss my own tendencies as to this arrogance however I feel the need to point out a commonly occuring observation. The majority of passionate discussion I hear in classes and on the street is directed by persons who feel an entitlement to share their firmly ingrained opinion regarding the subject. I find persons with the largest and widest knowledge base more often reserve judgement and opinion as a means to shaping their own and truly listening to the argument. It is unfortunate that a small snidbit of news has created in students the feeling that we know everything, especially considering the bias and misrepresentation present in current news media. That's my rant for this entry.

De/Re Construct Project

This reconstruction of the Wells Fargo logo represents the ways in which Wells Fargo "fucks" you out of your money. The company charges $34 overdraft fees and interest rates range from 15% to 40%. Wells Fargo boasts about aiding young people in reaching their financial dreams, yet I have only heard negative testimonies in regard to banking with this company. I have never heard of someone truly gaining from Wells Fargo and when dubbing the company Wells Fucko, the response is always affirmative laughter.

Media Journal Entry #9

Harvey Milk's story brought to life in the recently released on DVD film Milk is a breakthrough for the representation of homosexuals in the media. In response to the recent class content regarding the skewed representation of queer lifestyles in the media, and following our viewing of The Celluloid Closet, commenting on Milk seems appropriate.

Many Americans still are in the dark or in the closet so to speak when it comes to understanding major touchstones in the quest for gay rights. Prior to Milk, I was upset to find few people knew of his story or were informed as to the extreme adversity gays have faced throughout the quest for equality. It is a monumental in terms of censorship and films in general that this production achieved such great success. I am stoked that Dustin Lance Black recieved best original screenplay for this achievement. Although the movie moves slowly it truly captures Harvey's zest for gay rights and the limitless extent of his efforts in creating security and community for homosexuals. Black's acceptance speech at the Oscar's hits home in terms of today's gay and lesbian youth and fears still prevalent with coming out. It was refreshing to see an out artist openly expressing the normalcy and beauty in accepting one's sexuality. His speech claimed "God loves you" and something to the extent of who you are cannot be deemed wrong, no god could hate you. Tying into the censorship of "perverted" film material seen in The Celluloid Closet pushed by the Catholic church, this speech is especially important. Someone can finally say that the "god" so offended by homosexual material actually loves the homosexuals just as much as the straight ones. Love it. I am fortunate to live in a generation where being gay is finally acceptable and now the media is able to freely illustrate the efforts of the beautiful souls who have paved the rocky road in order to reach this point. I highly recommend Milk, the film does Harvey Milk and gays everywhere needed justice.

Media Journal Entry #8

I feel Ani Difranco touches on many subjects relevant to media literacy discourse, in particular femininity and empowerment. Shameless is one of her more popular songs, and thus more accessible video wise, however despite its catchy appeal, the song addresses conventional codes of fidelity and faithfulness and stigmatisms surrounding females in conventional society. Some lyrics include:

"i gotta cover my butt 'cuz i covet
another man's wife
i got to divide my emotions
between wrong and right
then i get to see how close i can get to it
without giving in
then i get to rub up against it
till i break the skin
rub up against it
till i break the skin

they're gonna be mad at us
they're gonna be mad at me and you…

just please don't name this
please don't explain this
just blame it all on me
say i was shameless
say i couldn't slow it down
let alone stop it
and say you just hung around
'cuz you couldn't top it"

Ambiguity exists as to the main message of this song however I personally draw from it meanings of shame projected toward females for the expression of interior desire and passion. The song may be discussing an affair however it still addresses the ways in which female expression is frowned upon and females are left defined as "shameless". Although not her best song, it's a good'n.

Reaction Essay: The Celluloid Closet

I find this documentary does well to illustrate the under representation of homosexuals in Hollywood and the media in general. I enjoyed the introduction to the film where one male is shown cutting in on a couple’s dance to dance with the other man. The film depicts how Hollywood has taught straight people what to think of gay people and how gay people should view themselves. Early homosexuals in the media evoke a comical reaction, thus at first gay men only served as humorous additions to films. Films throughout the thirties depict gay men as “sissies” which serve as laughing objects where women homosexuals do not garner any laughter. Man depicted as woman is funny, however woman depicting man is not.

Interesting to learn was the Catholic churches affect on homosexuality in the media. The Catholic church intervened in order for Hollywood to solely produce media that promotes moral and virtuous entertainment. The church is quoted saying: “Decent people don’t like this type of stuff”. This reiterates the way in which the media creates the way in which we view ourselves, straight and gays alike. The doc delves into how even following media-content laws, directors and producers were still able to present homosexuality in films only through a “hush-hush” manner, in this way directors played on the ignorance of the audience. I enjoyed the way the documentary clearly depicts how Hollywood has, along with all mediums of the media, created the convention for masculinity and the difficulties in homosexuality in terms of convention. The doc shows how men are rarely depicted as emotional creatures on the screen and thus when boys and men show emotion their masculinity is threatened. It was interested to see how the female body is openly displayed in film whereas the male body’s nakedness evokes discomfort in the audience. This ties into the degrading aspects of film in terms of femininity and perpetuates the exotic, sex-object role women have conventionally been constructed to fill.

The documentary also points out how female homosexuality is viewed by males as more of a “phase-type” process and there is an overall lack of seriousness toward lesbianism. I found it hilarious listening to the doc’s interview with Susan Sarandon in regard to males’ means of preparation for dangerous situations. Sarandon comments that in danger “boys pull out their guns, not their dicks” which reiterates conventional masculinity and how males are romanticized as tough and ready-for-action while women remain passive.

Despite the somewhat redundant qualities of the documentary, I felt it very powerful in that, yes homosexuals are not only underrepresented in the media but wrongly represented, and it is refreshing to see a documentary so clearly hone in on the background of these representations.

Reaction Essay DIFF Short: Making the Man

Although short I found this independent film quite appropriate for the discourse concerning media literacy. In just 11 minutes, film maker John Susman
successfully shows the validity of film, or more so the lack there of. The short illustrates background editing involved with the video interview process, and the ways in which the truth is construed deceptively.

