Wiki Reflection OEM 04-12-08

Not a whole lot has been changed since I completed the assignment. Either people don’t care or I must’ve done a pretty decent job on it. Just a couple of ‘technical’ words were changed by other users. One person fixed a link and one person added another. So all in all, I think my article was pretty solid. I had never really used wikipedia for school before, mainly because every teacher I’ve ever had has hated students using wikipedia because the articles aren’t fact. At least that’s what they believed. I think for the most people try to keep wikipedia and they’re articles as factual as possible. I’m sure there people who might try to mess with it, but for the majority of it, I think wikipedia is a good place to get good information about almost anything. It was cool being able to link other wikipedia articles to mine. It made the work a little bit easier grabbing information from other articles as well as a couple of books. I’m glad I was able to use the internet for the majority of this project. The internet is the future and where everyone will get their information and news. