Hooks, The Significance of Feminist Movement

In Bell Hooks’ The Significance of Feminist Movement, she mainly focuses on sexism and prejudice as a whole in society. Throughout the entire reading, she basically criticized the approach early feminists took in order to eliminate sexual prejudice. She claimed that instead of addressing discrimination against women in society, early feminists instead made it an issue between men and women. Consequently, animosity began to form between males and females which was never the original intent.

hooks also talked about the family’s role in sexism. She explained that because families instill in their young children from an early age that men are to be providers, and women are to stay home and care for the children, when those same children grow up, they tend to do just that. She believed that because of this tradition, whether purposely or indirectly, young girls are being raised to believe that they are somehow underneath men. Obviously, she then went on to stress the importance that such a stereotype be removed, especially from households.

In addition, hooks also made several statements suggesting that if sexism is removed from society, then ALL discrimination would soon follow. However, while I understood her point, removing one form of prejudice would in no way immediately eliminate all of them. With that said, removing sexism from our way of thinking would definitely be a step in the right direction. In order for society to continue to progress, ALL discrimination, racial or otherwise, needs to be removed, which is obvious.

Woman's Place In Man's Life Cycle

After reading Carol Gilligan’s A Woman’s Place In Man’s Life Cycle, I got the impression that she had a different viewpoint on feminism than the other writers in this section. She to wrote about the way women are mistreated in society, but she didn’t really suggest a solution to stop it from continuing. She talked about how even at an early age men are encouraged to be more independent and self-reliant, while women are urged to develop relationships with others that they can depend on. Then, later on in life, those same women tend to resort back to those same tendencies and become unable to take care of themselves. Honestly, I tend to agree with Gilligan in the sense that if a girl was raised from an early age to be self-reliant, then she would grow up to be a strong, independent woman.

Another issue Gilligan brought up that caught my attention was when she began talking about how women are usually close to their mothers throughout their lives, while men usually try to break away. She then foolishly tried to tie that in with the assumption that men aren’t usually good with relationships; however, I beg to differ. I think every situation is different when it comes to relationships, and by no means does a man’s relationship with his mother OUTRIGHT determine how he’ll fair in relationships with other women. That alone is a stereotype about men; while it may be true in some cases, it definitely isn’t in ALL. Although Gilligan’s writing was confusing at times, she definitely made some very good, valid points.

Woolf: Shakespeare's Sister

I must say, although Virginia Woolf’s reading was somewhat difficult, it was also rather interesting. Throughout the reading, she basically describes, in detail, the difference between how men and women have suffered throughout history. She talks about how women were expected to be simple housewives their whole life, and how they weren’t supposed to be ambitious in any way. Woolf also explains how even if they WERE daring enough to pursue higher goals in life, they were persecuted so much that even the thought of it never crossed their minds. She then related the hardships of women to Shakespeare’s sister in a fictional sense.

In the story, Woolf explains how a woman could have the same acting skills as a man, but still never be as successful simply because of her sex. She also talks about the lack of women in literature throughout history, and how incredibly sexist society can be. Although her essay was written a long time ago, many of her points remain relevant today. In today’s society, although it isn’t as blatant, women are still being discriminated against because of their sex. The majority of higher-ranking jobs almost always go to men now-a-days, and unfortunately, that trend doesn’t seem to be changing. Many times, a woman can do the same job a man can do, if not better, but because of their sex, companies never find out.

If our society is to move forward however, women need to be start being viewed just as equal as men by everyone.

Why people get FAT, while others STARVE!!

From first glance, I thought Robert Reich’s “Why the Rich are Getting Richer, and the Poor, Poorer” would be about why wealthy people continue to prosper while the deprived situations worsen. However, he instead discussed three basic job classes, and their futures. He described the routine producer, the in-person server, and the symbolic analysts in depth in regards to their upcoming expectations, and why.

In today’s society, the routine producer would be considered factory workers. They get paid lower wages because of what their job entails; however, Reich explains why they’ll be even worse off in the future. As technology continues to progress, those people won’t be needed as much, and companies will go overseas more and more in search of cheaper labor. So, in turn, they’ll go from little to nothing. Secondly, the in-person servers’ situation will also worsen in the future, but not quite to the extent of the routine producers. Because the routine producers will become more competitive and even look to surpass them, the in-person servers will face harder times as well, just not as outstanding.

And lastly, as opposed to the routine producers and in-person servers, the symbolic analysts will become better off down the road. As the other classes get worse, they’ll look to the symbolic analysts, which will in turn make them more affluent. In conclusion, although Reich’s piece was EXTREMELY long, and somewhat confusing, he definitely made some good points as to the future of the economy. It really opens your eyes to what you could possibly face if you’re not prepared.

The Position of Poverty

I’m so relieved; this reading was actually in ENGLISH!! In John Galbraith’s The Position of Poverty, he discusses two different types of poverty: case poverty and insular poverty. Case poverty is described as a situation where an individual is poor due to a characteristic directly related to them, such as a mental disability or just plain laziness. Insular poverty, on the other hand, is when poverty is prevalent throughout an entire area. In this case, people that suffer from insular poverty are poor not because of their own doing, but rather because of the area they live in. The environment is so deficient and substandard that they’re not really even given a chance to succeed, or become prosperous.

Galbraith then goes on to explain how a little government intervention in the right areas can help solve poverty and deficiency in any society. He suggests that if the government were to provide better schooling and housing, just to name a few, society would be a much better place with less poverty. Obviously, I agree with him in that if the government did these things there would be less need; however, it’ll always be easier said than done. I also appreciated how he acknowledged the fact that the places that need help the most in America, the places that REALLY suffer from economic depression, are the LEAST likely to get help from the government. In my opinion, this becomes apparent with situations like Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

Nonetheless, I thought this was a very interesting reading, and it really explained how there’s a difference between poverty in one area, and poverty in another. But the BEST part was the fact that he actually spoke ENGLISH, unlike some of the other authors in recent history!!

The Communist Manifesto

Let me start by saying the Communist Manifesto was an EXTRMELY difficult reading. However, I WAS able to understand some of Karl Marx’s basic principles and ideas. He starts off talking about two classes: the Bourgeois and the Proletarians. The Bourgeois was described as the upper class that would do anything to gain more wealth, even at the Proletarians expense. The Proletarians were considered the working class, which usually consisted of most of the people. He explained how the Proletarians suffered while the Bourgeois flourished beyond imagination. However, he would go on to introduce the idea of communism, which would, in his mind, make things more equal.

Communism promotes a classless, stateless society, where the community owns every means of production. In addition, it endorses free education, there’s no land ownership, and no inheritances. Marx believed that the more a person had, the more they should contribute to society and give to the less fortunate; as he held, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his means”. He meant to even the playing field between the Bourgeois and the Proletarians by giving the lower class a say in things. Essentially, he advocated a more equal distribution of wealth among the citizens to make for a better society.

Although the Communist Manifesto was somewhat hard to understand, ultimately it highlighted an important issue in society. By no means, in my opinion, should the poor suffer so that the wealthy could prosper. With that said, I don’t necessarily agree with all of Marx’s suggestions on fixing it, but something does need to be done to make for a better world.

Nussbaum: The Central Human Funtional Capabilities

After reading “The Central Human Functional Capabilities”, it was apparent to me that Martha Nussbaum believed that every government should allow its citizens to have a voice in the decisions that it makes. It was a VERY tough reading to understand, and many times, I had no clue what she was talking about; but it seemed as though she was really stressing the idea that if a government doesn’t allow its citizens to have a “voice”, than it’s basically taking away their rights as human beings.

She also stressed the fact that a government should make certain the things it does is accepted by its citizens. However, in today’s society, rarely is this ever the case. Many times, decisions are made in which the majority of the population don’t agree with, but it doesn’t seem to matter, because nothing changes. I also noticed that some of her main ideas piggy-backed on some of our recent readings. For example, in Dr. King’s letter from jail, he stressed the importance of racial equality. In fact, he and many others were thrown in jail as they fought for equal opportunity, and let their voice be heard. They took advantage of their rights as human beings and American citizens to stand up and be heard, and I think that’s what Nussbaum to trying to get across: that having a “voice” in government as a citizen is critical to the success of any society.

Thankfully, as Americans, we have the right to vote, which is why it’s imperative that each of us take advantage of it; because if we don’t, we give up our right to make changes.

John Rawls: A Theory of Justice

I must say, after reading John Rawls’ “A Theory of Justice”, I stand corrected; his rhetoric was far more difficult to understand than that of Henry Thoreau in “Civil Disobedience”. From what I was able to understand, his main premise in “A Theory of Justice” was that justice should be fair, and when it is, society is a much better place. Obviously, I agree with his belief that justice should be fair; but, with that said, who determines what’s fair and what’s not? My definition of fair may be completely different from another person’s, so how would you determine whose definition is right? For example, I’m sure some people believe the justice thus far in the Jena 6 case has been fair. Now, just imagine if those same people sent people to jail everyday, imagine how unfair society’s justice would be.

I also agreed with Rawls in the sense that he believed the disadvantaged people in society should have just as big a voice in government as the well-off. He didn’t agree with laws and policies that were made with only the middle and high-class people in mind. I think if we overlook deprived people as if they aren’t there, then society is only headed for failure. All in all, I think Rawls made some good points on justice as fairness, although I was confused on most of them. I think he was right in his belief that no individual should ever have to sacrifice their rights under any circumstance, regardless of whether or not it’s “supposed” to help society.

Stanton: Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions

In the “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions”, Elizabeth Stanton discusses how society has essentially withheld basic rights from women for far too long. From what I gathered, all she does is vent about how society treats women unfairly; but she never gives concrete examples, which, in my opinion, takes away all of her credibility. It’s possible that as a male I wouldn’t understand, but some of the things she was claiming, I thought, were just false.

For example, she says, “He has endeavored, in every way that he could, to destroy her confidence in her own powers, to lessen her self-respect, and to make her willing to lead a dependent and abject life.” WHAT? Excuse my ignorance, but I don’t understand how a man has the power to FORCE a woman to do that!! If YOU have so little confidence and assurance in YOURSELF that you “allow” a man to put you in a place where you aren’t comfortable, then that’s something YOU need to work on, but it isn’t the man’s fault. In addition, she complains about women being taxed to “support a government which recognizes her only when her property can be made profitable to it.” Excuse me, but doesn’t EVERYBODY have to pay taxes. It was almost like she pointed at things that were fairly sensible, and turned it into an “it’s because I’m a woman” thing. Insignificant criticism just took away ALL of her credibility in my mind, but I guess some people may agree with her. I, however, am not one of those people!!

Dr. King's Letter from Birmingham Jail

First, allow me to start by saying that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a GREAT man. Not only for obvious reasons like his leadership or his relentless push for racial equality, but also for his patience and endurance when it came to racism. I, for one, could not see myself living back in those days. The prejudice that African-Americans had to endure on a daily basis is beyond belief, and I’ll NEVER understand how they tolerated it for so long. It baffles me sometimes how people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks fought for racial equality for SO long, and endured SO much discrimination, but never became violent. Every time they were discriminated against, they turned the other cheek, and took a non-violent attitude. I would’ve probably taken a different approach to say the least, but without peaceful figures like Dr. King, who knows where society would be today.

Dr. King’s tranquility really came through in the letter he wrote from Birmingham jail. In this letter, he explained himself, although he shouldn’t have had to, to 8 clergymen who had criticized his actions in Birmingham. So, let me get this straight: Dr. King went to Birmingham to take a stand against racism, gets thrown in JAIL for fighting for equal rights, which the Declaration of Independence “supposedly” ensures, and then, instead of “losing it” like I probably would’ve, calmly EXPLAINS himself to the racists that believed his imprisonment was fair. That in itself shows how GREAT of a man Dr. King was. His determination to stand up for what was right, regardless of the consequences, played a tremendous role in the advancement of African-Americans; and although racism still occurs today, I’m sure it’d be MUCH worse if people like Martin Luther King Jr. never came along.

Thoreau: Civil Disobedience

I must say, this was probably the toughest reading to date!! I was lost, literally, from the first paragraph, but I digress. From what I DID understand about Henry Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”, he was a man that believed that the best type of government is one that “governs the least”, and doesn’t seek tremendous power over its people. Clearly, he has a lot of critical things to say about the American government, some legitimate, yet some unreasonable.


One thing I did somewhat agree with Thoreau about was his outlook on people disagreeing with the government. Frankly, he believed that if a citizen doesn’t agree with something the government is doing, or a decision they make, they should outright rebel against it. This, I can understand, and even agree with; maybe not to the extent that HE talked about, but to some extent. If someone doesn’t agree with something that the government is doing, they should definitely stand up and be heard about it; however, he just took it too far with some of his suggestions. He went on to say, “A wise man will only be useful as a man and will not submit to be “clay” and “stop a hole to keep the wind away…” Basically, I understood that as saying no person should live whole-heartedly by the rules and policies their government sets. This, however, is where he started to lose me!! With that type of attitude in today’s society, you’re bound to end up in jail, which is a place I’m not trying to go!!


While I realize I only discussed a snippet of some of Thoreau’s viewpoints, I came to the conclusion that he was incredibly radical and, for lack of a better word, crazy, early into this reading. Then again, I was confused, so maybe I didn’t understand him; either way, it is what it is!!

Carter's Separation

In Stephen L. Carter’s piece, “The Separation of Church and State”, he basically talks about the impact that religion has on politics in today’s society, and whether or not it’s handled correctly. He delivers a compelling argument about his belief that the first amendment in the Constitution was created to protect religion from the state, rather than the state from religion. In many cases throughout American history, it seemed as though the government was trying to protect the country from certain religions, as opposed to protecting religious beliefs from the country. He cites the best known case in which the government struck down organized prayer in public schools. Honestly, I think that the separation of church and state is a good thing, as long as it isn’t taken out of context.