In short, the film shows the magic, so to speak, of editing and how one nervous, unconventional, “average Joe” is transformed into a dream date. The film’s title: Making the Man is thus quite right on in terms of the film’s over all message. The film is illustrative of the potential and common lack of modality created through video editing. A woman interviewer interrogates a younger male for what seems to be a desk job or similar occupation. After many fatal attempts at receiving insightful input from the interviewee, the woman asks the man to repeat after her word for word. What seems like a routine interview practice turns into the ultimate scam to take all of the repeated phrases out of context and edit the interviewee into the perfect candidate for a dating service. An example repeated phrase is: “I travel often to exotic places like Africa”. The final product’s spliced sections from the interview informs the audience as to the conventionally desired aspects of masculinity and professionalism and delete less amiable features such as nervousness and short-lived conversational skills. The movie illustrates editing’s ability to create the epitome of America’s socially constructed image of “man”.

Reaction Essay (outside DIFF): Raising Cain

Raising Cain, is a documentary based on co-author and host of the documentary Michael Thompson, P.H. D.’s book Raising Cain: Exploring the Inner Lives of America’s Boys. The doc’s running time is 120 minutes, the film was produced in 2006 by Powerhouse Productions and aired through PBS. This doc illustrates the life of boys currently raised in the United States, their pressures, assumptions surrounding boys, problems and suggested remedies. There is a correlation between this documentary and the DIFF short Making the Man in that this documentary explores the tribulations imposed on adolescent males striving to find their own identity, an identity that has been socially constructed and made permanent through time. The film also addresses the issue of violence in the media and shortcoming of currently accepted ways of curing the problem.

The doc emphasizes that the “crux of the issue” is that children’s violent thoughts must be accommodated rather than mistaken for actual violence. The film raises the question of what is inherently violent in humans and what are the warning signs for actual violent action? Michael Thompson visits many elementary schools and focuses on ways that teachers deal with violent thoughts in kindergartners. One teacher’s method is allowing students to create their own fictional stories and discussing with the class over what is appropriate for violence. The consensus the class reaches is that characters are allowed to “faint” rather than be killed.

Thompson also visits a hospital nursery to focus on how as infants there is no true distinction between males and females, focusing on the socially-constructed nature of gender.
Thompson discusses discipline tactics in Japan and how their effectiveness differs greatly from the United States. It was interesting to learn that in a Japanese day care the teacher stands back when fights break out/violent tendencies surface, and she looks to the students to resolve their conflict individually. This teaches the students empathy and also invokes the lesson of communicating feelings rather than expressing them physically. In day cares in the United States, Thompson focuses on how when violence breaks out the teacher jumps right in and eliminates the opportunity for self-imposed resolution and empathetic communication.

Thompson interviews several pubescent boys in order to gather input as to their educational experience, his responses were startling. Those interviewed are under the impression that their teachers favor the girl classmates over boys. The host points out that due to boys’ impulsive tendencies and the disciplinary tactics used to overcome these outbursts, boys begin to gather the impression that the school “deck is stacked against them”, thus setting them up for failure. Thompson points out that of all teachers in schools over %70 are female and thus boys have less role models to relate to in their schools.

When interviewed over their favorite subjects in school, the boys’ answers include recess, gym, snack period etc. rather than academic subjects of any sort. Thompson suggests that boys growing up in school need more recess in order to release their consuming amount of energy. Many young boys receive punishment in school for their outbursts and difficulties in concentration, this punishment takes away certain energy-releases for them such as recess, where they are forced to stay in and complete unfinished tasks, thus another example of how boys may have the conception the “cards are stacked against them”.

Tying to boys’ attention capabilities, Thompson indicates that out of all boy students in the United States, 1/3 are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD or a similar hyper-attention deficit disorder. Thompson raises the question: “Should these students be medicated?” or simply treated in ways to accommodate naturally energy impulse? The doc also presents the fact that fewer than 1 in 9 teacher is male, and focuses on a particular male teacher in New York whose tactics for dealing with a “problematic” male student are highly effective. The teacher has the student take a walk around the school whenever he feels unable to concentrate on given tasks.

Thompson visits the Bronx where boys test scores are the lowest in New York City. He notes that the smarter, academic boys are teased and bullied. One remedy for boys’ performance is an all-boys school Thompson visits. In the all-boys school, the code word for love is “brother”. The school ingrains values of emotion and compassion in order to avoid the socially constructed “tough” masculinity that seeds out emotional releases. The school is predominately filled with economically disadvantaged inner-city boys. Thompson notes that upon interviewing both male and female students in the Bronx area, %80 of males strive to be professional NBA players where %80 of females strive to be doctors and lawyers. Where has the academic ambition in males gone? Why are the boys growing up in America hyper focused on creating this type of identity for themselves and ashamed at thriving in school?

Certain boys interviewed from the all-boys school mention that there is no pressure to “act tough” and the boys are generally “nicer”. The school helps pre-pubescent boys learn with the absence of imposed gender roles. An interviewed male teacher claims: “Only men can teach a boy how to be a man”. This addresses the problem that many boys’ behavioral problems could arise from the absence of a strong male leader-figure in their lives, at home and in school.
Honing in on the puberty process, Thompson describes that puberty for males begins at 12 and thus starts their “culture of cruelty”. The host focuses on one “outcast” type boy trying to survive throughout this period and how is found identity as a band-member, metal head has created in him self-confidence to continue his life happily. The thirteen year-old’s band is called “obsolete human disorder”. This made me laugh, however it is also quite disturbing to realize a lost 13 year old finds solace in a band capitalizing on the setbacks of the human existence. When asked what names this boy has been called for his decision to defy mainstream convention, the boy responded: “fat-Mcgoth”, “fag”, “loser”, etc. Boys are commonly bullied throughout this age group at school, often times physically.

Thompson elaborates on the “culture of cruelty”. He claims that in order for youth to defend themselves against this culture individuals must create their own identities. Boys must “own” part of something. Every boy needs a friend, or friends to survive. Their common mission to peers is to prove themselves in some way, boys must master some sort of trade or interest in order to validate their place.

