Post-modern & Modern Feminism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLPzd5ybOfU

Sex and the City is a series staring four women who as best friends share the journey of life, love, and work in New York City.  In this particular clip of episode 10 season one the girls take a trip outside of Manhattan to visit an old friend for her baby shower in Connecticut.  This is referred to as the city girls visiting the country mice.  Carey and the girls are clearly out of place because they are the only ones displayed as childless, socially active with dating and partying,  as well as single.  One of the women is mentioned to be in the process of a divorce but Carey and the women are portrayed as the outcasts.  Post- modernism is symbolized all throughout the episode.  One of the gifts from "a city girl" for the mother to be is condoms.  Another symbol of  Carey and the girls are  being different from the Connecticut women is way they are dressed compared to the other women. The girls are dressed in black and more provocative than the other women who are wearing conservative styles with mostly pastel colors.

More importantly, Carey and the women symbolize post-modern behaviors.  The opening scene the women discuss how Laney, the women hosting the baby shower, is using a child to validate her existence where as they use sex and a cocktail. The women who have children are talked about as a cult as if they have an illness that the single women do not want to catch.   It is almost as if having a baby resembles the loss of post-modernism.  Once a women has a child she is lost forever!  In fact, one women expresses a comment such as, she was once a CEO and many people reported to her but now she only yells at the dog.  When the lady voices this to the camera she is also holding her child.   Other women have dialogue with the camera yet analyzing their comments all of the women seem to be oppressed.  Carey and her friends are proud to be from the city, have time to have a career, date, and live a social life.  They as well state comments referring to having a child and family as losing themselves, which to me refers to losing their post-modern feminism to the world of motherhood. 

After the baby shower the women are sitting at a bar discussing the validation of motherhood to the existence of women.  One of the ladies expresses how she is happy with her life and does not want a baby.  Another lady is depressed from the shower and yet another women is angry because she wants a baby, husband, and her baby name back.  This clip expresses post- modernism in the fact that every women has their own choices of life and the meaning of life to them.  Some women do want to have children, some women would like to be single, some women do not desire children, some women enjoy focussing on their careers, and all of this is excepted in post-modernism because women have a choice as well as a voice.  

News Framing

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4552626/war-on-prescription-drugs/?playlist_id=86892

If the hyperlink does not work the video is at Foxnews.com under the tab video and then the tab health and is titled "War on prescription drugs"

Framing encourages or discourages a specific interpretation of a subject through aspects of the story such as the editing, facts, opinions, and depictions that are displayed.  After watching this news clip I concluded that the framing is all about the military.  The topic of the story is a war on prescription drugs but the focus or framing is on the military.  In fact, the military soldiers are even referred to as "victims" by the news reporter.  Even though the military is who the story is framed upon, only two of the drug abusers discussed were in the military.  What is excluded from the footage are raw facts of exactly how many soldiers are or were addicted to prescription drugs.  The news story could have also compared the amount of civilians on prescription drugs compared to the military.  What that coverage does include is the stories of the two military people, their drug uses, and how they have recovered.  This may create a relationship between the viewer and the military person because their personal life was open to create a connection. This connection may create even stronger feelings in he viewer because it is a time of war in our country.  The social implications of framing prescription drug abuse on the military creates empathy for some soldiers who may suffered battle wound but also may create negative opinions on our military.  For example, people may be led to infer all military veterans are hooked on drugs and even utilize the war as an excuse to consume pills.  Furthermore, the military doctors are also accused of quick fixing the patients with prescription drugs when in fact many of the doctors may not prescribe pain pills immediately or even at all.  The doctors do not have a voice in this video but are negatively talked discussed.   Other military soldiers should also have a voice in this clip but they are not because the framing may have changed.  The news clip mentions military as the subject of prescription drug abuse because that is what would catch the attention of viewers and create a news worthy story.

E- Trade Baby "Get your shocked face on!"

Get your SHOCKED Face on!

