http://youtube.com/watch?v=Gq-qex3fwSI
Television now days have grew to be very controversial with major representations in certain areas such as race, gender, and social class. My semester topic, CSI: Miami is overflowing with stereotypes in which labeling specific groups and certain individuals have been taken to the next level. I found that every episode has pushed the issue of classifying folks whether it is from the clothes they are wearing or to the cars they are driving. The clip that I have chosen depicts the various issues we have been discussing, and is the perfect episode to see the vast differences in society and how producers hide their message with a simple play by play.
When the video begins there is a shot of the Miami Beach line, and then it skips to females playing volleyball on the sand. As it continues, the camera scans the audience toward young, white, beautiful, females in their bikinis. Meanwhile, the producers made it a point to show you who were playing on the sand, but no other then the famous female duo of Walsh and May. Finally, it shows Detective Eric Delko and one of his co-workers walking along side the game when just so happens Walsh dives for a ball and notices a dead body buried in the sand. Seeing that there was an issue Delko called Horatio (the head detective) and reported the incident, as the day continued the crime scene investigators arrived and continued to do their job. The video concludes with Delko finding evidence and Alexx Woods (the coroner) examining the body.
Continuing on and with that being said, I will carry on by discussing the overt message of the actual clip. Within every television show there is always a message that the producer is trying to get across, whether it is blatant or hidden. Seeing how the show starts out by showing a volleyball tournament being held in Florida, it only correlates to the fact that around the same time that this show was being aired, Misty May and Kari Walsh were competing in an actual competition down south as well. I feel that the two women were aired in this specific episode is due to publicity on their behalf and wanting some sort of media coverage. The clip also consists of the same set up as summer vacation targeted toward young college kids. As for hidden messages I would say that there were many “advertisements” for various products from scene to scene. For example, there were the Wilson sporting goods, Speedo, Nautica, Chanel, and finally the Blackberry telephone. If I was a third party and did not look deeper into the fact that there are subliminal messages throughout the episode I would not truly notice the fact that companies advertise their product within other cultural viewings.
Besides the fact that there are hidden products there are also stereotypes that are being portrayed in the show as well. I say this because the dancers that were on the stage consisted of majority African American females and Hispanic beauties, where as the white, athletic women were on the sand playing volleyball. Then there is the scene were Delko gets into a confrontation with a young, athletic, male who acts immature, like most college males. I feel that the producer was trying to use him as a demonstration as to how most summer males act with the opposite sex. Furthermore, the age stereotype came into play when Delko and the other officers were wearing nice suits and covered head to toe in clothing, revealing no part of their body. On the other hand, the young women that held a conversation with officer Delko seemed to be very young and only wearing a bikini top and shorts. The elders were portrayed to be much more sophisticated then the younger crowd who only wanted to have a good time. In conclusion, I do feel that the stereotyping is intentional because the producers always have an objective and a point to get across, and obviously they wanted to have each character do what they do for a reason. In some ways I do find the clip very offensive because I do not feel that certain groups should be singled out for their race or ethnicity.
Therefore, when analyzing this clip I took into effect what John Storey was saying about the West Coast counterculture. At that time in society middle class cultural groupings – hippies, yippies, freaks, heads, flower children, student radicals, etc attempted to created an alternative society, almost exactly what college kids and teens are attempting to do as well. For the simple fact that in today’s society there are distinct groups such as jocks, rockers, Goths, geeks, bandies, and preps. Many people are classified under different grouping but they all have one thing in common, the age difference from there parents in which they pride themselves for. So no matter how someone is classified everyone has one thing in common with one another.
All in all, I feel that producers and advertisers alike should try not to single out any specific groups when filming an episode or endorsing a product, because everyone sees the true meaning behind what they are doing.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
In depth with Dave !
Csi :Miami, inspired by the top-rated series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," is a drama that follows a South Florida team of forensic investigators who use both cutting-edge scientific methods and old-fashioned police work to solve crimes. Horatio Caine, a former homicide detective, heads a group of investigators who work crimes amid the cultural crossroads of Miami. His team includes Calleigh Duquesne, a bilingual Southern with a specialty in ballistics; Eric Delko, an underwater recovery expert who knows all the twists and turns of the Florida waterways, and Ryan Wolfe, a former patrol officer who specializes in blood and trace evidence.
Rounding out the team is Alexx Woods, the coroner, and Natalia Boa Vista, the DNA specialist. Helping Horatio with cases is Det. Frank Tripp, a tough yet thorough police officer. Together, these investigators collect and analyze the evidence to solve the crimes and get the final say for the victims.
Furthermore, I personally idolize the television series and wanted to get someone else’s perspective on the show as well. As I continued to search for that someone I came across my Uncle Dave. I realize that he too enjoyed watching CSI:Miami. Although, I felt like I should have went complete opposite on the perspectives of the show I realized that he would have great input being a Forensic Scene Investigator himself.