Carter, on the other hand, believes that the government shouldn’t be so intolerant when it comes to religion and religious matters. Frankly, I think Carter misunderstands what the First Amendment was actually put into place for. He believes that government, by upholding the First Amendment, is promoting anti-religion, which I disagree with. In my opinion, any citizen of this country should be able to exercise their religious freedom at any time without consequence from anyone; and, to my understanding, that’s what the First Amendment ensures. I think what Carter was trying to emphasize was his belief that the government should be more accepting of the different religions it’s citizens have, and try to find a better way to handle religious matters.

Hannah Arendt: Total Domination

After reading Hannah Arendt’s “Total Domination” piece on totalitarian governments, I’ve come to the conclusion that the totalitarian style of leadership is completely ridiculous, and shouldn’t be used under ANY circumstances. To put people through such torture and anguish JUST to keep them in line is outrageous in my opinion. Personally, I couldn’t imagine having to live through a totalitarian regime, as many people were forced to, so it’d be silly for me to say what I would’ve done. But, there’s no doubt in my mind, that I wouldn’t have been able to tolerate it for long.


When I sat back and looked at just what a totalitarian government “was” and consisted of, I realized that without concentration camps, totalitarian governments had no power. Hannah even mentioned that “these camps are the true central institution of totalitarian organizational power” (Arendt 89). So, without them, that style of leadership was rather insignificant to put it nicely.


On another note, one thing I did disagree with, and had a hard time understanding was Hannah’s difference between murder and the mass death that occurred in concentration camps. From what I understood, she was saying that when a murderer kills someone, they take away that person’s life, but they don’t destroy the fact that they existed; but then, she went on to explain how what the Nazis did was different? Personally, I think murder is murder, whether you kill 1 person, or thousands, but maybe that’s just me!! In any event, I was pretty confused through this entire reading, but some of it did make sense.

Hannah Arendt. “Total Domination.” A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Ed. Lee A Jacobus. 7th ed. New York: Bedford/St Martin’s, 2006.pp 85-97.

Machiavelli: extreme, yet understandable

So, after reading Niccolo Machiavelli’s, “The Quality of the Prince”, and Lao-tzu’s, “Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching”, I can honestly say that I’m torn between both ideas. On one hand, Lao-tzu raises some extremely good points about how a leader should govern, as he emphasized the importance of maintaining a happy citizenry, and the belief that the less a leader intervened, the better off things would be. Then again, on the other hand, Machiavelli made sense in a lot of ways as well.

Although he was radical in his beliefs, I understood why Machiavelli felt the way he did, and why he believed his approach to leadership was as it should be. While he was somewhat irrational in his belief that a leader should focus on war more than anything else, I did agree with the emphasis he put on a leader remaining disciplined at all times, staying informed, and always being prepared. Needless to say, I think it’s obvious that our leader today hasn’t always been fully informed when he did some of the things he did, but I digress.

Secondly, although I hate saying it, I agree with Machiavelli when he says, “Hence it is necessary for a prince who wishes to maintain his position to learn how not to be good, and to use this knowledge or not to use it according to necessity” (Machiavelli 40). In my opinion, he’s not saying that a leader has to be immoral to govern well, but to act as though the people in this world are 100% honorable and just would be incredibly naïve. So, it would only help for any leader to acknowledge that fact when making important decisions.

Overall, although they’re beliefs are completely different, Lao-tzu and Machiavelli both made strong cases as to why their methods are correct, and why any others are fallible in every way possible.

Niccolo Machiavelli. “The Qualities of the Prince.” A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Ed. Lee A Jacobus. Translator. Peter Bondanella and Mark Musa. 7th ed. New York: Bedford/St Martin’s, 2006.pp 35-51.

Lao-tzu, Jacobus 14-17

Ok, so after reading the introduction to A World of Ideas’ government section, I think I have a pretty good idea as to where the authors in the section are coming from. In the introduction, the author explains how 6 different philosophers/leaders felt about how a government should be ran. They basically focus on the different forms of government and its role in society.

Lao-tzu, for instance, believed in maintaining a happy citizenry. He believed that a government’s success depends entirely on good relationships between the leader and their people. Obviously, he had a great concern for the well-being of the people in a government. He also believed that the government didn’t always need to be involved with everything, and that the less it intervened, the happier the people would be.

Machiavelli, on the other hand, completely dismissed how the people felt, and stressed the importance of gaining and holding power at all costs. He feared that if he didn’t wield his power ruthlessly, he might lose his people to a more powerful nation, and that was the last thing he wanted.

Hannah Arendt was somewhat like Machiavelli, but he took things to the extreme. He believed in total dominion, and wanted to use terror to enforce the government’s ideas. He believed that individual rights should be sacrificed for the good of the nation, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. Luckily, Thomas Jefferson came along in the United States, and wanted to eliminate monarchies completely. He actually wanted to emphasize the individual’s right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”; and, therefore, enforce the government’s obligation to protect those rights.

Whether these 3 leaders were correct in their own philosophy is arguable, but each of them expressed good points as to why theirs would work.

How the HELL is Batman gay?

First, I want to start by saying that I think Freya Johnson, the writer of "Holy Homosexuality Batman: Camp and Corporate Capitalism in Batman Forever" is GAY!! I mean, how can you perceive Batman coming out of the bathroom shirtless and with a towel around his waist while Robin's in the room as homosexual? In my opinion, only a gay person would look at something that way because, well, they're GAY!!

I just think that sometimes people read too much into little things and try to turn them ino something that they're not. We talked about how all superheroes are looked upon as homosexual or as having queer tendencies, but why? Because they wear tights, have a secret, and have a partner that watches their back?

Occasionally, I can be accused of not looking deeply enough into things, but I don't think that's the case here!! In my opinion, only a person who looks for homosexuality in normal things would assume that Batman is GAY!! I'm 100% positive that the little kid at home watching Bruce Wayne talk to Robin with his shirt off wouldn't think, "Oh my God, is Batman gay?" I don't care whether they're my kids, or Rosie O'Donnel's kids!!

Being COMPLETELY honest, I think this essay was INCREDIBLY LAME!!

"College Hill 4" 5

Honestly, I thought this week's episode was kinda boring. The house still had a positive vibe, and everyone was still getting along for the most part, but it wouldn't last long. Surprisingly, Krystal, who's probably the most HATED roommate in College Hill history, cooked a big dinner for everyone in an attempt to make amends!! Of course, everyone was shocked seeing how she's always voicing how much she hates them and wants to go home!! Then again, it wasn't REALLY her idea!!

