Media-Merchants of Cool

Do you think you or the people around you are influenced by the media standard of "cool"? Why or why not?

In every school there are groups of people. There's a group for people who are always ahead of the latest fashions and trends. Another group of people who are following the first group like lost puppy dogs always wondering what's cool and what's not. And then there is the last group, for people like me, people who genuinely could care less about the latest fads. I definitely don't care what the latest trend is, why spend 300 bucks on a new iPod and then shell out another 400 bucks two weeks later when the next one comes out? There are things that I buy just as an interst or keeping up with technology (i.e. my mp3 player for all my music, and my blackberry to keep in contact with my friends) but that's about it. I don't upgrade to a new iTouch everytime one comes out, or get the newest blackberry when its released. One is all you need, and if it works, why waste money on a stupid upgrade? Because that is what the media tells us we need to do in order to be "cool". You must have the hippest clothes, the sleekest technology, the fastest car and so on. Not everyone can afford these luxuries of latest fads and if you can't everyone finds out. If you show up to class with a walkman, yeah you will most likely get made fun of since cassettes are rather old, but even if you walk in with a Samsung mp3 you get the 20 questions asking you why you don't have an iPod, that's just how trends work and will always work. With these trends and fashions constantly changing and frequently being updated it's amazing to me how the same people can consistently afford to keep upgrading their status on the fad list, but I guess some people will buy whatever they need to in order to be ontop of the latest trends to be "cool".

Media-Re-Appropriation

Has the re-appropriation of the "N-Word" and/or the "Q-Word" helped or hindered the cause of black and gay Canadians?

    The term re-appropriation means to take back a word and its meaning. The N-Word and the Q-Word actually mean different things then the society today believes. However, society has taken those words along with others and altered the meanings, thus classifying and degrading specfic groups of people. A person is a person no matter what size, shape, colour, sexuality, gender, race etc. And being a person, everyone should be treated as such and not be completely disregarded by a word. If we(meaning society) "need" to classify groups of people using a word then why stop there?? Why not classify all the short people as "stump"? Or all the people with black hair as "black sheep"? Or all the tall as "stretch"? Because those words aren't as powerful!!!! Society has taken the N-Word and the Q-Word and re-appropriated them into a demeaning classification. Since society has altered these meanings, it reflects just how incoherent society today truely is. The fact that the words are TECHNICALLY off limits but are allowed to be said in songs or to one another in the same "classification" seems a lot like a double standard. There shouldn't be any halfway point. You either re-appropriate the word completely OR leave it alone!

English-28 Days Movie Review

    In the 200 film, "28 Days", Sandra Bullock stars alongside Elizabeth Perkins, Dominic West and Steve Buscemi in this production about the road to recovery. With the screen play written by Susannah Grant, a group of people at a rehab center travel down the path of acceptance and hardship, as Betty Thomas directs the ensemble in the proper direction.

    An alcoholic New York journalist, Gwen, (Bullock) becomes enrolled in rehab after crashing her sister's (Perkins) wedding. Once Gwen gets to the center she realizes it isn't as easy as she though it would be. She needs to choose whether to listen to her councellor (Buscemi) and follow the rules, or listen to her New York boyfriend (West) and leave.
    This is a typical Sandra Bullock movie. It is jammed packed with comedy and has a little bit of drama tied into the plot as well. Much like her other 2000 film, "Miss Congeneality", Bullock plays the off-beat, quirky character. She demonstrates yet another strong female lead on the edgier side of her character range. The overall acting skills of this film mesh well together to make the production more coherent to the road actually travelled by recovering addicts. They portray many characters with a variety of addictions, some alcoholics, some druggies, some sex-addicts, some have an addiction to self-harm, and they all remain in character throughout the entire production making the overall plot more powerful.They learn to accept that they have a problem and learn that it is okay to ask for help, that doesn't mean you're weak. Whether they choose to get help and solve the problem, you're going to have to watch the movie and find out. 
    I personally like this movie, but I am also a Sandra Bullock fan. It is a great movie to understand the road travelled by those hoping to change their life and cope with their addiction. This remarkable cast blends well to deliver this comedic film and earn 5 stars from me.

English-All About Me

           My name is Stephanie Pulley. I’ve been referred to as the typical: Stephanie, Steph, Stephie, but also; Stephster, Stefawn, Stefooner, and so many other weird creations my friends come up with. I’m as very social person, I talk everyday, all day long, and I always have something to say. I’m a very honest, opinionated person and I have no problem with standing my ground and being blunt regardless of if people want to hear it or not. I’ve experienced enough in my life to know that you might as well be honest because if the situation is bad enough to lie about it whether you lie about it or not, someone is going to get ticked off either way.

            I’m almost 18 years old, two more weeks, and to be only 18 years old, I have experienced waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much crap. Everyone has their days where they just can’t take it anymore and just want to crash down and punch something or whatever they need to do to release their emotions. I’ve experienced so many things that most people would have crashed by now and given up, but I’m still fighting to make it through every day with a smile on my face. The majority of people don’t know what I’ve been and still am going through but that is fine by me just as long as they believe that smile.

            This semester will hopefully give me time to get my mind together. Last semester was chaos on wheels because of how crazy my courses were and the things I had going on, but this semester is rather easy. I’m hoping that since this semester is easier I can focus on more personal, home-based issues and get them squared away so that I can focus on what I need to do at school instead of trying to focus on school work when I’m really worrying about other issues. So hopefully this semester will be good, fingers crossed!! J