Thompson focuses on turning boys into men. Focusing on 15-17 year olds, Thompson realizes that the most common recruiting factor for male teen group is imposing fear. Out of the fear of “not being cool” and other similar insecurities, boys develop a “need” for male role models, the absence of dependable male role models thus leads them to look up to older teens who perpetuate the fear-recruitment tactic. In the town of Chelsea, Thompson reports that 1/3 of households are fatherless, when asking certain boys who the male role models in their lives are, answers included: their coaches and mothers.

Thompson brings up the issue of “the mask of masculinity”, where many boys thrive on projecting a “tough posture”, but Thompson specifies that underneath this mask lies fear and sadness and an underlying inability to express necessary emotions. Thompson looks at one neighborhood where boys regularly organize fights where nine-year olds are coached by other boys. Therefore young kids are taught how to fight each other and remain popular and liked by their ability to hold their own in a street fight. One boy actually comments: “On the streets, you gotta be like an animal”.

The U.S. leads the industrial world in fatherless-ness, and Thompson indicates that commonly accepted forms of punishment may provoke negative influences that increase boys’ vulnerability to joining the aforementioned gang manhood. One example Thompson uses to illustrate the fatal nature of current punishment tactics is an example of a group of boys disciplined in a school after vandalizing school property. The boys interviewed who were known to be directly involved all resorted to lying. Thompson indicates that boys will almost always resort to lie as not to be ashamed.

The documentary’s main conclusive remedy is for the boys of the United States to see more men filling value roles beneficial in that these figures must show compassion and caring and help recreate and redefine convention’s image of manhood.

Media Journal Entry #7

This entry is in response to Discover magazine's April 2009 issue article entitled: "Brain Boost: Should Everyone Be on Ritalin?" by Sherry Baker. Humanity's historical and growing dependency on mind-altering substances has always fascinated me and this article illustrates our nation, among others' growing obsession with cognition-enhancing pharmaceuticals.

Baker opens her piece addressing a conversation she recently had with three other professionals over dinner, a physician, a neurology technician, a computer executive and herself a writer. The discussion revolved around her company's growing fascination with a newer drug Provigil. Provigil is the marketed drug composed of modafinil, an attention-enhancer which gives similar affects as aderol and ritalin, however without the "cracked-out", "crash" effect. Provigil is mostly taken by those desiring increased performance without a proper diagnosis or disease. Baker discusses how this group of professionals along with many others have grown to not only thrive on but also depend on attention-enhancing drugs.

Statistics include: Through a study conducted at the University of Maryland including 1208 interviewed students, 18% take attention-enhancing drugs without a prescription. During a survey conducted by Nature reported that 20% of 1400 respondents reported using cognition-enhancing drugs for non-medical reasons, 50% of which reported daily and weekly use. Nearly half of those interviewed are not part of the younger within-the-twenties generation either, about half interviewed age over 35.

The article delves into other aspects of attention-enhancers in terms of countries as a whole. A Neurotechnology researcher is quoted discussing not only individual potential of these drugs but economic growth potential for countries in general. He states: "Think of millions of workers in India or China cognitively enhanced with neuropharmaceuticals. Will the United States be able to compete?" This leads into discourse about the machine-like nature certain drugs can entail in humans. This type of remark yields the belief that humans will in the future be run by drugs, thus economies will depend on substances such as ritalin and provigil. The article also discusses more mundane drug use such as LSD, marijuana, psilocybin, mescaline, etc. in terms of creativity-catalyzing characteristics.

Baker also illustrates the rise of memory-enhancing drug and deems memory as "the new sex" in terms of peoples' obsession with increasing our cognitive memorizing capabilities. Also intriguing in the article is the authors discussion of "transhumanists" and "transhumans". She first discusses altered athletes using steroids but focuses in on humans who make drug enhancement their profession. She describes such "transhumanists" as those who study the voluntary "ethical" use of technology to create humans with biological capacities enhanced far beyond people of today". This scares me in that this research pushes our potential as human beings past what is naturally occurring and begins to devise artificially-aided intelligence rather than naturally-attributed cerebral capabilities.

In terms of the author's own personal drug use she concludes in a very interesting manner. The author discusses her own stress revolving throughout her life presently and notes that a friend offered her a joint to smoke, a doctor handed her some Provigil samples "just in case" and she also noted that she is prescribed Klonopin for anxiety. The author leads the reader to believe that she is "above this" and that drugs just "aren't for her". She concludes however, writing: "Is [Provigil] really a less natural way to augment my life than flying 38,000 ft above the planet at 500 miles per hour? I tuck the pills into my carry-on bag and go". Good point Sherry Baker. In current conventional society it becomes more difficult to truly differentiate between what is natural to our nature and what is nurtured and created artificially. We seem to have become a hybrid species, have dependent on our nature and half revolving around synthetic and mass-produced pharmaceuticals. This, thus, aids our discourse into the heart of the matter and of humanity: What is real?

Media Journal Entry #6

In response to the discussion on memetics during class on Wednesday I found it appropriate to pose the question: What separates memes from reality, or in other words is there a distinction between memes and perspective? Philosopher George Berkeley posed the statement: "To be is to be perceived". There is so much validity to this statement, especially in conversing over memes.

If our validity and self-defining characteristics of being are simply comprised of how others view us, then our means of self-projection and how we carry ourselves is solely based on accepted memes. Value systems, trends, songs, morals, faith, these characteristics of self-identity are all memes, and thus memetics create our systems of self and of perception.

I enjoyed Dawkins' underlying message of our power to control meme replication. He describes memes to be in ways analogous to genetics in the way that memes are culturally replicated as genes are biologically. Genes create memes however through our genetically inherited thought processes and thinking capabilities, thus with our biologically inherited genes we have the potential to critically consider which memes we replicate and carry in our lives. This is important to consider in that rather than outlining the scary and pervasive role memes carry in our lives, Dawkins emphasizes that meme-replication depends on our transfer of memes from brain to brain. Our brains have the capability to filter memetics, and determine their validity.