After the church service seemingly brought the roommates closer, Krystal decided to take the advice she'd received from a friend back home. He told her that she should take advantage of the time she has on the island, and try to make the best of it instead of fighting with everyone!! So, she took his advice, and her peace offering looked as if it had brought her closer to everyone, but it hadn't!!

Vanessa, who probably detests Krystal the MOST, still had a LOT of animosity for her inside. It seemed like right after everyone had eaten and bonded, Krystal went right back to voicing her displeasure for the island and the culture. So Vanessa, who didn't want to start a big fight, decided that she would write a poem expressing her feelings toward Krystal instead. Afterwards, she read it to Willie, who thought she was crazy for the malicious things she was saying; and after JT read it, they decided that she should put it to music!!But once Vanessa started rapping, Krystal overheard her!! Obviously her feelings were hurt, but Krystal decided to wait to confront Vanessa about her "childish" behavior.

Other than that, nothing really exciting happened. They did go see Chicky play softball however, and got to see first-hand how athletic he really was!!! He continued to beat Willie in pool too, solidifying his greatness in any and everything sports related!! Oh, and JT FINALLY broke up with his "girlfriend" back home. It seemed like he was looking for a reason to call it quits, and he found one when she got an attitude one day and hung up on him!! But that wasn't really a big deal, because EVERYBODY could see it coming. But, on the next epsiode, the preview revealed that AT LEAST 2 people in the house get into a physical fight where blood is shed!! So, to say that I can't wait would be an understatement!!

Will it EVER end?

Well, since we don't have to write about the readings this week, I decided that I would talk about how I'm feeling write now when it comes to school. Now, I know that going to college will help me down the road, but, honestly, I'm SO sick of school right now, that summer break couldn't possibly get here fast enough!!

Although I'm only taking 3 classes right now, it seems like ALL of my time is tied up into something!! I mean, I have class Monday-Friday, and I also have to work Monday-Friday, so rarely do I have time to chill!! And you can't really count the weekends; it seems like Saturday and Sunday go by SO quickly, that it's almost like I never left on Friday!! Sometimes, I wish I could go back to how it was my senior year in high school. I went to school everyday for 6 hours and had football practice afterwards, but I didn't really do ANYTHING until practice!! I mean, I was in school, but you know how it is when you're a senior: you just kick it all day!!

It just doesn't seem to wanna get any easier!! I JUST had a LONG research paper to do for my American Government class, and now, what do I have to do for english? An even LONGER research paper on which I have NO clue where to begin!! Lucky me, I guess; but I'm still holding on to the thought that it'll all pay off in the long run!! Hopefully I'm right, though. But I still can't wait 'til my classes get out!! Matter fact, when does this class end? Cause I don't know how much more I can take.................

"College Hill 4" 4

I must say, this week's episode was a little bit better!! Thankfully, we weren't forced to watch yet ANOTHER consecutive episode about Krystal and her annoying personality!! But there was still plenty of emotion in the house to go around, but this time, it came out in a "good" way!!

This week's episode mainly focused on Willie, in the beginning, and his non-stop flirting with nearly every girl in the house!! Originally, his plan from day one was to hook-up with Vanessa, and I can't say that I blame him, because she's arguably the baddest chick on the show!! But, unfortunately, Vanessa has a boyfriend that she's been with for three years, and it didn't look like she was havin it!! So, Willie decided that he would try his luck with Krystal. Now, personally, I can only think of two reasons why he would try to holla at KRYSTAL of all people: 1.) he's EXTREMELY horny and needs to let it out, or 2.) he actually likes girls that weigh 100 pounds soakin wet, who complain about EVERYTHING, and can be annoying as HELL!! The answer is obvious, and that's understandable because all males sometimes lower their standards because of their hormones!! Not that I care, but Krystal seemed to like the attention that Willie was giving her, and I got the feeling that something might happen between the two of them before the season ends!!

But anyway, all of sudden, the show got emotional when Vanessa, Fallon, Willie, and Idesha decided that the house should have church!! It all started when they were sitting around singing Father Abraham, and Vanessa said they should have a service with JT acting as the pastor.What started off as a joke, ended up getting really serious!! Everyone got together in the living room, minus Chicky who was out of town, and began testifying about the hard times they'd been through in their lives. Idesha even started to cry when it was her turn, and she started to talk about how she's had to fend for herself since she was 12 yrs. old!!

In the end, everyone had gained a better understanding about where each roommate was coming from. They were able to learn more about each other that would help them move past the segregation in the house that was holding them back!! Finally, something positive had went on in the house, but I don't expect it to last long!! On the next episode, they'll probably be right back to fighting with each other, but it was good to see everyone get along for once!!

"The Land of the Dead"

I'd like to start by saying that the movie was pretty good!! Originally, I didn't think I would like it that much, seeing how zombies don't interest me AT ALL!! But, I ended up really enjoying the movie!! I was pleased that we were able to watch a movie instead of just sitting around in class while a couple people discussed the readings that EVERYONE was supposed to read!! However, with that said, I don't know what to say about this research paper................

Honestly, I have NO clue about how I'm going to do this essay. I mean, I just don't like the fact that the research paper topics seemed to be limited to zombies and horror films!! Honestly, I feel like we should be able to do a research paper on any film that interests us for good reason, instead of limiting it to something that only interests a couple of people!! And I KNOW I'm not the only one that feels this way, but I guess I can't do anything about it, so, I'll just have to find a way, ONCE AGAIN, to fill a long essay, this time 8-10 pages, on something I could CARE-LESS about!!

Although the movie was good, all the "suggested" topics to write the paper about are INCREDIBLY confusing to me, and I think the paper needs to be discussed MUCH MORE in class!! I feel like it's just ASSUMED that everyone knows what to do after a half-hearted discussion about this 8-10 page paper!! Then once it gets turned in, people receive bad grades because they didn't know what was REALLY wanted, and how to do it, from jumpstreet!! But, oh well, I guess this is just my opinion, but I'm POSITIVE I'm not the only one that feels this way. But I may be the only one with enough guts to say it!!

REAL TALK

"College Hill 4" 3

Once again, this week's episode was kinda wack, to say the least!! I guess nothing really interesting has been happening in the house because all they've been showing the last couple of episodes is Krystal getting into it with the rest of the house!!

This week's episode was no different and completely focused on Krystal and her antics!! The highlight of the show was when everybody basically confronted Krystal and told her how they felt about the way she was acting. Fallon came up with the "brilliant" idea that they should all sit down and talk about what they don't like about other roommates to clear the air. But, what she REALLY meant was that everybody should tell Krystal how much they don't like her, because everybody else gets along for the most part. Willie tried to tell her that her idea wouldn't work, because he knew that it would just turn into a HUGE argument and it wouldn't solve anything!! And he was completely right!!

The beneficial sit-down that Fallon envisioned ended up turning into a shouting match between Krystal, Vanessa, and Andres that resulted in Krystal storming away from the table, and eventually breaking down into tears. Honestly, the girl deserved every bit of it because she complains ALL THE TIME!! I mean, at some point, she needs to realize that NOBODY, including the viewers, wants to hear that s***!! But, what they didn't know was that Krystal doesn't take crticism too well, and that her immaturity would get even worse!!

