Subtlety vs. Sensationalism

By Jillian Jenée and Sam Watermeier

Alfreda Giedrojc, a 61-year-old suburban Chicago woman, murdered her 6-month-old granddaughter Sunday, October 6. 

"Her father and grandfather had stepped out of the grandparents' house for a short time when this horrific event took place," Oak Lawn police said.

Giedrojc reportedly laid the child on the floor, pulled a sledgehammer from the closet and hit the baby on both her head and body several times. She then picked up the baby and slit her throat with a carving knife.

This is the same sort of horrific image with which a pro-life group sensationalized abortion on campus earlier this week.

The group, which was trying to spread information about its beliefs, ended up scaring students away with its grisly pro-life posters .

The whole display was an effective reminder of subtlety's power over sensationalism. It reminded us of something The Daily Show's Jon Stewart said about provocation — "If we amplify everything, we hear nothing." 

The anti-abortion group's signs were loud, and students seemed to be covering their ears. Why would a group so strongly against violence employ such an overwhelming barrage of violent imagery? Is news media to blame as an influence? Surely there was a less startling, effective way to convey the message. 

 

Perpetually Plugged-In: Americans on Vacation

By Wendy Faunce

 

A study released by SDL, a company responsible for various “customer management technologies,” states that 60 percent of Americans abstain from personal technologies (i.e. laptops, phones, etc.) while on vacation. This seems like a decent percentage until compared with British holiday-goers. 74 percent of British travelers make a point to “unplug” as well as 69 percent of travelers around the world.

Though the article reports on ways in which companies attempt to effectively advertise to travelers, it also gives insight into the American idea of a vacation. SDL researched 4,000 participants apps used while traveling, influence of brand loyalty, and website usage. They concluded that American travelers used their phones and computers to look up road maps, make reservations, find places to eat, and other travel related things. 

However, if that were the main reason Americans used their phones and computers while on vacation, why would the rate of American usage be so different from the U.K.’s and the world rate? Do Americans get lost more often? Do we have a habit of making reservations after reaching our destinations? The most likely reason is that Americans, more than citizens of other counties, include recreation with electronic devices as part of our vacations. 

I’m not saying it’s bad to take a few days off and enjoy the services of Netflix and YouTube — doing so can be relaxing, educational, and enlightening. That is, if it is done correctly. I am saying it is bad to use mobile devices and computers to take mental vacations while on actual vacations. 

Americans seem to look forward to turning their brains off at the end of a busy workday or a draining day at school when in actuality, this should be when we turn our brains on. When we take mental vacations, like sitting in front of the TV with the Kardashians or mindlessly scrolling page after page through Facebook, we do not exercise our minds as we should and contribute nothing, not even to ourselves. Instead of mental vacations, we should focus more on intentionality. Have an intentional conversation and enjoy the presence of another person, intentionally marvel at the syntax of a favorite author, intentionally go on a run to improve the body and gain clearer thoughts. It has been said that Americans know amusement, not pleasure, and this statistic seems to agree.

What makes it even worse is that Americans undoubtedly do this while on vacation, while traveling places they’ve never been to or don’t visit very often. Brains should especially be turned on in new places. They should also be opened enough to fully enjoy a limited time at a vacation spot. Moral of the story: on vacation or not, live completely on purpose and as clichéd as this sounds, don’t be a statistic.

Government Shutdown Lights Up the Public Screen

By Rick Belbutoski

 

As a self-proclaimed news junky and someone who keeps up with politics despite how it pushes me toward apathy, I tried to avoid writing a blog about the U. S. government shutdown. I can’t avoid it anymore. This shutdown — prompted by Congress' failure to agree on a federal budget plan — has furloughed 800,000 government workers. It’s been six days. There’s no compromise on the horizon. The rhetoric is flying on both sides of the aisle. And we all should have known what would happen, nothing is being done.

Media Matters! When it comes to the messaging that goes along with the rival sides of the shutdown Republicans and Democrats are both trying to litter “the public screen” with their perspective. This effort is vigorously supported by cable news networks that have adopted a political perspective in an effort to appeal to a specific audience and push for profits.

On day one of the shutdown Sean Hannity was one among many FOX news personalities who seemed to not care because the shutdown didn’t affect him personally.

On the other side of the cable aisle CNN dedicated at least a couple days to showing features about American’s who can’t get into drug trials that could potentially save their life until the shutdown ends.

Both sides of cable news squared off about WWII veterans not being able to visit the WWII memorial in Washington DC because the shutdown closed all national monuments. A correspondent on Fox said “Obama closed this monument to inflict maximum pain on veterans.” CNN reported that the veterans didn’t let the barricades stop them from visiting the memorial.

Regardless of which side you tend to side with politically there’s no way to argue that when it comes down to the shutdown, media matters! 

Modern Romance

By Sam Watermeier

Frankly, I'm tired of people talking and writing about romantic relationships. I would like to think there is more to life than being romantically involved with someone. Therefore, I usually get upset when I see a trailer for yet another movie that suggests otherwise.

