A wise girl knows her limits.
A great girl knows she has none.

The general subject I want to work on for my senior project centers around the media and its effects on our society as well as individuals. It's a widely debated topic, but it's also something that really bothers me personally.

Media is something that informs and entertains, but at the same time it can discreetly (and sometimes even blatantly) brainwash the people that are exposed to it.

There are mainly two things that I want to focus on in this post (there will be more as I do more research on this subject), the society's standard of beauty and people's materialistic "needs".

We like looking at beautiful things, and that is fine, but it becomes twisted when you try telling people that there are "guidelines" to be beautiful. Have you ever seen stunning women or handsome men on the cover of magazines? Or gorgeous people on television or promotional advertisements on the streets? They are nothing like the people they really are. Make-up "pretties" them up considerably, and the rest is professionally Photoshopped to fit the stereotypical image of beauty.

I find this especially depressing for women because we really have to worry about our appearance thanks to the values the media advertises (although nobody looks like their Photoshopped models). Our hair has to look a certain way, we have to dress a certain way, our skin has to have the "right" tone, our eyes have to be big, full lips, big breasts, small waist, double eyelids, nicely shaped face, eyebrows, etc. When women don't fit into these specifications, they will get plastic surgery, buy products to re-shape themselves, spend excessive money to buy products for hair, skin, etc. We will never get naturally airbrushed skin and Lux commercial hair, or any of the things I mentioned before for that matter, but we strive to get as close to them anyway.

Moving on the our materialistic "needs". I put needs in quotation marks because most of the things we buy aren't really needed, we just want them after being influenced by the constant advertisements around us. By saying this I'm criticizing myself too, because as I'm looking around at the things in my room, there are a some little things that I felt like buying at the moment because they were "in", and the constant reminders on television and ads were very tempting.

It's especially annoying when there are new brands or versions of the same thing. Whether it be computer software, house appliances, electric devices, or clothing, there is always something new around the corner and you'll always want to have it because it's all that you see all around you, luring you quietly.

What is Baldwin’s intent? Find one example where this intent is more apparent.

Intent:

To illustrate the gap between American culture and European culture caused by the exposure of black people.

Credit: Aled

^ Aled and I agreed on the same idea, but his phrasing sounds the most concise so I'm stealing it. :)

Example:

There is a dreadful abyss between the streets of this village and the streets of the city in which I was born, between the children who shout Neger! today and those who shouted Nigger! yesterday—the abyss is experience, the American experience.

Interpretation:

I thought that a lot of what Baldwin was saying revolved around the idea that although Americans and Europeans share the same ancestry, being a black in either of those places have very different connotations. Slavery and hopeless oppression in America is part of that American experience, while in Europe black men were simply overlooked, "invisible", and that is the gap of their cultures.

My first thought on the article was shocking. After reflecting on it a bit further, it became hopeless and disturbing. I didn't know much about Science Park to start with; any information would have been new and surprising, but what I do know is that it's one of the things/places Hsinchu is most well known for. It's one of our prides, and it's one of those places that gives a person an automatic promotion in status, making people gasp in awe, just for working there.

In this clean, reputable place, I never thought it would hide any dirty secrets. On the other hand, there are few corporations that are more environmentally friendly than they are harmful, so I guess you could say it was only to be expected. The powerful, flawless image is just something we want to believe.

To be honest, what they did didn't bother me so much as what they chose not to do. Sure, endangering people's health and the environment is not to be taken lightly, but what really angers me is the fact that they try to cover it up so the public doesn't know about it. Being able to control the media to hide the truth, even for the good of our image and economy, is something I've always been and will always be against.

Last time in Social Sculpture we skyped with one of Sheila's friends, Soule. Before I even start talking about the conversation we had with her, I just want to point out how even her name stood out to me the first time I heard it. She's a great community artist, and also had to be extremely patient with us as she had to repeat a lot of things that we didn't comprehend the first time she said them.

One thing that really interested me was the fact that she could combine many things in her work; recycling, art, and theatre. It never occurred to me that one could be involved in so many things at once and produce a combined final result. I find that amazing, like killing two birds with one stone.

I also enjoyed looking at her portfolio, and even though I knew it already, it was a relief to hear her say that acceptance into college didn't entirely depend on one's grades. Hearing it from someone who's actually been through that situation is just that much more reassuring.

I don't think we were really prepared for the Skype conversation. Sheila did most of the talking, and the rest of us just kind of sat back and looked like we knew what was going on. It was still fun, but if there's a next time it would be nice to have some more interaction instead of what seemed like a "Q&A with an artist interview".

Have you ever felt like you'd die in the next minute? When I woke up this morning, I couldn't breathe.

I've been sick for three weeks. My parents tell me it's because I don't sleep enough, leaving me with a weak immune system. Last night I had several coughing fits, and I felt like all my entrails would come pouring out of my mouth.

This morning I couldn't breathe. The moment I sat up, I realized all my airways were blocked. I couldn't breathe through my nose, and when I tried with my mouth, I only managed to make a few strangled squeals. I felt like something was blocked in my throat, and I felt like vomiting and coughing at the same time. This lasted for nearly a minute, and I really thought I was going to suffocate. When I could finally (somewhat) breathe again, it was quick and irregular, accompanied by a high pitched screeching from my throat. I'm kind of scared to go back to sleep now... afraid that the next time I wake up, I won't be able to breathe again.




On a brighter note, Bob and Vicky took me out for lunch yesterday to show their appreciation. We had lunch in a restaurant at the American Club; we shared a spicy salame pizza, and I had a lasagne and a mango pudding for dessert. At about 2 o'clock, we went back to work again.

Bob asked me if I had written any stories, and if I was interested in writing one for an elementary textbook. Of course, I said I'd be thrilled to. If this really works out, Eugene has agreed to do the illustrations. I'm really eager to start working on this, although I'd probably need to request for a visit to the elementary classes to find out what kind of things children like to read about.