Hopefully, on the next episode, they can move past Krystal and her childish attitude, and start to have fun again!! I'm sure I'm not the only one who's SICK and TIRED of Krystal; so, hopefully, we won't have to watch another episode focused entirely on her!!

"College Hill 4" 2

Well, it's the third week of College Hill, and things seem to have toned down a little bit. I guess it would be asking too much to expect each episode to be as exciting as the premiere, but it was drama-filled nonetheless!!

At the end of the last episode, the show closed showing Idesha sneaking into JT's bed one night, and messing around with him under the sheets!! So, on this episode, JT, who's starting to annoy me because he fronts SO much, claims he's still trying to be faithful, and hopes to keep Idesha at arms length. JT actually had the nerve to get mad at Andres because he put a condom on top of his sheets while he was sleeping as a practical joke. He explained to Andres that if his girl back home saw the un-opened condom on top of the covers, he would be in even MORE trouble!! But Andres wasn't having it!! He told JT that he had already gotten himself in BIG trouble by making out with her in the hallway, and then sleeping in the same bed with her!!

I REALLY wanted to ask JT how he could get mad at his boy for joking around with him as if Andres, of all people, was going to make things even worse with his girl. He acts as though he doesn't like the attention that Idesha constantly gives him, and that his relationship back home is more important!! But then he does everything BUT the "nasty" with Idesha everytime she comes on to him!! He's a CLOWN, if you ask me!!

But anyway, the main issue on this week's episode was still about Krystal, the girl from Orange County, continuing to get on everyone in the house's nerves!! They keep talking about how she constantly complains about everything from shopping prices to leaving a tip at a restaurant, but they never say anything to her about it. But on this episode, JT actually had the guts to say it to her face when she started yelling at him because he ate all the ground beef that she was going use to cook spaghetti. I guess JT WAS wrong for using ALL the ground beef to cook himself 3 hamburgers, but she just went ON and ON about it, so he didn't hesistate to tell her about herself!!

All in all, the first BIG argument in the house was kinda stupid, but it was just a matter of time before it happened!! Hopefully, the next argument will be about something actually worth arguing over!!

"Reality on Televison" Essay

Well, I must say, this essay was MUCH harder than the first one!! Originally, I didn't think it would turn out to be as hard as it was. Because I'm a good writer, I thought I could wait until a couple days before it was due, and then work my magic!! However, I found it particularly hard to come up with 5 pages of good, worthwhile discussion about the topic I chose.

I ended up choosing the 3rd option which was about whether or not I believe dramas and comedies are more or less realistic than reality television. I said that they WERE more realistic, but I had trouble typing 5 pages explaining why. I felt like I kept repeating myself just to make the paper longer, and I've never really had to do that. Luckily, my sister, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, was able to help me come up with different ideas to talk about that would make the paper longer. I think if it wasn't for her, my paper would've ended up being even shorter than it was.

As I look back on it, I probably should've set aside more time to work on the essay. Normally, even though I procrastinate, the paper usually ends up being A or B worthy. And, while I think this paper is too, I don't want to make staying up 'til 2 in the morning working on a paper a trend. All in all, I think my paper is in the B to B- range. I got an A- on the first essay, so, hopefully, I can remain within the first two letters of the alphabet on this one as well!!

"College Hill 4"

This week, I was able to catch the premiere episode of College Hill. Fortunately, BET decided to air a fourth season of the hit black reality show on Tuesday nights. As a person who watched College Hill 3, I was extremely happy to see that another season had been made. While 3 was good, producers say that 4 is supposed to be even better, and the hour-long premier definitely echoed those feelings!!

This season of College Hill was based at the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas, V.I. The cast features eight students: four transfers from California, and four native Virgin Islanders. The Cali students include an annoying girl from Orange County named Krystal, a wannabee rapper named JT, a laid-back girl named Fallon, and a silly dude name Willie. The Virgin Islanders include a thick, freaky chick named Idesha, a soft-spoken star athlete named Devon, who everyone calls "Chicky", a laid-back, light-skinned dude named Andres, and a cute light-skinned girl named Vanessa, who's probably the BADDEST girl on the show!!

Anyway, during the first half hour of the premier, nothing really outrageous happened. The Cali students arrived at the house first, then the Virgin Island natives arrived, and eventually they all jumped in the pool and hot tub together and started to get to know each other. But once the second episode started, the house really started jumping!! Once they got out of the hot tub, they immediately took out the alcohol and started playing TRUTH or DARE!!

As I expected, the dares got crazier and crazier the more shots the students took!! Everything from kisses, to lap dances, to jumping in the pool naked, it just kept getting better and better!! But the drama really started when the "freak" of the house, Idesha, started flirting with JT. Now, JT, who has a girlfriend back in Compton didn't want mess up his relationship back home while he was on the show. But, like many other men would've if they were in a similar situation, he succumbed to the TREMENDOUS temptation, and ended up making out with Idesha in the hallway. Obviously, it was just a matter of time before they kissed, and it's still just a matter of time before they do the "nasty"!! So, JT can pretty much say goodbye to that relationship he has back home.

The good thing is, I can tell that this season is going to be the best yet!! The preview showed that eventually almost everyone in the hosue has sex, two of the girls get into a fight, and two of the guys almost get into a fight!! Obviously, they'll be lots of arguing, fighting, drinking, and sex which makes for a GREAT reality television show. So, it seems like I'm going to have a new favorite show for a while!!

"Homosexuality on Television"

On Monday, in class, we watched a couple clips from "Dawson's Creek" that was centered around homosexuality. Now, I must admit, I've NEVER watched a minute of Dawson's Creek, and obviously, for GOOD reason. As far as the show alone, I thought it was terrible. It was corny, boring, and the characters that we were able to watch really annoyed me in more ways than one!! But, anyways, that wasn't the point.

Afterwards, we sorta talked about the representation of homosexuality on television. Then, Ellen asked us if we knew any gay people, and if we did, who did they act more like: the gay football player or the nerdy, weird gay guy!! I wasn't able to answer this question, however, because I can't say that I know any homosexual people. Then, one boy, I forget his name, spoke up and said if there ARE gay people who watch those types of shows to see how they should act, they have bigger problems than their sexuality. I couldn't agree MORE!!

I think it was really silly how that particular episode of Dawson's Creek displayed "gay" behavior, I guess. I mean, if you want to be gay, that's cool; and if you want to be straight, that's cool with me too!! I don't think a person's sexuality should determine how they're treated at all. Unfortunately, people are ridiculed if they're homosexual; and Dawson's Creek taught me that "popular" gay people aren't well-liked by "not-so-popular" gay people. All in all, I was quite confused this week in class!!

