oh~ final blog…?

Our media class is so different from other course I have taken in hunter. At first, I thought that it is just a regular introductory class where we listen, go read the textbook and recite all facts in the exam. But, this it isn’t like this at all. This class really encouraged interaction. It isn’t my comfort zone, but I end up quite enjoying that. I still remember first thing you made us to do, where we had to line up in alphabetical order and answering quick questions. Then eventually we had to make a skit about products and identity. I thought it was really weird, but it helped to break the ice not just between the students. Also, it was engaging. I think that would really help us to actually understand the concepts a lot better.

I’m majoring in Studio Art and it’s just recently I decided to minor in media. I didn’t want to just focus is fine art and I’m very much interested in digital creations, so I want to go for graphic designer as a profession. I thought this class was excellent introduction in studying the significance in imagery and its relation to the society and its social issues. It was actually quite interesting in sitting through some if Professor Ewen’s lecture. I think it will help me and think through the images that I could be creating.

One of discussion section I remember was the one about the May Day Strike. I thought it was really mind opening when you incorporated your part about being teacher adjunct and comparing to one of the classmate’s job. It was surprising that you weren’t there to lecture about the strike, but to actually illustrating yourself as an example was outstanding. It certain made the issue much more connectable and exposing issues that are really close at hand. Another highlight would be campaign assignment. I think it was very inspiring that we are actually the one to make things happen and I’m pleased in putting in the effort s of making the animation which sparked by the Story about stuff shown in lecture.

I guess one irritation was making the blogs due on Saturday. I don’t think anyone want to sitting though a Saturday to be working on this, so maybe actually putting it on Fridays might be better. I think people would work better because they wouldn’t be thinking that it’s the weekend, especially when there Sunday to procrastinate.

Overall, the class was really helpful. I could really tell that you are very passionate about being an activist and wanting us to engage and understand that social issues are there.  It helped me on opening a wider perceptive.

-tinyuet

Campaign_Anti-Obesity

 

Here’s the PDF proposal

Campaign_Anti-Obesity

video progress

working in the animation…. struggling..

Food advertising, consuming waste that leads to obesity

Here are some of my parts of the research, that which we then continue to discuss and compile our research together.

Obesity is a growing global health problem and is a definite threat to people’s health. In our modern world with increasingly cheap, high calorie food such as fast food, prepared foods that are high in things like salt, sugars or fat, combined with our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, increasing urbanization and changing modes of transportation, it’s only oblivious that obesity has rapidly increased in the last few decades. In the United States, 55 percent of adults are overweight by international standards. 23 percent of American adults are considered obese. And the trend is spreading to children as well, with one in five American kids now classified as overweight. Obesity cost the United States 12 percent of the national health care budget in the late 1990s, $118 billion, more than double the $47 billion attributable to smoking. While billions are spent on food advertising, and not enough is spent on nutrition education.

As I read though some of the research, I think there is a heavy connection between obesity and consumerism. Because of marketing and being able to mass produce, food that which has the least healthy calories are the cheapest, while and the most healthy calories are the most expensive. Plus, with all the food advertisement on TV, who could resist?  Beautifying these mass produced “empty” foods, people are not seeing the nutrition values. So, obesity is one the many problems that resulted from over-consumption that could be applied to the video Story about stuff. As it mentions about consumerism produce waste that destroys the world, this has the same philosophy relating to over-eating. For example, US being one of the biggest Big Mac consumer in the world, which is concentrated with so many fat and calories, why would one intake so much waste into your body and intoxicating ourselves.

Some more facts on High Food wastage:

•In the US 40-50% of all food ready for harvest never gets eaten

•Of the food that does eventually reach households, some 14% is wasted, resulting in something like $43 billion of wastage

•A simple frozen dinner can contains ingredients from over 500 different suppliers so you have to trust all of those hundreds of companies along the way stuck to regulations about food safety.

•50% of tested samples of high fructose corn syrup tested for mercury.