Dave is a thirty-nine year old Forensic Scene Investigator working for the Baltimore City Police Department. When asked how often he consumed popular culture, he was not very insightful in how regularly he watched television because he is not very interested in reality television or the news. He rather watch something that is insightful or suspenseful. He admits that CSI:Miami always has a plot and never fails to bore him. “Even though the acting is kind of fake I enjoy watching the scene and all of the evidence come together and I always guess who the suspects are.” I soon realized that everything Dave did at his job interested him within in the show.
As our interview continued I asked Dave what gave him the idea of being a cop. I wanted to know if there was anything in his pass that could have engaged his want or need to enter the police force. He admitted to watching the news and wanting to find the culprits of every crime. Dave saw the way the victims took the news of their lost loved ones and wanted to become part of the search to find answers. “Evidence does not forget. It is not confused by the excitement of the moment. It is not absent because human witnesses are, it is factual evidence, physical evidence it cannot be wrong.” To his response, I began to grow very curious to which character on the show was his favorite since they all seem to play different roles in the series. As I assumed, he enjoys two specific characters, Ryan Wolfe and Natalia Boa Vista. Both whom which collect physical evidence that brings the crime scene closer to finding the real suspects.
Even though Dave’s background in the police force focuses on forensics, I can understand why he was so interested in CSI:Miami from the get go. I say this because like the show he investigates crime scenes as well in search for answers. Therefore, he does not have an issue watching such shows like this. Furthermore, I went back to why he did not like reality shows and the news. He told me that it is fake and unreal. “What or who does reality television benefit? There is no purpose in watching others lives being exploited on live television.” He continued to explain that he never enjoyed the news because of all the violence. It only made him depressed that he was never able to do anything for that family.
Overall, Dave truly enjoys watching CSI:Miami because it mimics his everyday life and he is content with that. He would rather watch horrendous acting, then someone making themselves look like a fool or finding so called” love.” In conclusion, I enjoyed interviewing my uncle because I finally found out why he wanted to become a Forensic cop and how he felt about specific areas in his life that I would have never been able to ask out of no where. More and more I found out about his perspective on the series my opinion toward the show grew that more in depth.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The Future of the Internet !
On March 11th I attended a lecture that was given by Jackie Regales. The topic of interest was especially about The Future of the Internet: Utopian and Dystopian Possibilities. She started of the lecture explaining how the internet was first used by the government, under the control of the Dept. of Defense and gradually worked her way into the advancements in which technology has come to. Further into her discussion I became very intrigued with two topics she had discussed and they were the future of schooling online along with Google Health. I learned that many institutions such as MIT are thinking about creating campus education online. I say this because they have seen a greater increase in online classes which sparked their interest to make everything available on the web. Currently, as of now, there is no fee to register or sign up, but as soon as classes were to begin and tuition had to be paid, they would send you the bill. I find that online education isn’t really the best thing to do. I say this because there are so many ways to get by with cheating and not really learning the material as if you were to go to class in person. The other topic that sparked my interest was Google Health. This topic brought upon many pros and cons. First off, online medical files would be very easy to store and save a lot more time and energy, where as paper files that came day in and day out would create hassle and chaos. Patients would be able to put their own medical information on the files such as blood type, allergies, medications, etc. So, if you were to go from doctor to doctor, all they would have to do is simply pull up your medical file and look it over. Zeroing out the transfer and faxing of information. Even though this seems like a good plan for the future, there are still precautions that do not allow us to go through with this. No one is positive that personal information would be kept private. Therefore, you run into the issue of identity theft and stolen information that could cost you. Overall, I enjoyed the lecture by Jackie Regales and learned new and innovated information that we could possibly see in the near future.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Being Curious !
For my semester topic, I would like to interview my uncle, David Reaping. The main reason I would like to interview him is because his job relates to the television series CSI: Miami and I believe his input would help me tremendously. Furthermore, since he is also a fan of the series himself, this would allow me to go further in depth with my interview.
Some questions that I would consider asking would be:
1.What does popular culture mean to you and why?
2.How often would you say you consume popular culture each day?
3.Do you tend to follow the popular trends?
4.What made you become a cop within the Forensic Unit?
5.Was there anyone whom you admired that gave you this desire to become a cop?
6.Why do you watch CSI: Miami rather then the other CSI series?
7.Who is your favorite character and why?
8. If you were to write an autobiography, what would each chapter be called and why?
Some questions that I would consider asking would be:
1.What does popular culture mean to you and why?
2.How often would you say you consume popular culture each day?
3.Do you tend to follow the popular trends?
4.What made you become a cop within the Forensic Unit?
5.Was there anyone whom you admired that gave you this desire to become a cop?