"Survivor: Fiji"

This week, I decided to switch it up and write about an episode of Survivor: Fiji. I wasn't able to watch any of the shows that I normally do my blog entries on, but I was pleasantly surprised by Survivor. Obviously, the show has had great success over the years, so I usually try to give it a chance every once and a while. Normally, whether or not I watch Survivor depends on the people they choose to be on that particular season. This season, the show is in Fiji; and, luckily, the cast has a mixture of different races.

On this particular episode, the Ravu tribe was still suffering at their mediocre camp, and it seemed as though their tribe was starting to fall apart. Seeing how they haven't won a single immunity or reward challenge, their team morale was probably at its lowest point since day one. Some of the tribe members were starting to blame each other for the constant losing, and it didn't seem like anything was going to get better. The Moto tribe, on the other hand, was still sitting in the "lap of luxury" at their camp. They had recently won fishing equipment at a reward challenge to go along with other numerous rewards that made their survival much easier than the Ravu tribe. Of course, they were looking to continue dominating in the reward challenges and the immunity challenges as they were yet to lose a member.

Shockingly, at the next reward challenge, the Moto tribe dominated Ravu and won a king-size bed and a HUGE platter of fish to eat. Once again, the Ravu tribe had come up short, and the loss sent one of their members over the edge. Once they got back to camp, Rocky erupted on his Ravu tribe mates explaining how he was SICK of losing. But, it turned out that their luck was about to change.

At the immunity challenge, Moto dominated AGAIN, and it looked as though the Ravu tribe was going to have to vote off a third consecutive member. But at the end of the challenge, Jeff revealed a twist that would drastically shake up the game. A note went to Moto that told them they either had to switch beaches with the Ravu tribe, or go to Tribal Council and vote off their first tribe mate. After a brief huddle, they decided that they would keep their beach with all their luxuries, and go to Tribal Council. Ravu had finally found some GOOD fortune!!

The moral of the story is: even when things look dire and grim, all you need is one good thing to happen and it could change the entire situation. On Survivor, the Ravu tribe showed that they would never give up even though things weren't going there way; and now, it looks as though the tables may have turned in their favor!!

Reality Television Reality

Earlier this week in class, we discussed the level of reality on shows like the "Real World" and "Survivor" among others. We talked about whether or not these types of shows displayed any type of reality at all. In my opinion, those shows do display some reality, but most of it, I think, is done just to get higher ratings.

Obviously, showing people arguing, having sex, crying, and fighting will obtain higher ratings that will lead to the success of the show. However, on the other hand, I do think some reality television shows showcase real-life issues that the viewers can definitely relate to.

For example, on every season of the "Real World", they're always seems to be a young male or female who has problems with their self-confidence. There's always someone who acts like a slut because they never felt loved throughout their childhood, or a drunk who always drinks because of their depression. Its funny to me how there's always someone who does crazy things on the show because of their numerous issues that need resolving. But the good thing is, throughout the season, the roommates always seem to help them with their problems, and they usually leave better off then they came.

Basically, reality television does seem very unrealistic at times, but in a lot of situations, the episodes can be very "real" to a lot of people. In my opinion, reality television and sports is the best thing on television right now, and nothing needs to be changed about it!!

"All of Us" 2

On most "All of Us" episodes, the main storyline is based around Robert and Neesee's life as they try to raise their five-year-old son Bobby while being divorced. However, on this particular episode, the spotlight is on little Bobby.

Bobby, who's in elementary school, is having a problem fitting in in some of his classes. In one class, two little boys constantly tease him and call him a "teacher's pet" because of his polite attitude. Although he's just being himself, the other kids ridicule him because he always volunteers to help the teacher with whatever she needs. He's probably the smartest little boy in the class, but he isn't well-liked among his classmates.

One day, while Bobby helps clean up the front of the room after the class had a guest speaker with a lizard, he accidentally drops a cricket in his teacher's coffee. However, instead of telling her because he's afraid he'll get in trouble, he quietly goes back to his seat. Then, the teacher picks up her coffee, takes a sip, and swallows the cricket. Of course, the two bad little boys that were always making fun of Bobby thought he had done it on purpose, and thought it was cool. Obviously, Bobby liked the new-found attention he was getting, and thought he had to keep up this bad behavior to remain cool. Over the next few days, Bobby continued to do things he had no business doing, but he was fortunate enough to not get caught. Until one day after school, one of his bad friends asked him to go to the mall with him and his mom. Unfortunately, Bobby agreed and ended up doing something he had never done before.

Once they arrived at the mall, Bobby's friend told him that his birthday party was coming up and that he should come. Then, the boy's mother took them to a shoe store, so her son could pick out some shoes he wanted for his birthday. Immediately, the boys were attracted to some brand new shoes that had just come out. The boy told his mother that he wanted some and she went to ask someone if they had his size. Then, he told Bobby that he had to get some, so they could match and look cool. Obviously, Bobby didn't have any money, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. The boy continuously dared Bobby to do it, and eventually, Bobby stuck the pair of shoes into his bookbag and tried to walk out the store. Unfortunately for Bobby, the shoes triggered the alarm when they tried to leave, and he was BUSTED!!

In the end, Bobby got screamed at by his parents and punished for trying to steal something. He told them that he only did it because he thought it was cool, but his parents quickly convinced him otherwise. The moral of the story is: we all do things to fit in sometimes, but they aren't always right. Peer pressure can be a tough thing to deal with, but it's key that you don't let it overtake you, because you may find yourself in a position little Bobby did: BUSTED!!

Reality Dating Shows

This week, in class, we talked about the different reality t.v. dating shows like Flavor of Love, Date My Mom, Blind Date, Next, and I Love New York among others. Everyone discussed how stupid they felt it was for these people to go on these shows and make complete fools of themselves because they think it'll make them famous. But one thing that really frustrates me is how a lot of girls claim they would NEVER, EVER, EVER do some of the things that the girls on these shows do. However, I beg to differ.

Take Flavor of Love for example. Now this show was arguably the most watched show on television from the time the first season began. Everybody and their momma watched every episode faithfully to see what would happen next. But what KILLS me is how several girls I've talked to about it claimed they wouldn't let Flava Flav touch them with a 10 foot pole, let alone kiss him because he's so unattractive. But, we've all seen it happen. Maybe not on the level of Flavor of Love or on national television, but each of us knows of a young lady who does stuff with a guy just because of what he could give them or possibly do for them.

My point is, everyone, I repeat, EVERYONE has a price. No matter how much you deny it, for the right price, you may find yourself doing some of the same things these reality t.v. girls do that you call "stupid". Many times, these girls go on these dating shows because they want to become famous and rich. Yes, a lot of the things they do in order to win the man over are embarassing, and just plain old stupid. But, I firmly believe that you never know what you would do in a situation, until you're put in that situation. The moral of the story is, although you may feel the girls on these reality dating shows were stupid for doing some of the things they did just to become famous or rich, NEVER SAY NEVER, because one day, that might be you!!