One of my favorite add campaigns is the E- Trade Baby commercials.  In fact I never even knew what E-Trade was until I watched one of the baby commercials which then intrigued me into typing there business right into the google search bar and off I went.   I was also suprised to realize I had watched many other E- Trade commercials before the Baby adds and yet was never amused enought to pursue further research or even remember who the ommercial was for.  But for those of you who do not know what E- Trade is here is a brief description thanks to wikipedia.com: E- Trade is a company offering an online financial website with a multitude of services. The major business of which is an online discount stock brokerage service for self-directed investors. Investors can buy and sell securities such as stocks, bonds, options, mutual funds, and exchange- traded funds throughout electronic trading platforms.  You can also perform these services by phone via E-Trade Mobile Pro. The company also offers banking and lending products such as checking and savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and credit cards.

The E-Trade baby commercials are my favorite because they always make me laugh.  Beyond the laughter I sat and pondered what else these commercials made me do or even feel.  I then came to the conclusion that the baby makes me feel a sense of guilt.  When I refer to guilt I mean that I realized I dont know how to prepare for retirement, invest my money, or how to work the stock market.  I did not understand any of the aspects E-Trade offered.  I only knew I worked hard in order to save money to afford a basic lifestyle in which satisfies me as well as my Boxer! At first i tried to scapegoat thinking that I am only 23 years of age and retirement may be far in my future but soon i concluded life is happening and at a fast rate and in order to provide a stable future especially in this economy money management is a necessity.  Not only would becoming financially smart improve my life but also the economy.  I can become one less person with huge negative debt, bancrupt issues, and collections to business who need their money. In order to prevent this I had to learn what to do with my money because life happens and money may be there one second and gone another.  For example an illness or a unexpected car accident. 

 This baby knows more than me! But it's okay since he uses humor to engage this fact plus who doesn't like a cute talking baby!  The commercials usually view the baby giving advise or bragging about investments in which were successful for adults he advised. In fact one of the commercials features a man playing the lottery in hope to win a retirement fund but he loses and the baby says, "Oh let me guess you lost? Let me get my chocked face on."  This quote is ironic because Americans buy lottery tickets everyday in hopes to having a rescue from financial burden on one lucky ticket.  I myself can identify to this giulty pleasure, not on a regular basis but more then I am proud of admitting have I scratched that ticket and wished my college tuition was no longer my worries!  People with an average, below average, and even abover average income can relate to these E-Trade commercials.  People as well as companies go bankrupt all the time or lose their retirement or are in credit card debt but this Baby is smart enough to manage it all on E-Trade so why can't we as adults? My guillt of ignorance on my financial status lead to identification with the characters in the commercials and also lead to feeling of mortification because I want to improve my financial future as well as knowledge. This made me get my shocked face on because anything with numbers I hate!

WeeDs

          Weeds is a Tv series that was aired on the HBO network.  In this blog I am focusing on the first two episodes from season three.  The main character in the show is Nancey Botwin and her family. She has two sons and also takes in her brother in law.  Weeds makes you feel guilt for Nancy as well as her sons because her husband died unexpectedly leaving her with no source of income to maintain the high profile life they were leading.  For example Nancey lives in a large house with an inground pool with fountains.  Nancey also has to be able to pay the nanny who cooks, cleans, grocery shops, and maintains other aspects of the house. The vehicle she frives is a Landrover therefore leading the audience to believe she has quite a large financial burden to continue paying on while having no income. In every episode you feel giult for Nancey because she is a widow and at moments her sons have trouble dealing with their father's death.  In oder to surivive Nanncey becomes a weed dealer.  Although she is doing an illegal act in order to pay bills the show creates giult and ethos by portraying Nancey as a widow who is struggling to raise her children, pay the bills, and keep her family together after losing a vital member of their family.  Nancy is also easy to identify with although most of us are not drug dealers for a living we do have struggles in life and problems that only family understands.  Nancey, her sons, and her brother in law have disfunction yet it is functional for them and they make it through as a family therefore easy to identify with.  In the first two episodes Nancey's illegal behaviors catch up with her and men are out to kill her.  The show is dramatic and the levels of intesity rise while men hold guns threatening her life.  The drama escalates and yet Nancey continues to be a mother and stay calm at all times.  She barely ever show weakness and is a strong indepepndant women.  Not until the end of the episode, when she jumps into the pool, does she freak out and scream.  I feel like I relate to Nancey in this way because I usually keep my emotions calm and continue to live my life because things could always get worse.  The lifestyle that Nancey lives as well as other characters in the show invoke feelings of mortification because you want to be a better person becuae the show emphasizes life is short and it also makes you thankful for your life because Nancey has a lot on her shoulders all the time.