6.Why do you watch CSI: Miami rather then the other CSI series?
7.Who is your favorite character and why?
8. If you were to write an autobiography, what would each chapter be called and why?
Monday, February 25, 2008
Geppi's Entertainment Museum
This past weekend I visited Geppi's Entertainment Museum and to my surprise I found the exhibit very interesting. Before entering the museum I did not know what to expect and came out with an amazing appreciation for old forms of art. Overall, I really liked the setup and how it gradually went from the past, to everything he had collected, to the future and how different forms of art have developed. I think the museum contains several pieces of history and things from the past that we do not recognize everyday.
The comic book collection had caught my attention immediately, because I never took the time to notice how many comic series there were, and the different superheroes and villains that exist besides, Superman and Batman. Many of my childhood television shows sprung up from comic book collections. The very first DC Comic entered the public eye around 1930, only costing ten cent. Although the comics date back so late, there are still great deals of them on the market today. Furthermore, as I was leaving the comic book exhibit and I was able to view one of the latest edition comics through a computerized show. It amazes me how one of the first editions were hand drawn, and today we can view them with 3-D glasses and filled front to back with color, it goes to show you how much things have changed over the years.
As I continued to walk through the museum I took great interest in the 3-D pictures that hung in the corner by Superman. I found this very intriguing because my cousin use to design 3-D portraits like the ones framed in the museum. On the other hand, if I had to say that there was one thing that I did not find very eye catching would be the room filled with dolls, boats, trains, marbles, and other toys that were designed specifically to educate the youth. In my opinion, I was a little creped out by the way the dolls were set up, and how bland the actual arrangement was displayed. As I was exiting the room something caught my eye, it was Yellow Kid. I started to read about Yellow kid and how he emerged as the lead character in Hogan’s Alley which became one of the first Sunday comic strips in American newspapers.
Throughout my childhood I always remembered the Looney Toons and several other play figures, along with Barbie, and the McDonalds nugget collection that you could re-dress and play with. I was very excited to see how certain collections evolved over years and what they are today. I was expecting to view more about different time periods and the shifts that had occurred from one item to another, but by the time I left the museum I did not feel that there was anything controversial within the exhibit, only artifacts from the past that I grew up on and enjoyed as a child.
Finally, in the beginning of the tour we were given a card that you could scan and test your knowledge of what you had seen. I had answered 7 questions correctly and skipped only one. I had to ask the staff members, “what can I buy a duck with?” In the end I walked away with a free comic book from the DC characters. All in all, I was very excited to step out of the norms and visit Geppi’s Entertainment Museum because it opened my eyes to a lot of new and exciting things that I had no clue were even out there.
The comic book collection had caught my attention immediately, because I never took the time to notice how many comic series there were, and the different superheroes and villains that exist besides, Superman and Batman. Many of my childhood television shows sprung up from comic book collections. The very first DC Comic entered the public eye around 1930, only costing ten cent. Although the comics date back so late, there are still great deals of them on the market today. Furthermore, as I was leaving the comic book exhibit and I was able to view one of the latest edition comics through a computerized show. It amazes me how one of the first editions were hand drawn, and today we can view them with 3-D glasses and filled front to back with color, it goes to show you how much things have changed over the years.
As I continued to walk through the museum I took great interest in the 3-D pictures that hung in the corner by Superman. I found this very intriguing because my cousin use to design 3-D portraits like the ones framed in the museum. On the other hand, if I had to say that there was one thing that I did not find very eye catching would be the room filled with dolls, boats, trains, marbles, and other toys that were designed specifically to educate the youth. In my opinion, I was a little creped out by the way the dolls were set up, and how bland the actual arrangement was displayed. As I was exiting the room something caught my eye, it was Yellow Kid. I started to read about Yellow kid and how he emerged as the lead character in Hogan’s Alley which became one of the first Sunday comic strips in American newspapers.
Throughout my childhood I always remembered the Looney Toons and several other play figures, along with Barbie, and the McDonalds nugget collection that you could re-dress and play with. I was very excited to see how certain collections evolved over years and what they are today. I was expecting to view more about different time periods and the shifts that had occurred from one item to another, but by the time I left the museum I did not feel that there was anything controversial within the exhibit, only artifacts from the past that I grew up on and enjoyed as a child.
