I wish I chose more topics I was interested in that still related to what we were discussing in class. Another difficulty I had besides choosing a topic was being consistent with the time frame I posted. With my athletic schedule, I found it hard to post on a weekly basis.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
My Blogging Experience
I wish I chose more topics I was interested in that still related to what we were discussing in class. Another difficulty I had besides choosing a topic was being consistent with the time frame I posted. With my athletic schedule, I found it hard to post on a weekly basis.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Family Guy: Race and Gender
I wanted to analyze another one of my favorite shows, Family Guy. This show gives great examples of how race and gender are all portrayed in the mainstream media.
Take gender first. Peter Griffin is the typical stupid oblivious husband figure like Homer Simpson. His wife, Lois, is always shown correcting his elementary mistakes. She is also shown as a sex object.
African-americans are shown as being ghetto and lacking proper english. It falls into the typical black stereotype.
Family Guy is one of many shows that create stereotypes. With technology growing is there any way to prevent these stereotypes from happening?
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Globalization of Hip-Hop: Reggaeton
Tiger Woods: 21st Century Privacy
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Women's portrayal on Heroes
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Facebook (The Reason Why I'm Posting This So Late)
Hi my name is Matt, and I'm a procrastinator.
If I were to single out the one main reason (besides myself) why I'm posting this late right before the deadline, I'd have to say it's Facebook's fault. Facebook has so many different applications, including Status updates, pictures, videos, wall posts and groups. Now, multiply that number by your 500 friends and that's how many different applications of Facebook you can check.
I've caught myself numerous times doing my homework and then suddenly, I wind up on Facebook commenting on some pictures.
When someone writes on my wall, I feel obligated to write back because if I don't then "no one will ever write on my wall again." Now that my parents are trying to get involved in the Facebook scene, I have to spend extra time explaining to my Mom why it's not OK to post on my wall:
Matthew - Hi it's Mom - don't worry...I won't embarrass you by posting any photos of myself. xo Mom
And to add even more awkwardness and embarrassment, my mom's friend doesn't realize that not all my friends know who she is and that she is kidding when she posts on my relationship status of "In a relationship to Single":I'm willing to give you another look...now that your single!!!
Facebook now, instead of being a fun distraction that I used for my spare time, has become a permanent obligation to make sure everyone happy with me. Facebook has taken away from all the extra constructive projects I used to do. I'm joining Procrastinators Anonymous because I know I have a problem and I'm looking for a solution to my Facebook addiction.Friday, November 6, 2009
The B.S. BCS
The College Football playoff system has been debated for many years. It has produced some of the greatest controversies and “what ifs” in all of sports. College Football uses a set up called the Bowl Championship Series, or BCS. This structure has a panel that chooses who gets to play in the championship game and who doesn’t as well as utilizing a computer calculation based on a team’s performance that year. After the voting process is complete, the method has everyone left saying their team should be in the big game. College Football needs to change their BCS to a bracket format like basketball and hockey to make sure the champion really comes out on top.
In the past, many teams have gone undefeated, yet they did not get a chance to contend for the title of National Champions. That same scenario occurred last year with the University of Utah. The Utes went 12-0 during the regular season but didn’t make the national championship even though they were the only team to finish undefeated in the country for Division I-A. They ended up winning their bowl game, upsetting Alabama. In the final AP Poll, many of the Utes’ advocates tried to make the case that Utah and the national champs, Florida, should be co-champions, but there were not enough voters to support this concept. The system needs repair because teams like Utah deserve to determine their own destiny instead of it being in the hands of journalists who vote in the polls.
The BCS is a huge business for college football. Colleges are not complaining and do not want to change the system because it is such a money maker for them and their conference. Last year, Notre Dame made $4.5 million in a loss to LSU in the Allstate sugar bowl. Another example is both the ACC and the SEC made almost $2.5 million each for the Chik-fil-A Bowl. The committee does not select the best teams in the country, but those that will make the most profit.
Congress is trying to make the change. Many congressmen are against the system in place right now, which they call the “BS BCS.” At the head of the lawmakers trying to press for a playoff system instead of the BCS is Texas Republican Joe Barton and sees through the BCS committee’s greed. However, all he has gotten so far is a question and answer with the BCS coordinator that is slowly getting him closer to getting a bill passed in Congress to eliminate the bowl games. Hopefully, their cause can get enough support from all the sports fans who value the integrity and purity of college athletics to stand up against the BCS committee’s corrupt system.