I feel the discussion on memes is very appropriately fit for discourse on religion and faith structures, and undermines belief systems completely. The information presented on memetics lead me to question whether or not any idea or manifestation of ideas can truly be original.

Reaction Essay: The Merchants of Cool

Frontline's documentary: The Merchants of Cool does well to cast light on the hyper-focus marketers give to teenagers and United States' youth. The film outlines the industries $150 billion market for kids. The film is directed by Barack Goodman and written by Rachel Dretzin and relays its message quite effectively in the form of marketer testimonies, child interviews and a broad projection of the corners this market reaches and creates.

An early segment of the film depicts one marketer who leads a discussion on "what's hot" among teenagers. The discussion involves many kids who are paid fifty dollars to give their opinion on what's cool. When the facilitator first asks those in attendance "what's hot" he is given no direct response, outlining the many layers of cultural trends.

The narrator talks about this day's younger generation stating: "kids have more money and more freedom with that money today than ever before". The spending money kids acquire is deemed: "guilt money", money parents give their children out of guilt for self-defined neglectful behavior such as not spending enough time with their kids or lack of knowing who their kids are. The film points out that teenagers today are shown over 3,000 discrete advertisements per day, %75 of teens have a TV in their room and 1/3 claim to have a personal computer. Statistics seemingly outrageous to previous generations.

The documentary asks the question: How do you map what's cool? They provide the marketing tool or task as it were of "cool hunting", in my eyes a very interesting and scary concept. Not only do marketers seek to find what is cool, they actually hunt it. The documentary points out that once a trend is picked up and sold, the trend dies; thus "cool-hunting" and marketing research literally hunts what is cool and kills trends through selling them. Marketers steal the individuality from kids, sell it, and in doing so, kill it. The narrator points out that marketers penetrate teen culture seeking "trend-setting, leaders, attempting to grasp the sub-culture and then through this research diminish any "sub" about it. Quite paradoxical in nature.

The film first focuses on Sprite, a soft-drink turned into a bastion of hip-hop culture. The means of creating this union of soda and music however was created through more spending. Kids from the seemingly hip-hop sub culture were paid to attend a Sprite promo, displaying rising hip hop artists. MTV screened the event casting light on the artists and those chosen kids paid to think a drink is cool. The film poses the question of whether or not advertising expression has been erased and whether marketing is solely consumption.

The film uses MTV's promotion of Sprite as a segway into the pervasiveness of the corporation Viacom in terms of youth culture. Viacom owns MTV which, as depicted by the film, is all an advertisement and all infomercially based. The show is illustrated to air very cheap programming to serve as the leading force in creating what is cool to young viewers. Unfortunately, they remain the leading force and it costs them the least. Frontline attributes this to the company's screening location in Time's square, a hub of cultural strategy, among other things.

Frontline interestingly divides the culturally produced paradigm for girls and boys into two separate terms: the "midriff" and the "mook". The mook takes the form of a rebellious, gangster-type, reveling young male, where the midriff represents an insecure, very materialistic and superficial young female. These roles create the social dichotomy of American youth between secure, arrogant young men and insecure, vain young women. The midriff is a sex-object and the mook is in trouble; great images to instill in today's youth. In terms of the midriff, the film uses icons such as Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears that send the message: "Flaunt your sexuality, even if you don't understand it". The film interviews a thirteen year-old who is obsessed with looking older and fulfilling the marketable-midriff image. The girl strives to be "bought" by modeling agencies, for something quite far from whoever she is under the skin.

I enjoyed the film's conclusion, focusing on the rap metal/rage rock musical group Insane Clown Posey or ICP. It was very interesting to watch a band grow from underground to mainstream through marketing and as the film first pointed out "cool hunting". ICP went from a few followers underground to music videos on MTV and spots on television for the world wrestling federation. The documentary concludes well with the questions: "Do today's youth have anything we can call our own? And "Who can today's youth look to, if anyone?". In final words, as best said by the film itself: "Welcome to the machine".

Reaction Essay: The Corporation

The documentary The Corporation, directed by Jennifer Abbott and Mark Achbar and produced in 2004, although bias, opens many doors for discussion in regard to capitalism and the role of corporations in our lives. I found the documentary to be presented professionally, and filled with legitimate facts more so than extreme opinion. The documentary truly outlines the "all-pervasive" role the corporation has taken as the "world's dominant institution".

The film opens with a critique on the media's most widely-used metaphor to describe certain corporations as "a few bad apples". Among many newscasters quoted, George Bush is also shown belittling unjust corporations to a few bad apples. The documentary takes this and runs, so to speak, through exemplifying the short-sighted and belittling nature of this metaphor in describing the majority of the corporate world and its monopolizing, exploitive capabilities and tendencies. The film deems Dr. Frankenstein's creation to be analogous with the rise of corporations. The documentary illustrates corporations to have started as something for the "public good". The film discusses original chartered corporations with clear stipulations to avoid the multitude of injustices apparent today. This background information creates the outline for how far corporations have strayed from their role as a social betterment.

The film outlines the turning point to have occurred during the signing of the fourteenth amendment, this amendment was pushed between 1890 and 1910 in the name of free slaves. The amendment allots equal rights for individuals in terms of property, capital and the pursuit of happiness. The film highlights the fact that corporations skewed the amendment to include all corporations as individuals, thus allotting the rights of a person to a corporation. This in turn takes the blame off of many individuals leading a corporation and instead views them as one entity. The documentary quotes a white, male CEO of a company stating: "No soul to save, no body to incarcerate" this illustrates the danger in deeming corporations as persons.
The film utilizes the film maker Michael Moore, he is first pictured stating that corporations have "one incentive: make as much money as possible". Moore makes the interesting distinction that there is no marker for "enough", how much money is "enough" for a billionaire corporation?

The film places most emphasis on the "harms" of corporations, dividing segments into slides illustrating particular harms. The first segment depicts corporate harms to workers in the form of layoffs, union busts, factory fires, sweat shops etc. The film continues to outline harms to the environment in the form of dangerous production methods, toxic waste, pollution, synthetic chemicals, etc. The rise of synthetic chemicals is highlighted indicating this allows corporations to make everything at a lower cost, which as stated by the film is the monetary bottom line for all corporations. The documentary holds the corporate industry solely responsible for the United States' cancer epidemic.

