The Message We're Sending Our Youth

I was out bowling with some of my friends the other night and happened to be at a bowling alley that had a screen to display music videos for the music playing. Pop music was playing, and many of songs I knew the majority of the words to (and was singing along with). Not being one to watch music videos, I had not viewed a single one of them before. All was okay, until Maroon 5’s song “Misery” came on. I know the majority of the words to that song too, but was appalled by the music video! Sexual references and images everywhere, coupled with violence. The girl in the video is going between kissing the singer to throwing him off a building!

This made me wonder about how many of our youth are watching these kinds of videos and what messages are they sending? This particular video is not promoting men to be violent to women, but it seems to say, “If your girlfriend/wife beats you up, that’s okay!” It is still promoting violence! While there are a number of tastefully done music videos, there are so many that can be categorized with the ads that we have been discussing in class, like this one! Ugh – frustrates me beyond belief!

Video from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g6g2mvItp4

Reexamining Visual Symbols in My Life

In reexamining the visual symbols in my life after seeing a presentation in class over the subject, my awareness of the extensive amount of visual symbols that I experience on a daily basis has been heightened. A more specific attempt at a list of visual symbols that I see every day can now be constructed, although it will never seem finished, since I’m exposed to so many visual symbols constantly that it would be impossible to try to write them all down!

Many of the symbols I see are trying to communicate a message, from the road signs that I see while driving to the McDonalds arches, symbolizing that I can go there for the amazing French fries they have without even needing to see their entire name posted anywhere. The American flag flying outside so many buildings I see every day shows patriotism, without a big “I’m a patriot! I love the United States!” banner waving in the background.

Bathroom signs, Facebook’s logo, music notes on a page, the “Apple” logo on my computer. These all tell me what products I use, what I enjoy, what I understand. And these are only the things that immediately come to mind when I stop and think about the visual symbols that I see. They are how I learn, communicate, and express myself. Without visual symbols, my life would be very different.

Picture from: http://cha.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=331&Itemid=368

Violence in Advertising

After watching the video on advertisements last week, I have noticed the advertisements and their messages so much more! It appalls me what is acceptable today. In a world where movie ratings decide whether young children can view a movie, these types of images are splashed in their faces! It seems that there is always an underlying message to so many ads I am bombarded with on a daily basis.

Even watching the Super Bowl, the advertisements seemed centered around someone getting hurt or made fun of. This isn’t the message our youth, who is already surrounded by images of violence, needs to be exposed to. People getting hit in the face with cans of pop or a cane isn’t something anyone wants happening to them, but I just know there is some kid out there that is going to try it. What example are we setting for today’s youth?

Videos from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCB4YWPhNeI and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX7oYAygWOQ

Killing Us Softly

I watched Jean Kilbourne’s “Killing Us Softly 3 – Advertising’s Image of Women” in class the other day for the first time. While issues like this are frequently apparent to me, watching this was very eye opening for me. It amazes me what advertisers will use to sell their product, stooping so low as to include photos that would normally be considered “inappropriate” for youth’s eyes. And yet, these photos are up everywhere, exposing young girls of today to the idea that they need to be more this or that. They are never perfect and will never be considered perfect no matter what they do. The affect on adolescent girls is appalling to me. While these images seem to have gotten a little better in the past few years, there is still an awful amount of stereotyping in advertisements that is happening, which the youth of the United States is bombarded with all of the time.

Video from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTlmho_RovY