Finally, in the beginning of the tour we were given a card that you could scan and test your knowledge of what you had seen. I had answered 7 questions correctly and skipped only one. I had to ask the staff members, “what can I buy a duck with?” In the end I walked away with a free comic book from the DC characters. All in all, I was very excited to step out of the norms and visit Geppi’s Entertainment Museum because it opened my eyes to a lot of new and exciting things that I had no clue were even out there.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Declared Topic for the Semester
The topic that I have declared to use throughout the semester will be the television show Csi:Miami. Csi:Miami in my point of view is a lot better then the other typical "Csi" shows that have almost the same plot,but in a different state or city. The television series consists of murder victims who have been left on the streets of Miami and families questions left to be answered. Horatio Caine, the lead detective works with several other specialists to investigate the crime scene and collect any evidence that could possibly lead them to their suspect. Working within the group of investigators under Caines supervision is; Calleigh Dusquene who is a specialists in ballistics, not to mention the teams bilingual communicator. There is also Eric Delko, he is usually the one who recovers underwater evidence and has a great eye for tire markings and fiber comparement. After the body is brought into the lab forsenic expert, Alexx Woods examines the body and gives the full report of what the victim had died from. Then there is Natalia Boa Vista along with Ryan Wolfe, who study within the lab looking over genetics and comparing body dna. Finally, Det. Frank Tripp is one of the oldest memebers of Horatios team and he works specifically with youth and gang violence. In conclusion, I look forward to working on my topic throughout the semester.
Monday, February 4, 2008
AMST 325 Spring '08 blog #1
My name is Amanda Fefel. I am 19 years young and reside in Arbutus, Md with my wonderful parents and younger sister Ashley. We live right off the UMBC campus which is where I attend college and play Division 1 softball for the retrievers. I attended Catonsville High School where I excelled in Softball, Soccer, and academics which led me to my endeavors at UMBC.
In high school I was a two time Baltimore County Player of the Year by the Baltimore Sun, a four-time All-Metro honoree by The Sun, Named MVP of my high school team all four years and posted a 17-4 record and a 0.80 ERA with 211 strikeouts in 124 innings. As a senior I compiled a career record of 58-9 with 769 strikeouts in four years and batted cleanup for my travel ball team the Comets hitting .466 with four home runs, 21 RBI’s and 22 runs scored. I pitched a perfect game in the regional championship, striking out 19 batters which led the Comets to the county title in 2003 and 2005 and to the regional title and state championship game in 2003 and 2006. I was also a member of the National Honor Society and Best Buddies.
I am currently attending UMBC and more specifically taking American Studies 325 because it is part of my minor curriculum in which I have to complete before graduation. This course also flows with my Marketing major and allows me to see the different sides of culture in today’s society and specific trends that are occurring.
In today’s society, trends dictate how we grow up, learn, and think. I would like to learn about past trends and events that have shaped the world we live in and have forced or society to act. I understand that popular culture does not just express what shoes are in or what music is hip, but politics and social events as well. The insight I hope to gain from this class is how gender roles have changed over the decades and how society’s influence forces the sexes and races to act in the general public.
In my opinion America is such a large consumer as a whole that I am merely a small time consumer. However if I am compared to a third world citizen my consumption is rather large. The question “how much do I consume” is far to vague to be answered in a simple numerical sense.
As an American consumer my favorite products are shoes, Television (especially CSI Miami), make up cosmetics, and jewelry. In my life presently popular culture to me is visiting the hippest night clubs so I look forward to expanding my horizons while learning what popular culture is really about.
In high school I was a two time Baltimore County Player of the Year by the Baltimore Sun, a four-time All-Metro honoree by The Sun, Named MVP of my high school team all four years and posted a 17-4 record and a 0.80 ERA with 211 strikeouts in 124 innings. As a senior I compiled a career record of 58-9 with 769 strikeouts in four years and batted cleanup for my travel ball team the Comets hitting .466 with four home runs, 21 RBI’s and 22 runs scored. I pitched a perfect game in the regional championship, striking out 19 batters which led the Comets to the county title in 2003 and 2005 and to the regional title and state championship game in 2003 and 2006. I was also a member of the National Honor Society and Best Buddies.
I am currently attending UMBC and more specifically taking American Studies 325 because it is part of my minor curriculum in which I have to complete before graduation. This course also flows with my Marketing major and allows me to see the different sides of culture in today’s society and specific trends that are occurring.
In today’s society, trends dictate how we grow up, learn, and think. I would like to learn about past trends and events that have shaped the world we live in and have forced or society to act. I understand that popular culture does not just express what shoes are in or what music is hip, but politics and social events as well. The insight I hope to gain from this class is how gender roles have changed over the decades and how society’s influence forces the sexes and races to act in the general public.
In my opinion America is such a large consumer as a whole that I am merely a small time consumer. However if I am compared to a third world citizen my consumption is rather large. The question “how much do I consume” is far to vague to be answered in a simple numerical sense.
As an American consumer my favorite products are shoes, Television (especially CSI Miami), make up cosmetics, and jewelry. In my life presently popular culture to me is visiting the hippest night clubs so I look forward to expanding my horizons while learning what popular culture is really about.
3 Topics
-Rascal Flatts
-CSI Miami
-Facebook
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