The film also focuses on harms to animals: habitat deconstruction, factory farming, and animal experimentation which in my mind was the most influential part of the documentary: the discussion on the company Monsanto and animal hormones. The documentary discusses data showing the negative ramifications of the wide use of Monsanto products. The product Polisic is shown advertised for a needed increase in farming income, followed by proof of infection spreading to the milk we consume at home. Other hormones were discussed that in terms of humans affect the curability of infections in that a resistance to antibiotics is built. The example of staph infection was given specifically and our difficulty to maintain a cure due to resistance to antibodies. Back to Monsanto, the documentary stated that persons in the U.S. were able to sue the company $80million as compensation for health damages such as cancer caused by the company's Agent Orange used in Vietnam. The film listed a multitude of companies sued for over $1million in fines, however never mentioned in the press.

Most shocking in the discussion of Monsanto, is the film's coverage of a court case in which two Fox news reporters stood up for their right to serve as a valid news source. Two workers are depicted to have been assigned by Fox to change and hide their findings on the Monsanto companies' injustices and their inability to speak the truth. Rather than a happy ending, after hours of efforts, many letters, etc. the ex-workers received $425,000 as a settlement however only later to be withdrawn with shocking reasoning. The case closed with the conclusion that it is not technically illegal to produce false news. The workers lose and the corporation wins, thus pus still remains in our milk and most people, save those fortunate to hear the uncensored truth, will continue to drink it with smiles.

media journal entry #5

Recently I re-read John Milton's "Paradise Lost" for a Survey of British Literature class. I must ask myself how much of the bible creates our common archetype for Adam and Eve's original sin and how many components of the archetype can be attributed to Milton for this piece. Milton's epic poem portrays the story of the devil's fall from heaven, humanity's first original sin, and highlights the esteemed garden of Eden. Reading this piece critically and especially keeping in mind the power of the media in regard to forming individual perceptions of life, "Paradise Lost" emphasizes patriarchal social values, along with values associated with free will humanity's god-fearing tendencies. The piece also serves to highlight in many ways the mentality of the United States as the land of the free mirroring the garden and humanity's present fall from this garden of freedom, or in general humanity's fall from a garden of Eden paradigm for existence post the presence of fearing God, as emphasized by Milton.
Eve's temptation highlights her superficial beauty and takes advantage of her yearning curiosity. Eve's quest for fruit from the tree of knowledge and her humility and loss of innocence following tasting the fruit imply a woman-based blame for sin. Eve's action is seeking knowledge to cure her own ignorance and by allowing knowledge into the garden, Eve has fallen and is banned. The brings to question our present notions of what is sinful. Milton's story creates the binary of knowledge vs. ignorance/innocence and Eve's decision provides the common notion that innocence and blind following are in some way more chaste than seeking truth. This may in ways be the foundation for so many individuals' stubborn diligence in keeping to beliefs of creationism and fundamental Christianity. Knowing God and fending curiosity seems more important and esteemed than pushing the mind and yearning for knowledge in this sense.
The story of Adam and Eve has many other layers worth examining in "Paradise Lost" such as justice, mortality, and vanity. In terms of this entry it is more so just worth noting the roles and values of individuals in literary pieces widely circulated and observing how people mirror the media, in this sense literature. Meaning is always based on one's reading of a text or acceptance of given media and when reading texts even texts elevated past the merit of traditional authors such as the Bible, we must always remember to keep a critical mind. Even if the criticism entails contradicting values instilled in what we're critique. Kudos to Milton's Eve for seeking knowledge and standing up, past her angel-on-his-shoulder, sheep-like counterpart Adam.

Reaction Essay: "Simulacra and Simulations"

My foundation for understanding simulacra is through my high school epistemology course. Simulacra was discussed through our discourse concerning ways in which knowledge is acquired and accepted criterion for truth. In my mind, the best way to define simulacra is "a copy without an original". Through a basic understanding, I was able to better comprehend
Jean Baudrillard's piece, which I have also been exposed to as a text for the truth of knowledge, epistemology course.

The introductory quotation is first worth reacting to. Beaudrillard's inclusion of this quotation is ingenious in that it is simulacra in itself. The quote "The simulacrum is never that which conceals the truth--it is the truth which conceals that there is none. The simulacrum is true." 'Ecclesiastes. Now there is doubt to the validity of this conclusion, but my professor in high school led the class to dissect the Bible's Ecclesiastes for this statement regarding simulacra, and we all came up empty handed. It may be that Baudrillard geniously and intentionally compiled this quotation and credited Ecclesiastes to illustrate the power of simulacra for creating truth. This quote, if not from Ecclesiastes, is in itself a simulacrum, and in line with the quotation, through the word "Ecclesiastes" it becomes true and accepted knowledge.

I found it important that Baudrillard points out that at a point simulation and representation had beautiful characteristics in terms of coextensivity, where cartographers were able to produce projects where "charm" lies in the concept itself aside from the charm of what's real and being represented. Baudrillard points out that the differences between abstractions of the past and abstractions of today lie in the fact that today's simulations are comprised of a difficulty to differentiate between the concept and the real thing. This is best said in the author's statement: "It is no longer a question of imitation, nor of reduplication, nor even of parody. It is rather a question of substituting signs of the real for the real itself".

The language Baudrillard uses to illustrate his point is complex and creates difficulty in comprehending his ideas. When he uses Disneyland as an example of the hyperreal, I imply he is suggesting that the concept of Disneyland and similar theme parks, create a simulated reality that makes it seem like what is outside the park is "real". This "real" world however in fact as presented by Baudrillard is no more real than Disneyland. Baudrillard writes: "Disneyland is there to conceal the fact that it is the "real" country, all of "real" America, which is
Disneyland (just as prisons are there to conceal the fact that it is the social in its entirety, in its banal omnipresence, which is carceral)." I found this breakdown, or statement toward prisons fascinating. Our country's means of carceration serve to incarcerate those previously entrapped by an imprisoning society? Is this what Baudrillard is saying? Our prisons hide the fact that society in itself is carcereal as Disneyland through creating imaginitive settings conceals the imaginative nature of all life?

