The Media

The eyes are indeed a window to one's mind. Therefore, what you see and observe becomes what you think, and what you think about constantly defines how you act, and the way you act eventually makes up your character. My mom used to say, "garbage in; garbage out." In other words, the negativtity that you witness and take in, sooner or later is displayed in your personality. However, this is not true for every single individual, but unfortunately, it is for most.

Whether you want to agree or not, the media affects us all, in some way or another. Its effects may be direct, or indirect. The effects can be negative or positive. When I was a young boy, after watching Superman, I used to dream about becoming Superman one day. I was impressionable and was unaware that this was not possible. Additionally, a few years back, a friend of mine saw the Batman movie and was so intruiged by it, that he climbed atop his roof and jumped off of it, thinking he would somehow fly. Sadly, his attempts resulted in a broken arm. On the contrary, many persons watch sports heroes like Tom Brady and Kobe Bryant and use these guys as role models who inspire them to be great and to be better than the best. As was said before, the effects can be either bad or good. On a more personal note, I feel that the media is getting extremely sosphisticated and outrageously informative. Social networks such as Myspace and Facebook have revolutionized internet media. Because of my laid back personality, I really do not let the media affect me too much. Besides, I hardly watch TV and use the internet to check mail and facebook updates, and to chat and keep up with school work. I don't read the newspapers as much as I should and I watch movies every now and then. I was brought up to make the best decisions possible, and not to let anything distract me, influence me in a negative way, or stand in my way. Before I make a decision, I usually always think about the consequences, and I think about how it may or may not benefit me. I rarely let the media influence the way I live my life.

Regarding Sarah Palin, I feel that persons should be more interested in her abilities as a politician and how she plans to serve the country, rather than just a "girl next door". Society can sometimes tend to be sexist and downplay women. I feel that although men and women have different roles, and although men have talents that women don't have and vice versa, we are all equal.

According the the video of Spongebob, posted on the Inspired Musings blog, by Natasha Olivera, it is evident that subtle and "hidden" sexual ideas and actions are a part of these "innocent" childhood cartoons. One must read between the lines to figure this out, becuase it is usually not blatant and/or obvious. Moreover, I personally like hip-hop and reggae. In the hip-hop culture, some artists tend to be disrespectful to women, gays, etc. However, I listen to this kind of music when I am bored, and dance to it when I am at a party or club. I try to shy away from music that is offensive to women or any other group of persons. I like to be myself and make wise decisions in my own best interest. I rarely try to imitate other persons, especially if it consists of negative behavior. I may listen and dance to a certain type of music, but I still choose to be open-minded and to make good decisions, rather than let any movie, person, tv show, or form of music influence me negatively. The fact remains that there is little one can do to control the media and what goes on around him/her. Therefore, the responsibility lies with the individual to do what he/she thinks is right for himself/herself and for others around him/her, regardless of any outside influence.


Jarrod Knowles