•Americans eat about six to nine pounds of chemical food additives per year.

As funny as it is, eating McDonalds is not going to turn you to a hot model.

Walk, Don’t Work….?

May 1st is recognized as International Workers’ Day. This holiday originate in response to the Haymarket Massacre of 1886 in Chicago, where worker went striking and supporting the eight hour workday. Their demanded for an eight-hour day was about leisure, self-improvement and freedom, but it was also about power. As for the next coming Tuesday, this May 1 will be a day of General Strike in communities across the United States. It’s a day of no working, no school, no banking and no shopping, intended to demonstrate the collective economic power of the 99 Percent. General Strike is a term which a large mass of the labor force who strikes for political and economic goals. There were also other general strikes that occurred such as the general strike at Oakland in December of 1946, which inspired the anti-labor Taft-Hartley Act. Also, in December of 2011, Occupy Los Angeles called for a general strike on May Day demanding for housing, education, and healthcare as human rights. Some questions would be how effective would the strike be? Some people would be real passionate in fighting for the injustice. But what would it means to other who would go? I think there are other ways then strike to promote a point.

This design targets audiences of mainly office workers. Overall, it looks a combination of newspaper ads and comic strips format. It also adds a bit for humor, where the poster is emphasizing on the phrase “call in sick”, while the intentions of the strike sort of becomes the small “lesser important” fonts. However, I do think that this is quite effective although it’s quite simple in terms of design. But, the humorous tone really captures the worker because it connects to their way of life.

On the other hand, this poster is very decorative, but extremely confusing Even though, all the words are very direct and representing what’s the strike about, but everything got lost. It is almost over-designed with a hippie style and a combination with art-nouveau, which has no real connection to the general strike.

I think this is really attention grabbing incorporating the traffic lights symbols; especially, having the red hand stopping icon enlarged in the center of the poster. This is using constraint in a good way and may actually be stopping people and just read over it. There is also good alignment and color choice in the design.

Obesity in America

Theme:

– Obesity in America

Intention:

– to persuade young adult healthy eating behaviors

– promote healthy food and lifestyle

– minimum exercise

Goal:

– just go play and get people out of their seats

– change at least one course of their meal to an healthy meal.

Timeline:

– a week of research

– a week of compiling research, meet up, plan ideas and begin video work

– a week of finishing video work, editing  and polishing

Collaboration:

– Let’s move movement/program (http://www.letsmove.gov/about)

Teamwork:

– two will research on the medical perspective of obesity

– two will research on fact/survey of health issue

you, are not an apple product

“With the purchase of the product, you will have your hands in controls. In a world where a genuine sense of mastery is elusive, and feelings of impotency abound, the well-designed product can provide a symbolism of autonomous proficient and power. Often this symbolism is nothing more than a gesture.” (215) In Part 4 of ACI, Professor Ewen illustrates that industrialization and urbanization lead to new change of style and image of the society. Credit card became the ultimate symbol of economic prosperity and wealth instead of paper money; where it has become an ideal for people to have a credit card in color of gold. The change in women’s fashion, the uprising of skyscrapers, and these new imageries alter people’s perspective that lead to American’s new way of life, consumerism. People have the excessive need to obtain something new, to keep up with the progression of society. Thus, the supply and demand continuous to increase, the more people are purchasing, the more manufactories to be made. However, these workers no longer require skills by relying on machines. The feeling of inadequacy rose. As a result, advertisement arises in feeding the consumers and fulfilling mental needs as consumption represents power and control. People can buy to become perfect as the advertisements show. Perfect social image are tangible to the average American if he or she only purchased the latest goods.