I enjoy how Baudrillard also discusses how the task of restoring the truth to the simulacrum is a "false problem" considering the simulated has become truth through mental acceptance rather than from a valid or true original. Baudrillard illustrates through complex language that simulation has serious blows to mortality and his piece catalyzes further academic discourse on truth.

Consumption Log: Media Much Lately?

It almost seems appropriate to comment that the notion "we are immersed in media" is an understatement. Creating this log reminds me and makes me realize more deeply, how the media does not necessarily fill a void in communication it makes life outside the media the void, these days its hard to find an uninfluenced minute. Here's a slice of my consumption:

Tuesday February 10, 2009
8:00 am Rise and shine.
Open computer to music playing on Pandora.com, my Miles Davis station. I change the station to Medeski Martin and Wood. I log into fortlewis.edu and check my e-mail, I also log into wellsfargo.com and check my account information. The Wells Fargo website is filled with advertisements in favor of their bank.
The TV is on in the living room, I do not recognize the movie, my roommates are half-transfixed, half-asleep. I proceed to breakfast. The fridge is filled with media in the form of labels. I make Nest Fresh eggs, drink Diet Coke, and toast Ezekial bread.
My shower falls in the same category, many labels. Suave, Dove, Dr. Bronner's, Kiehl's etc. Old Spice, Burt's Bees, and Tom's follows. My clothing dresser is an advertisement in the form of stickers for Durango Brewing Co. beer, Poppy's and NOLS.

9:00-10:10 am
Drive my Jeep to school, an advertising tool in itself. Stickers include: Musical artist-based stickers, restaurant advertisements, an Estes Park sticker, etc. The ride to the Fort is filled with radio messages and music, a small amount of radio news, signs in windows, more sticker-bearing cars, business signs such as Subway, Diamond Shamrock, the Ebay store, Wendy's etc. Pick up hitchhiker driving up the hill who resembles trends across the cover of a magazine, her clothes and mine are unfortunately products of the media.

10:10-12:10 pm
Walls at FLC advertise Nappy Roots and Bassnectar. Education class revolves around the text book Effective Instructional Strategies by Kenneth Moore. Made progress on a group presentation where I am utilizing the media The Education of Little Tree the book and film in order to teach a lesson on environmental education. On the way out of class, I grabbed The Independent with the article “Sex” advertised on the cover.

12:10-3:00 pm
Listened to car radio, mainly classic rock Big Dog 106.7. The commercials streamed between music consist mainly of credit ads and ways to reduce miscellaneous costs. I drove to Wal Mart to buy cat supplies. Wal Mart is completely covered in media images and advertisements. Choosing a litter box and food for my cat was much more difficult than it would be with the absence of so many slogans and logos pushing different options. Driving home I listened to a friend’s ipod which played Railroad Earth, and Hot Buttered Rum. Obama stickers are everywhere on the road.

3:00-5:00 pm
Teacher education practicum work at Needham elementary tutoring a second grader. I utilized media in the form of a second grade class-produced book “Bee Mine” and drawings to aid in pronunciation and rhyming.

5:00-8:00
For homework read beginning of John Milton’s "Paradise Lost" which as a type of media has served as an accepted archetype for the story of Adam and Eve. Continued to read for pleasure Kerouac and Burrough’s And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks. I wrote in my journal, creating personal media and proceeded to converse on my cell phone about upcoming music in Durango.

8:00-10:00 pm
Played board game Labyrinth with friends. Drank Mickey’s brand beer with media under the caps in the form of picture riddles. Listened to Ani Difranco and The Rolling Stones. In light of friend’s birthday, drank Captain Morgan rum. Periodically friends mimicked the captain’s pose, media in action.

10:00-12:30 am
Went to the bar the Roadhouse to celebrate. Football game screening over the bar area however in background. Main focus pool tables and music. Display of liquor bottles in specific designs and colors along with displayed cigarettes for purchase indicative of media. The Roadhouse is one of few bars where smoking is still permitted due to grandfathered-in tradition. U2 was first playing on the jukebox. We played David Bowie’s “Fame” and The Band “Ophelia”. The bar crowd has a certain feel and even my friends take on a different persona that can perhaps be attributed to the esteemed look of smoking cigarettes in bars illustrated in many Hollywood productions.

media journal entry #4

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. A day originating with the Catholic church and St. Valentine and now somehow representative of perhaps our society's simulacrum for love. I wanted to post a Valentine's-related video for this post and found the following commercial from the UK interesting. Commonly V-Day ads are geared toward a male audience in light of their "obligation" to charm or lure their loved one or sweetheart with gifts. This ad also appeals to a male audience in that the view focuses on scantily clad women but the tag line of the commercial "give him wood this Valentine's day" implies the product is geared for women to please their male significant other instead. This is a provocative ad, most likely never air-worthy in the United States.

I claim that Valentine's day can be deemed an example of simulacra or as I understand a copy without an original, something we have created to stand representative of an illusory idea. Love takes on different connotations in different circumstances and candy, pink, chocolate and lace belittle a sacred union and feeling between lovers and friends. The corporate holiday frustrates me, however despite my cynicism toward the day it still serves as an excuse to spend too much money and date someone. Here's the ad:

media journal entry #3

Without a tape deck or CD player in my car I am often listening to the radio. Next to the Internet, this is my biggest source of mass media daily. Lately I have been frustrated, saddened and over all confused as to the commercials streaming most frequently. There is no doubt we are suffering an economic crisis, however every other commercial these days has the facade of a rescue scheme however seems to go right along with our reasons for deficit. I can't count the number of commercials advertising quick-fix tax refunds and complete removal of credit. U.S. society runs on short-sighted, short-term rewards and the streamed remedies are seemingly only perpetuating this mentality. The commercials and fright remind me of how easily manipulable the human brain may be and our tendency to settle for cop outs. Cop outs similar to those advertised over the radio where the real beneficiaries are the companies putting out the ads.

