Junior Theme...ugh

This week we started the dreaded junior theme. Our mission is to ask a specific "why question" about a controversial topic in the United States. While I did have a variety of topics in mind, one kind of stood out to me.     I don't want to state my "why question," because odds are it isn't 100% true to what my final question will be, and I will likely blog about my topic in future blogs. However, I do want to address some ideas that I had that I am not planning on writing a 5 to 7 page paper on.

My current question largely involves the US media and how it influences people's views on global warming, and when I thought deeper about how much the media influences us, a few more topics came to my mind. For one, a question I asked myself was: "Why are electronic/hip-hop/rap songs SO popular right now? Why are they played all over the radio?" These questions led me to even more inquiries: "Is it because people actually prefer this kind of music, or are these artists given more opportunities than artists of other genres? If so, why? What else does the media have such an influence on?" Now, I really would like to find the answers to these questions, but it would be ridiculous to try to fit all of these questions into a short-ish paper.

But that's what I like about the Junior Theme; we are forced to ask questions we would normally never ask.With the Junior Theme project, you really have to be thorough in your research and the topic-narrowing process. There are so many questions to answer, but with only a few pages to answer them, you have to focus on just a few questions.

Product Placement

Last week we were talking a lot about television. One topic that was briefly discussed was product placement in TV shows and movies. Product placement is when companies will pay money to have their product be either used or seen in the frame of a show in some way. Here are some examples. (don't miss my favorite of the bunch starting at 4 minutes and 52 seconds!)

While "Wayne's World" mocks the usage of product placement, it is quite easy to overlook all of the products that are advertised in a single TV show. After our class discussion, I even started noticing it in music videos. Last week, while browsing YouTube, I saw a new Dr. Dre song with Eminem. To watch the video, check out this link: I need a doctor

1:10- dre gets in a Ferrari
4:15- you can see a tablet with the HP logo
5:01- a G Shock watch is at the center of the screen,
5:34-the tablet again
while reasonable because it is his own company, at
5:56- there is a computer with the "beats by dre" logo,
6:00- the camera zooms in on his K Swiss shoes,
6:41- Gatorade      

With all of this blatant advertisement, can you even take this video seriously? Does the advertisement abridge the serious tone of the song? Try to search for advertisements for yourself and see if it either:
A- disrupts the mood of a TV show or song
or
B- has an affect on you (do you feel obligated to purchase or use these items?

More Rights...

Now that our reconstruction projects have been presented, I wanted to discuss something we talked about in class last week. But first, I want to tie in the reconstruction project: One problem that came up in almost everyone's project was the issue of Freedmen's rights. It took way too long for Blacks to have full rights in the United States even though amendments were passed that abolished slavery and gave the African Americans more rights. Since the end of the civil war, Blacks and then Women have gained equal rights in the US. So, now that everyone has equal rights, there won't be anymore protests, right?

The thing is, many people believe they don't have equal rights. In the past few years, a political topic that is constantly debated is Gay rights. For one, it has not been legal for a man to marry a man anywhere in the United States until the year 2004. (not to mention that gay marriage has only been legalized in one state.)


The country has made shifts from African American rights, to womens rights, and now protests for equal rights for gays. Why has our country only until NOW decided that equal rights for gays is something that should be discussed? This is a tough question, so if anyone thinks they might have an idea please post a response.

To see a brief history of gay rights movements in the US, this timeline is really helpful!

Also, if you have time, read this article that discusses the comparison of blacks, women, and gays. It is quite interesting to see how people react when these comparisons are made...