But the power is not in the consumers. The power shifts to marketers, companies and producers of the advertisements even though such media are “nothing more than a gesture”. They produce the idea of human perfection as self-image. They understand the psychology of the consumer, the Photogenic ideals: to become an image. For example, the McDonald commercial shown at the lecture, holds the power in shaping teenage girls’ image. These girls are presented as trendy, hippy and the how the new generation of girls should be. Thus, teenage girls are then ultimately forced into standardization. In modern society, cosmetic commercials, magazines such as Vogue and Elle are no different than the McDonald commercial. They all show the idea of human perfection specify in the eyes of females. Even the ads the new ipad, that’s another status icon.

sherlock jr jr

People’s perspectives in lifestyle and culture keeps on changing from generation to generation. In City Lights: immigrant women and the rise of the movies, Professor Stuart discusses the women of the “old world” and women of the “new world”. He draws a connection between the two and shows their interrelationship. The woman of a family holds a role as the mother. She takes on the domestic responsibilities, taking care of the family within the boundary of a home. She is expected and accepted such a role because it is “natural” and “normal” to many cultures. Just as depicted in the article, these women immigrants to US and still holds such image of being female. But as a new age of moving pictures and films, this brings a change in these women’s daughter of the next generation. These films attracted working class as audiences of that time, because story of this film often depicted social facts of these working class and immigrants. They show the reflections of their conditions of lifestyles, their point of view, cultures and tradition. The film offers interactive communities, joining with other mothers for example, but it also becomes bridge to connect the two generation, where perhaps the daughter generation of women are no longer necessary a domestic one. In addition, the women’s image is changing follows Freud’s theory of identification and projection because film did offers these women a new set of image.

As for the final project, I’m not exactly sure of what to do. I may just continue on exploring the fields of nuclear power and the crisis it cause, but more research are needed to be done perhaps on this topic or brainstorm of another.

-tinyuet

Japan’s 311 and nuclear crisis

 

311

My topic will focus on the incident of 311, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I’m deciding rather to focus in the theme of nuclear power plants or in the Japan’s recovery. As for the nuclear power topic to be address as the main stream, nuclear energy is efficient way to supply Japan, or any other countries for that matter. However, nuclear power will always be questioned. In what ways Japan will sacrifice for this energy? Lives are being put in jeopardy.Will it beneficial to people in the long run or actually causing the absolute opposite? While the underground story would be addressing on the prosperity and advancements of what nuclear energy could do. Yet another brainstorming idea is to base on Japan’s recovery. Although Japan is slowly recovering the sudden attack, but the damage still lingers mentally and emotionally. This will most likely to take form as a comic strip.

reconfigured eye

Question 2 – reconfigured eye

“The photograph has an added realism of its own; it has inherent attraction not found in other forms of illustrations.” –Lewis Hine

“What we must demand from the photographer is the ability to put such a caption beneath his picture as will rescue it from the ravages of modishness and confer upon it a revolutionary use value” –Walter Benjamin

Visual vernacular- expresses cultures through imagery as a form of language.

Visual Truth- photograph, for example, holds a truth based on the perspective for the photographer, but viewer also his or her own truth.

Visual images have been constantly changing throughout ages. From biblical texts that manually copied and written to the development of printing press that begins the notion of mass production. Images have changed in economic values. Moreover, imagery is also changing in expressions, offering a way of persuasion. Lewis Hines’s photography offers insights for radical social and cultural changes. He exposes harsh conditions of children, which in turns demands for those necessary changes. This persuasion also can be applied to image of advertisements and ultimately giving a perspective to establish culture.

Question 5 – waning of the moon

 Hierarchy – categorization of a group of people according to ability or status

Lilith – According the the Hebrew faith, she was Adam’s first wife created from the clay of the earth like Adam instead of his rib like Eve.

“Her hair burnt by chemicals to a brittle straw, her eyes with a kind of cataract unseen but suspect far behind the pupils, the reddened pouting lips, the body as thin as a praying mantis from dieting, and her flesh like white bacon. He could remember her no other way.” – Bradbury

“Remove of equalitarian view” – Ewen

Women in media are often theme of conflicting issues. They are portrayed under many stereotypes.  In ways, they are often ignored. From the negated existence of Lilith in Bible, her story is deliberately taken out. She achieve for dominance and wisdom. In order to maintain the status of men, they need to annihilate the threat of egalitarian view. Thus, women are, then, place in roles of victim or consumer. They are to fulfill the traditional roles such as homemakers and mothers. They pursue in domestication in terms of marriage and child rearing. Correspondingly, there are few depictions of female in power or position of authority. Women are not encouraged in education and independence. They are depicted as needing guidance of a male. Mildred Montage follows strictly in such a matter.