I watched a documentary tonight entitled Jesus Camp. The film revolves around an Evangelical Christian minister who spends her life preaching to children and running a Jesus camp called Kids on Fire. The children interviewed gave testimonies in regard to how they were saved from their previous lives of sin, the oldest interviewed aged eleven. The children are not only completely transfixed and mesmerized by the minister but actually proceed to independently spread "God's word". The documentary depicts startling statistics such as 75% of home schooled kids are Evangelical as well as 25% of the U.S. population. Other interviews had practicing Christians discussing how Evangelicals have the power to sway the vote and unite the nation "under one God". The documentary also depicts children and parents believing adamantly in creationism, and showing frustration in the instruction of evolution in schools. Parents and children are also shown at school (at home) discussing the petty nature of global warming and how it "isn't really even that big of a deal" says the main child in the documentary. The film repeatedly presents families shrugging off science and declaring how science removes Jesus' meaning from life, thus promoting intelligent design.

I can compare my experience with radio commercials and human tendencies to fall for commercial rescues with the lives depicted in Jesus Camp. I find those prepared to let another credit company take care of their bad credit and those who disregard found truths in exchange for scripture are manifestations of manipulated minds. As disrespectful as it may sound, I feel like I witnessed the realities of two cults today, one I experience on a daily basis: the credit cult, and one that has the potential to undermine our democracy: the cult called Christianity. I find it so sad that a minister would devote her life to indoctrinating the minds of children, in a way removing the free will so widely acknowledged by their savior Jesus.

media journal entry #2

For this week's journal entry I find it appropriate to journal about Super Bowl XLIII, which will air Sunday. I have been asked numerous times what I am doing for the super bowl, and I find it absurd how popular this event has remained since its commencement. It shows me something about American values considering how this football game is the most widely-viewed, televised event annually. A football game! I find it also appropriate to comment about this event due to the fact that my ad for deconstruction was only aired to the public during this game, years ago.
The Stealers face the Cardinals, with Bruce Springsteen playing the half time show. I wonder if this choice in half time entertainment is directly correlated to the newly inaugurated president Barack Obama. Considering Springsteen's ties with the democratic party and his liberal activism this wouldn't surprise me.
It is unfortunate that regardless of growing knowledge and the United States' esteemed power American football remains at the height of so many individuals' lives, especially apparent juxtaposing the super bowl with other media choices and seeing how unsubstantial the super bowl is in terms of the masses.
The game serves as a corporate advertising tool, the actual players and coaches receive bonuses, and in my mind the super bowl is completely monetary. American football and sports in general are elevated as leadership builders, exercises in teamwork and sportsmanship. The enveloping reality of the Superbowl tells me sports remain a means to earning more money in one game than a fourth grade teacher, per say, will make in a year. Thus this Super Bowl XLIII, while Americans are eating pretzels and getting wasted for "their" team, I'll be wishing we gave as much attention to the maths, sciences, social liberation and education...not entertaining however. Reading the tabloids from yesterday, I have been informed scientists working for the National Institute of Science spend 20% of their research and work time viewing Internet porn. Another indication that substance and knowledge will not attract unless entertaining. This ongoing question of what's substantial is fundamental in my venture into the world of media literacy.

Ad Deconstruction: Apple's 1984 Macintosh Ad

This television advertisement was first aired to the public on January 22, 1984 during the broadcast of Super Bowl XVIII. It has been noted that this advertisement was also screened in movie theaters as a precursor to film previews during late January early February of this year. The advertisement is directed by Ridley Scott and produced by Apple as a means of introducing the advent of their Macintosh computer. The commercial has great significance in terms of media context in that the style defies convention for television advertising of 1984 and the convention of today. This ad utilizes the ideas and mentality of George Orwell’s groundbreaking novel 1984 in a way that not only introduces a computer but critiques general society.


The ad is directed at the United States general populace, specifically those advancing with the technological age and seeking new tools. More widely though, the ad is aimed at the majority, considering it was aired during the most widely-watched annually televised event, the Super Bowl. The closing text of the ad where the narrator makes the claim “so 1984 will not be like 1984” indicates the ad is indeed directed at the masses but more so directed at retaining individuality and avoiding a rigidly-controlled singular computer type. A type resembling Orwell's projected 1984. The ad thus sparks and speaks to the values of nonconformity and originality carried throughout society.


The Apple 1984 ad is esteemed in commercial history and no doubt has hooked viewers and stood out for ingenuity due to its use of Orwell’s Big Brother, thought-control reality being broken by a female character’s zest and will. The advertisement depicts an industrialized setting where droves of marching white men dressed in dull, matching factory-like attire march through a tunnel toward a screen where more of these men sit transfixed on Big Brothers face, with his voice projecting over a loudspeaker. A female resembling a track runner, wearing orange shorts and a white tank top with an illustration of the Macintosh computer graphic is running down the center of the marching men toward the screen with a gold sledgehammer in her hand. She is being chased by more men with large safety masks and protective suits, implied to be Orwell’s thought police. The woman reaches the screen and launches her hammer into the screen shattering it to pieces as Big Brother announces the famous “we will prevail” over the loudspeaker. Light filtrates the setting and the monotony is broken, Apple then rolls words down the screen with a narrator reading their message that Macintosh will prevent Orwell’s conformist, controlled Big Brother ’84 as a reality for computers.

The primary message of the commercial is thus that Apple will be introducing a new computer that will be monumental in nature, as implied by the ad’s storyline. The advertisement lacks any true facts as to the nature of the new Macintosh and how it dramatically differs from present computers. The only product information given is that Apple will introduce the Mac on January 24. This advertisement solely revolves upon secondary messages and appeals to the mass population. The ad’s use of Orwell creates the illusion that thus far the technological age has been conformed to one model for computers, and that until now consumers have been united in confusion and routine. Apple may be appealing to consumers as the “underdog” of computer companies in the form of the running woman with her sledgehammer, breaking the norm and creating a new light for computers. In terms of design the options are limited in standing apart, thus Apple makes an attempt to separate themselves from other computers. The Macintosh serves as the woman breaking free from the marching and controlled thought, crashing Big Brother’s control and monotony.