"My Wife and Kids" 3

This week, I was able to catch another episode of "My Wife and Kids". As usual, it was hilarious and delivered a meaningful message to its viewers. Since the show began airing, Jay’s weight has always been a funny topic in different episodes. It seems like no matter how much weight she loses, she's never satisfied. On this particular episode, Jay was training for an upcoming marathon. She really wanted to prove to herself that she could run the entire race without giving up. So, she asked her youngest daughter's boyfriend, Franklin, to be her trainer. Franklin, who's an absolute genius on the show, encourages her to watch what she eats and even accompanies her while she trains. Michael, however, thought it was all silly, and arrogantly predicted that he could beat his wife in the marathon, simply because he's a MAN, and because MEN have always been better athletes than women. But, it turned out that Michael's statement couldn't be any further from the truth.

Of course, Jay took exception to Michael's chauvinistic opinion, and decided to make a friendly bet. If Michael won, Jay had to admit that MEN are better athletes than women. But, if Jay won, Michael had to give her whatever she wanted, within reason, of course. Jay, who desperately wanted to prove Michael wrong, ferociously trained everyday. On the other hand, Michael's arrogance allowed him to do absolutely NO training because he was a MAN and would easily beat any WOMAN in a race. Then again, on the day of the marathon, Michael would regret being so cocky.

Once the marathon began, Michael immediately fell to the back. Jay easily passed him, along with a one-legged man, a man walking on his hands, and men twice his age. But, Michael's pride wouldn't allow him to be embarrassed in such a way. Coincidently, a cab happened to be dropping someone off right next to the bench that Michael had collapsed on a few miles into the race. So, being the quick thinker that he is, Michael hopped in, and ended up beating Jay to the finish line!!

To make a long story short, Jay knew Michael had cheated, but she couldn't figure out how. She knew there was no way he could catch up to her once she passed him, and saw that he was struggling so early into the race. Eventually Michael admitted that he'd taken a cab, and begged Jay for her forgiveness. Then, as he had agreed to in the bet, Michael asked Jay what she wanted for winning. He expected her to ask for money, but, instead, she told Michael that all she wanted was for him to train hard with her next year so that they could run the marathon together!! To me, the moral of the story was: if you work hard, you can do anything, regardless of age, color, or SEX!!

The "Adobiography"

First, let me start by saying, this paper was EXTREMELY easy!! Then again, it only became easy once I understood what was required. At first, I didn't have the slightest clue what I was supposed to do. I really didn't understand how I was supposed to find 3-5 ads that "spoke" to me as a consumer. Then, I started getting frustrated and upset because I couldn't figure out what our wonderful teacher (LOL) meant in her lectures about the paper. So, I just kept putting off the rough draft because I didn't know what she wanted. Honestly, I just typed out an incomplete rough draft the night before, and printed it out at the library the morning before class so I wouldn't show up empty-handed. But, what really helped me, was the peer conferences.

Originally, I thought the peer conferences would be a waste of my time. I know I'm a good writer, so I figured another student couldn't possibly help me!! But I was completely wrong. Unfortunately, I've already forgotten the names of the 2 girls I was paired with, but their papers really helped me get ideas for my paper. Because I was so confused, my rough draft was terrible. But after reading their rough drafts, I understood how the paper was supposed to be written and I was able to re-do the whole paper in one sitting. Once I got started, it was really easy to finish!! Hopefully, the rest of the essays will be just as easy, if not easier.

"All of Us"

Unfortunately, this week I wasn't able to catch an episode of "My Wife and Kids". I was, however, able to catch an episode of "All of Us". All of Us airs on the same network as My Wife and Kids and is normally just as good. The show is mainly based around a divorced couple who has a five-year-old son, and still lives together as they try to move on with their lives. Its main characters are Robert James Sr., played by Duane Martin, Neesee James, played by the beautiful Lisa Raye, Robert James Jr. (Bobby), played by Khamani Griffin, and Dirk Black, who's played by the hilarious Tony Rock.

In this particular episode, Neesee was extremely frustrated over her dating life, or lack thereof. Normally, she's the type of woman who has very high standards who doesn't just go out with anyone. But after attending the wedding of a friend who found true love with an overweight man, she vows to go out on a date with the next man to ask her out. Robert, who was extremely tired of her complaining, decided to pitch in, and set her up with a co-worker played by the comedic Kevin Hart.

Originally, Neesee was all for the date until Robert introduced her to Kevin. Although he was full of personality, he stood only 5'5. Immediately, Neesee tried to back out, but Robert wouldn't allow Neesee to go back on her word. Reluctantly, she agreed to go on the date, and actually had a wonderful time. Afterwards, she explained to Robert how well the date went, how funny Kevin turned out to be, and that she couldn't wait to see him again. The next day at work, when Robert asked Kevin how he thought the date went, Kevin sang a completely different tune!! Although he did admit that the date went well, Kevin said he didn't feel any chemistry with Neesee, and didn't want to go out with her again!! Unfortunately, their conversation had horrible timing because while Kevin was giving Robert the bad news, Neesee came walking through the door with a lunch she had made for Kevin. Obviously she overheard what he was saying, through the lunch in the trash, and dejectedly walked out the door.

To make a long story short, no matter how much Robert tried to convince Kevin to reconsider and go on another date with Neesee, it all fell on deaf ears. The two even got into a fight after Kevin continued to insult Neesee. To me, the moral of the story was to never judge a book by its cover. All of us have been guilty of making pre-conceived notions about people before even getting to know them. But sometimes, the cover is completely different from the chapters inside!!

"Advertising and People of Color"

In "Advertising and People of Color", the authors discuss the lack of ethnic diversity in print and television advertisements. Although the essay was written in 1995, unfortunately, the same type of behavior occurs today. According to the reading, in the 1980s, many of the advertisements featuring minorities were based on stereotypes that displayed "crude and condescending images". For example, the Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix ad which displayed a fat, bandanna wearing, black mother who spoke improper English. Or the Cream of Wheat ad that played as though all African-Americans have a hard time spelling, many advertisements are meant to be funny, but come off as demeaning to minority groups.

Then, the essay talked about how the different minority groups took a stand and protested against the advertising agencies. I don't really understand why it's a problem for some people to see minority models in print or television ads. The way I see it, a black model can do the same job that a white model can do, but maybe that's just me!! I think in today's society more minorities are being used in advertisements, but still not enough. This country claims to practice equal opportunity and give its citizens equal rights, then again, its real easy to SAY that!!

"My Wife and Kids" 2

Fortunately, this week, I was able to catch another episode of My Wife and Kids. Luckily, this episode was just as funny as the last one I was able to watch. On this episode, Claire, Mr. Kyle's daughter, was eagerly awaiting her senior prom which was fastly approaching. A boy she had always liked, asked her to go with him, and everything seemed perfect. That is, until she found out that her parents volunteered to be chaperones at the prom, just so they could keep an eye on her.