On contrary, Frankie Mae and other female publisher of the Black press as seen from the Soldiers without Swords are writes to prove their existences. They are acknowledged because their literacy which gave them the power.

How are women portrayed today? How did the spread of media improve the image of women or has it been worsened?  How does gender placed into connection with literacy and power?

Modern education system allows literacy to be more accessible for everyone. As a result, literacy becomes a power for women to express and speak out. Moreover, the media expands the importance of literacy. Yet, media also formulates contradiction that media is a tool that deterring image of women. Media creates stereotypes and enforces them on women. It also suppresses them to follow a certain norm.

Question 1 – the ashes that remains

McCarthyism, Red Scare – the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. From the late 1940s to the late 1950s, this period is characterized by heightened fears of communist influence on American institutions. Fahrenheit 451 was written in times of the Red Scare.

Paradigm – a set of forms all of which contain a particular element, especially the set of all inflected forms based on a single stem or theme

“If you don’t want a man unhappy politically, don’t give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none. Let him forget there is such a thing as war.” – Bradbury

“A book must be an ice-axe to break the seas frozen inside our soul. “ -Franz Kafka

In Fahrenheit 451, fire is represented as an instrument of control. The authority such as the firemen creates fire instead of extinguishing them. They burn books to stop spread of knowledge, of literacy. The general public is to live in a bubble trapped by the government, whose notion of an orderly society as paradise. People are deprived of knowledge in exchange for happiness. But, who decides one’s happiness? How could society progress without people understanding anything? Is there no such as war, if nobody knows about it? The authority goes to extreme to keep people in the blind. Not only burning books, they went so far as to even murdering people who are involve with books. The happiness is only a façade to cover of the authority of maintaining their power, in keeping the order of the hierarchy.

The Hunter Envoy = Current Black Press

The Hunter Envoy is the choice of a freedom-fighter of today for Tin Yuet and Judy. It is because we believe that this student newspaper is the current Black Press. The Black Press was a chance for African Americans to raise their voices to the public. Film Soldiers without Swords documented the details of the cause, rise, and struggles of the Black Press. As a minority group facing hardships of racism, African Americans were oppressed by society. As a result, the media became an opportunity for them to utilize the power for freedom. Through this power, many were able to educate themselves, to spread news, and most importantly, speak out for the injustices that were unreported by the mainstream media. Perhaps that was history, but newspaper is still a very influential medium with an effect on society that spans across time periods. Even, Hunter College, a smaller community in comparison, holds their own “swords”, too. The Hunter Envoy for its students is the modern day equivalent of the newspaper, “The Chicago Defender” for the Black Press. Through the Envoy, Hunter students are able to share and raise their voices to the community. The Envoy covers a wide of range of topics, from simple experiences of student life, to arts and entertainment, and to the politics on campus. The staff writers offer insights on some of the topics like student protests and struggles of the CUNY system in their opinion section. We conducted an e-mail interview with their associate news editor, Kimberley Devi Milner, who was a former student of our section leader. Although passed the deadline, but we still got her response. Her recent work for the Envoy was the coverage of the Occupy Wall Street protests. She covered the protestors from the start to the police eviction at Zucotti Park.

Interview:

TYC + JW: In writing you articles, where do you find your sources?

KM: I constantly ask Hunter students if they see anything new on campus. I go to the USG office regularly to chat with representatives to find stories. Sometimes I just follow signs. Once we have a story topic we put together a list of individuals we believe are most knowledgeable on the topic and try to interview them.