The ad uses language very effectively. The use of Orwell’s words “celebrating the anniversary of technology and pure ideology…burying enemies with their own confusion….we shall prevail” throughout the advertisement’s entirety compliments the conformity and mechanistic nature of the marching people and setting. His loud voice with accompanying text over the big screen brings Orwell’s image of Big Brother’s elevation to life. The closing narration is much clearer than Big Brother’s voice and all words roll in order for the viewer to direct complete focus on Apple’s closing message and to symbolize the attempted message of clarity for consumers catalyzed by the Macintosh.

The characters comprising this advertisement include many white males, dressed identically in industrial-worker attire, as aforementioned. All males are bald and seemingly late-twenties to early-thirties in age. The key character in the ad, the running woman, has free-flowing short blond hair, tan skin, and is very outspoken in terms of color juxtaposition with the rest of the setting. Big Brother is represented by a solitary head, speaking repetitiously on a giant screen.


The setting for the ad is significant, it relays the 1984 message. The men are marching through dark tunnels, low light, however light is funneling through certain areas due to fans adorning the walls of the room where the giant screen lies at the end of the tunnel. The camera angles down at the tunnel and illustrates seemingly millions of men marching toward the room. The setting is entirely gray and faintly lit except for the running woman.

The men's faces are expressionless until the woman throws the sledgehammer into the screen. Light then spreads across the room and their faces show expressions of aw. The narration then occurs with the text rolling claiming the introduction of Macintosh. They effectively do this as the masses of men have seen the light and the exemplary underdog woman has broken the mold/screen the audience observes the ad’s message. The only use of logos in the ad are on the woman’s shirt, which pictures a painted/sketched illustration of a Mac and the final apple logo. The use of the apple logo, an apple outline in rainbow colors, to conclude the ad works nicely considering the grey nature of the ad. Apple brings color, the woman brings change, the masses are awed. Not literally, but in terms of the ad.

In addition to the effective use of the colorful apple, the audio for the commercial is very considerable. The only sound throughout the ad is Big Brother’s voice accompanied by loud, systematic, machinery noises. The audience hears the woman’s footsteps against his voice breaking the routine, along with her empowering yell after releasing the sledgehammer from her hand. After her sledgehammer breaks the screen and Apple rolls their message, a resounding chime-like sound fills the room. This use of sound can be implied to be symbolic of the differentiation between the Macintosh and its predecessors, according to Apple.

In regard to the intended effects of the ad, I infer Apple is ultimately attempting to make a statement separating them from the rest of the computer world. The ad makes the statement that the Macintosh allows for creativity and individuality. Unintended effects for the ad include the ad's empowering statement for women. The ad also perhaps caters to those under-represented by the socio-economic ladder, not only women but members outside the white male convention racially as well. Audiences could also imply that Apple is suggesting that technology has left masses confused, controlled and misinformed and that the Macintosh will provide freedom to break free of these shortcomings. The argument could be made that Apple is making a direct attack on IBM, their largest competitor during the time.


The advertisement leaves it unknown as to the actual implications for the Macintosh and how the computer specifically differs from Apple's previous models along with other computers manufactured by competitors. This lack of information however leaves the consumer guessing and thus provokes further research of the Macintosh.


I feel this is a very effective ad, and it appeals to me in idea and context more so than because of the product they are promoting. I am a PC fan, however the way they portray a woman breaking the mold and Big Brother’s control and spreading the light so to speak, is influential. The advertisement makes a statement for Apple’s ingenuity and creativity in advertising that still plays out in their promotional methods today. It is fascinating however that still today, although creative, Apple's advertising still depends on elevating their product over other companies/products, rather than promoting a product that sells on its own.


Sources:

http://www.uriahcarpenter.info/1984.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_(television_commercial)

media journal entry #1

This past Sunday, January 18 2009, marked the beginning of the sixth and final season of the network Showtime's original series The L Word. I have been watching this series avidly since its start and considering the monumental nature of the show, I feel it is an appropriate subject matter for analysis and deconstruction as a means of a media literacy journal entry. I deem this show monumental not because of specific plot lines or characters but due to the fact that the L word is the first regularly aired, televised sitcom to depict the lives of lesbians. It follows in the network HBO's foot steps after HBO's broadcast of the series Queer as Folk, one of the first shows to illustrate homosexual culture, particularly gay men.
Despite my liking and loyalty to The L Word, I have many criticisms in regard to the way lesbian lifestyles are represented. The show utilizes popular culture's conventional image of women and creates this illusion that the lesbians of L.A. are not only gay, but the epitome of America's sexy. It is ironic that this show takes on the role of depicting lesbians for the first time on television, yet also in the same sense perpetuates lesbians as the image males stereotypically drool over. The assumption that bisexual women seek out same sex relationships solely as a means of attracting men should be deterred by such a show, however the L word unfortunately serves to perpetuate these assumptions and similar ones. Men are more prone to continue viewing lesbians as sex objects rather than changing their prior mentalities due to revealed truths.
The L word also portrays each of the characters to be living lives of unrealistic high socioeconomic status, with a hairdresser living the life of an esteemed celebrity and similarly the show portrays a struggling novelist to make it big, publishing wise, in months. This is quite unrealistic considering how hard it is for the best of novelists to "make it big" in the world of publishing.
Aside from the many illusory traits this show attributes to lesbians I understand the demand of the general populace and considering the convention of the media, in order for the show to sell these unrealistic qualities are necessary. Thus it remains, creating a homosexual lifestyle based sitcom in such a heterosexual "square" world will always result series that fall short of reality.
Regardless, I enjoy the show thoroughly, despite the fact that the passionate love scenes keep just as many heterosexual males as lesbians, the show carries a very comic script and dramatic plot. The appeal lies in the fact that the show serves as a sort of alliance between gay and straight audiences. Although it will be the shows last season, and despite the many setbacks and shortcomings, the series continues to illustrate the lives of a very under-represented portion of society, and thus remains at the top of my list.