To make things worse, Claire's mother Jay, seemed to be more excited about the prom than she was. She made it a point to make sure she had the perfect dress, the perfect makeup, and that Michael, her husband, wore a tuxedo to match. Michael, of course, was more focused on making sure Claire's date kept his hands to himself and didn't try anything. Claire constantly complained about her parents going, but it didn't change anything. Then, on prom night, after Claire's date had arrived, and Michael had given him the rules, Jay came strutting down the stairs wearing the same dress Claire was wearing. She, of course, had planned it out, and thought it was the cutest thing ever; but Claire couldn't be any more upset, and thought they would look stupid. However, no matter how much she complained, Jay wasn't going to change; so they went off to the prom in the same dress.

Once they arrived at the prom, things got even worse, for Claire. Her parents stole the show. They danced, and danced, and danced, until they made history becoming the first non-student couple to win prom king and queen. Some of the other students thought Claire's parents were incredibly cool, but Claire thought just the opposite. She stood in a corner the whole night moping. Even when her date tried to cheer her up, it didn't work. She wanted to leave and thought her prom was a disaster because her parents were there.

After a few days had gone by, Claire still wasn't talking to her parents because of how they had embarrased her. They couldn't get Claire to forgive them until Michael went upstairs to her room to talk to her. He told her that the reason why her mother had been so excited about the prom was because she wasn't able to go to her prom. On Jay's prom night, she was in the hospital giving birth to Junior, Claire's older brother. After hearing such a story, Claire couldn't stay mad at her parents, so she forgave them. The moral of the story is, although we all get embarassed by our parents sometimes, they usually have our best interest at heart, and don't really mean to embarass us. So, the next time your mother or father completely embarasses you, think about what their intentions were, BEFORE you yell at them!!

"How Advertising Informs to Our Benefit"

In "How Advertising Informs to Our Benefit", the author discusses how advertisements can sometimes be helpful, while other times be misleading. Ads are normally used to persuade people to buy products. In many ways they're helpful because of the information they give about a product; but they can also be misleading because of the information they leave out.

In the reading, the author explained how the Kellogg All-Bran cereal ad that opened in October of 1984 was somewhat deceptive. In the ad, Kellogg claimed that the National Cancer Institute believed that "a high fiber, low fat diet may reduce your risk of some kinds of cancer." Coinicidently, Kellogg's All-Bran cereal had nine grams of fiber per serving, the most of all cereals. So, Kellogg promoted their cereal as if to say, "If you eat our cereal, you won't get cancer," which probably isn't true. Then, the FDA and FTC started fighting over whether the ad was legal or not.

So, advertisements can be misleading by tying things together that don't relate, or by leaving out important information. For instance, acne advertisements can be misleading because of the wealth of information they leave out. Many times, in acne ads, the seller says, "4 out of 5 dermatologists recommend our product." However, they never say who those dermatologists are. For all the consumer knows, they could be anybody. Plus, it seems like every acne ad, diet ad, or toothpaste ad has 4 out of 5 doctors recommending the product; so, either all of those products are really good, or someone's lying or telling half-truths.

"My Wife and Kids"

First off, let me start by saying that normally, I don't have much time to watch television. After coming to school, going to work, chillin with my girl, playing basketball, and kickin it with my boys, there really isn't much time left for tv. And when I do, I don't really watch a wide variety of shows. I mostly watch sports, sports-related programs, and reality tv. But, seeing how there really isn't any good reality television shows airing right now, and I don't want to just talk about sports over and over again, I thought long and hard about how I'm going to do this assignment every week.

This week, thankfully, I was able to catch an episode of "My Wife and Kids". For those of you who don't know, its the show based around the comedy of Damon Wayans, who plays Michael Kyle. On this particular episode, Junior, Michael's son, discussed with his parents how he wanted to bring his new girlfriend over for dinner. They complied, of course, but when she arrived they were completely shocked. In walked Vanessa Scott, who, to my enjoyment, was being played by the gorgeous Meagan Good. As she took off her coat and went with Mrs. Kyle into the kitchen, immediately, Mr. Kyle turned to Junior and asked how he could "hook up" with such a beautiful young lady. To make a long story short, they had a wonderful dinner, and she left. But the show really got good when Junior invited Vanessa over after his parents left for the opera, and he had the house all to himself.

Once she arrived, they talked briefly downstairs on the couch, until Junior invited her up to his room to read a comic he wrote. Once there, Vanessa found a poem Junior had written for her and asked him to read it to her. This, of course, led to a romantic kiss on Junior's bed, and would've led to more, until Vanessa sat up and told Junior that she always imagined their first time would be more romantic with slow music playing and him telling her that he loved her. Then, the scene switched to both of them laying in his parents' bed with Musiq Soulchild playing in the background, and Junior telling Vanessa he loved her. So, everything was perfect, right? Not quite. Unfortunately, Mr. Kyle tricked his wife into leaving the opera early. Once they got home, they both rushed upstairs to their bedroom to use the bathroom. Needless to say, they caught Junior in mid-stroke!! The only bad thing was that "To Be Continued" popped up, and the show ended.

Seeing how the show only plays re-runs now, I probably won't be able to catch the following episode, but this episode was good anyway. I think I lot of young boys have gotten caught with a girl either in their house, or the girl's house. So, a lot of us can relate. If you get the chance, you should watch the show because its really funny. But I hope this summary wasn't boring to you, and if it was, OH WELL!!

"Hanes Her Way" essay response

I want to start off by saying that I don't usually read into commercials like the author of the "Hanes Her Way" essay does. However, now that I think about it, the commercial doesn't really make much sense to me at all. As a young male, to me, underwear is underwear frankly. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with boxers. For women, however, I realize this probably isn't the case. As far as the ad, I definitely thought that the guy reminiscing about his mother and childhood after looking at a pair of old, dirty, worn out panties was weird, nasty, and most of all, corny. He must not have had a very clean mother or pleasant childhood. I really didn't understand how a wonderful marriage tied in with underwear either. I guess the advertisers were trying to display to women how wearing Hanes underwear will make their marriage everything they could ask for. This, however, couldn't be any further from the truth.

Honestly, I feel like simplicity is a must in advertisements. If the consumer doesn't understand your advertisement, then, obviously, it won't be very effective. On the other hand, if the consumer understands your ad, but it doesn't make sense to them, it won't work either. Overall, I felt like whoever wrote that particular "Hanes Her Way" ad, should go back to the drawing board and try again. I'm sure some people understood it and maybe even thought it was funny, I just wasn't one of them. At the end of the day, underwear is still JUST underwear, and will always be JUST underwear.

Who cares, right?

Name: Paul Leapheart (lee-part)

Year: Freshman, but you couldn't tell, could you?

Major: Undeclared, but leaning towards Journalism

Words to live by: "I'm full, but I ain't ate enough; I'm good, but I ain't great enough."-Lil Wayne