TC + JW: What do you intend to accomplish with the publication of your articles?

KM: Supposedly journalists want to change the world. I just want to tell a good story. A hard news lead that can quickly dispel info and entertain really impresses me, and it’s what I aspire to.

TC + JW: The Hunter Envoy is known to include articles pertaining to various aspects of the life of a Hunter student. However, the Envoy often incorporates discussions of Hunter in relation to world news such as the recent article “Syrians Protest Chinese and Russian Veto outside Hunter”, and others to CUNY politics. What messages do you hope to convey to readers?

KM: The Envoy’s different section have different purposes. News tries to inform the Hunter community about important happenings around Hunter while the other sections try to capture the voices of Hunter College. The story you referenced made it into news because the protest was happening outside of Hunter. If it was a student’s opinion on Syrian politics, it would belong in the Opinion section.

TC + JW: Envoy wrote a lot about protests, from the Baruch protest, to Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Hunter, referring to the mass of CUNY student protest at Union Square, what do you hope to achieve with the coverage of all of these protests? What importance will it make for students to know about these protests?

KM: It has been particularly fulfilling for Envoy reporters to cover the new wave of protests. Citizen mobilization has not had the same spontaneity the past decade until now, and the opportunity to cover the action keeps Envoy journalists on their game.  We often cover protests that are unfolding, and report on stories not overkilled by mainstreet media. We hope students find our coverage accessible and informative.

TC + JW: It is interesting to see that the Envoy have page solely dedicated to editorials, what was the intention for this page? Would this be risky? Or borderline bias (ex. Take Aim at Washington, Not Wall Street)? If it was in fact risky or borderline bias, how would you deal with these situations? Will you be reaching for the masses outside of the hunter community? Any future plans for the Envoy?

KM: Most college newspapers have an Op-Ed section, and the individual writers take responsibility for the opinions they express there. If an issue gets heated, students have the opportunity to write responses we consider running

http://hunterenvoy.com/

– Tin Yuet Chau and Judy Wong

Social Networking Stinks…Or Maybe Not?

Is our identities by defined by the social media? It certainly is a factor for both of us as social media has become a part of our daily lives. In our essays, we define social media is a trend. Quoting from Judy, “it is only not using them would be deemed weird by others”. So, trend is always pressure,  It is common to think “who wouldn’t have Facebook?” or “who wouldn’t have an iPhone?” this day and age. Under this circumstance, we are impacted by this popular trend.

And thus, it is how we joined Facebook because it is the “social” thing to do. By “social”, we mean it is the trend to jump on the bandwagon to see what all the fuss about Facebook was about. It really isn’t all that great when people start to abuse it. We came to an agreement that Facebook is mainly a place for people to parade themselves in. I use the example of ridiculous statuses I see on my home page like, “i fart in my sleep”, and that attracted seven people to like it. I ultimately stop using it for leisure purpose. On the other hand, Facebook is a convenient method of communication. We both use it as a tool for connecting with people around the world. For example, Judy uses it to communicate with her cousin who studies in the United Kingdom, as well as her family and friends that live in California, Australia, and Asia.

Moreover, we both see social media is also a form of power. Judy mentions that being successful is an important value for her, so social media as a trend would help her to become successful in life. As for myself, I use it as a medium for self-expression. Even though, I do not like Facebook, I know that Facebook is one of the mainstreams of social networking. I set up another account for me to display my artwork only for others to view. This opens both of our eyes to see how to get the most benefits and advantages that are easy for us to access.

From reading our papers, we both have very honest tone to our writings, but we have our differences. As for Judy’s writing, I think it was very cohesive. I could tell that she did use an outline first, which she did write in an organized matter. Though, I feel she could use even more specific examples and add more strength in her writing. For example, when she said “Other times, I see myself with a distinct style of my own”, I think she could expand more on that “distinct style”. I think that is her strong point, which she can even make it even stronger. As for what Judy said of my writing, “She brainstorms her paper starting with a narrative into her everyday life to build upon her dislike for Facebook. She did not dislike Facebook as much as she did before when she wrote how she uses it for her benefit in artwork display. She had a very honest tone to her writing, and that is her strongest point. Even if Facebook benefits her now, she still kept to her strong honest opinion on the social networking site.”