However, the recently released trailer for "Her" presents a refreshing and timely twist — a story of a man who falls in love with the voice of his phone's operating system.



"Her" doesn't seem to be yet another piece of propaganda proposing love as the end-all, be-all of happiness. The film seems to have more to say about the illusion of intimacy in the Internet age. Given how much time we spend on our computers and phones at the moment, a film about a man falling in love with a communication device seems all too timely.

I will probably push past the separation anxiety I have with my computer and leave my laptop to see this film when it is released November 20.

A Second Chance for Justice

By Jillian Jenée

Just days after George Zimmerman was found not guilty for shooting and killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, Marissa Alexander, a 32-year-old wife and mother, was found guilty and sentenced to twenty years in prison for firing a warning shot at her abusive husband.

When Alexander tried to use the Stand Your Ground Law as her defense, the judge threw it out leaving her completely defenseless. 

People around the country were shocked and disgruntled by the verdict that many, including Florida State Representative Corrine Brown, have described as ‘unfair.’

"It's hard to believe that a female could get 20 years for firing a warning shot at an abusive husband who beat her," Brown said. "There was a restraining order the day it happened. She's a person who had a master's degree, who worked her way through school."

Brown also accuses State Attorney Angela Corey, who was the prosecutor in both the Zimmerman case and Alexander’s case of over-charging those found guilty.

Marissa Alexander had given birth to a child three days before the incident occurred and has two other children. She has been in jail for three years and hasn’t seen her children since the arrest.

Now, a year after her guilty conviction, she has been given a new trial.

“I say ‘Amen’ to having no new trial anywhere,” Alexander’s attorney Faith Gay said to Rev. Al Sharpton. “I think she’s served enough, she’s been in jail for a long time, and as you point out, no one was hurt, she had a good record, she was an upstanding citizen. It should be over.”

Hopefully this time, Alexander will get the verdict she deserves and will be sent home to her family.

Comic and Cinematic Catharsis

By Sam Watermeier
 
Over the weekend, Media Matters was going to host a screening of "The Crow." We thought it would be a good tie-in with Halloween, as the gothic film revolves around a man who returns from the dead on Halloween night to avenge his fiancée's murder.

Alas, the screening fell through, but it reminded me of what is arguably the most important reason we celebrate and study media — its cathartic power.

"The Crow" is a vivid example of how storytelling can serve as catharsis. Written after writer-artist James O’Barr’s girlfriend died at the hands of a drunk driver, the comic-book source material helped O'Barr overcome his grief. You can feel his pain and catharsis coursing through every panel of the comic book as its hero Eric Draven exacts revenge upon the thugs that killed him and his fiancée.

The 1994 film adaptation is the swan song of its star Brandon Lee, who died tragically while making the film at the tender age of 28. (Lee died during one of the last weeks of production when the metal tip of a dummy bullet was unknowingly lodged in a prop gun and shot into his abdomen.) The juxtaposition of Lee's death and his character's resurrection roots the film in mysticism. The movie feels like an ethereal, otherworldly force — a message from the beyond.

"The Crow" immortalizes Lee and proves the comic book's message that people's spirits never die.

After carrying a few forgettable action vehicles, Lee was clearly ready to step out of the shadow cast by his father, the legendary Bruce Lee. In “The Crow,” he stands firmly on his own, delivering a powerful performance pulsating with energy and pathos.

In "The Crow," Lee's spirit along with that of O'Barr's girlfriend live on. The film and the comic book are testaments to media's visceral impact as well as its immortalizing, therapeutic power.

McDonald's Chases Millennials

By Wendy Faunce

 

Last Thursday, McDonald’s announced that 20 of its largest markets will offer healthier menu options by the year 2020. In partnership with the Clinton Foundation’s campaigns to reduce childhood obesity, McDonald’s will cut their unhealthiest food from kids’ menus (foods high in sugar, sodium, and fat) and add more fruits and veggies options to both the kids’ menus and the regular menu.

This $35 million plan aims not only to please regular McDonald’s customers, but also to attract a new demographic — millennials. Those born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s are not especially loyal customers of McDonald’s compared to other generations.

This generation has been credited before with choosing healthier foods than our predecessors. Will fruits and veggies be enough to entice millennials to eat McDonald’s?

Offering salads in place of fries seems like a good idea, but several pictures of the fresh fruit McDonald’s plans to offer are questionable. According to these pictures, a serving of melon means two small-ish slices of melon per package. Another picture shows a package containing one sliver of pineapple.

The result may be this generation opting for our money’s worth over healthier foods. Since millennials range from elementary age to recent college graduates, many will not have extra money to spend (which could be a contributing factor of choosing to dine at McDonald’s in the first place). So if for the same price one could get a small order of fries or a slice of pineapple, which is the budget-restrained college student probably going to choose?

Though offering healthier options is reasonable, the offer may not draw millennials into McDonald’s restaurants. What do you think?