Tin Yuet Chau & Judy Wong

Literacy, as vital as breathing itself

“I saw nothing without seeing it, and I heard nothing without hearing it.” – Frederick Douglass

Don’t you think at this very moment, we are already using literacy as a source of empowerment? Perhaps, this statement is a bit exaggerated. However, if we are to just stop and think about it. We are all writing and reading our respective opinions, different experiences and life stories. Each and every one is reflecting to their own beliefs and values. They may not in a form of book, or an academic paper as I would automatically associate as I read the word “literacy”. Nonetheless, literary are everywhere, from text messages, reading food labels to reading newspaper with sections of world news, arts, economics and fashions and so much more.

As I was surfing the web, I came across a question that someone has posted asking “how many words an “average” literate person can use and recognize?” While pondering on this question, I saw a respond “it is estimated that typical college graduates have an active vocabulary of 60,000 active words (which they use) and 75,000 passive (which they understand).” And to that, other questions arises, how many words do we hear, write, read on a daily bases. Have we realize that literacy, to our current society, have become so diffused that literacy is just as powerful and vital as breathing itself?

I very much agree with Dalian Grant, where he quotes Chris Peplinski that literacy is a source of imagination. I also have much interest in creating my own story and characters. Furthermore, it is a form of release and escapism for me to create that “world”.

-Tin Yuet Chau

Identity, a sacrifice for “Utopia”?

Both Style War and Fahrenheit 451 are closely related to the theme of identity due to the influence of media. They also display the power struggle between the oppressor and the suppressed. The oppressors controls over media as represented by the city officials in Style War and the firefighters in Fahrenheit 451. They presume keeping the society in order and the same, dystopian (as mentioned in Ewen’s lecture) society would not exist. On the other hand, the suppressors are graffiti writers and the readers. They struggle to find and obtain individualism to live their own ways.

Fahrenheit 451 depicts losing one’s identity under the restriction of books. Beatty mentions “we must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against. So! A book is a loaded gun in the house next door.” Montag’s wife Mildred is one of people in the world of Fahrenheit 451 whose identity completely melted into the society. She is deprived of true emotions, indifferent to the society and even to her husband. She has no memories of where she and Montag first met. Her only respond is “it doesn’t matter”, and to that, Montag realizes her shallowness and the emptiness of their bond as he stats, “he remembered thinking then that if she died, he was certain he wouldn’t cry. For it would be the dying of an unknown, a street face, a newspaper image”. Mildred continues to absorb into the “family” of the parlor walls and drugs herself to achieving this pseudo-happiness. Therefore, is it even possible to regard Mildred as a wife, or even a human being of feelings?

As Fahrenheit 451 suggests the destruction of identity, Style War, on the other hand, articulates the finding and declaring one’s identity. The graffiti writers challenge the boundary of freedom of speech. The city officials see much action as a crime, disrupting the image of an ordered society. While these writers who are perhaps lacking opportunities, or financially challenged, trying out ways to express themselves. Graffiti becomes the power that the writers hold. Each writer draws their names, draws different styles with arrows or bubble letters; they all wants to be seen and heard. So is it then, people who blend into the society framed by city officials are correct, is identity a sacrifice in order to achieve Utopia?

As to society today, politicians are very much the fire fighters and city officials. They all want to enforce a certain image to the society. But, that is the reason why riots still happening today. For example, the Occupy Wall Street, as the mentioned on the above post. These are graffiti writers and readers to fights for what they believe are good for themselves. In terms of the media field, many news channels only report certain perceptive and or even false information, like the unnecessary gas mask, the reporter used as prop, mentioned in the lecture.

Tin Yuet Chau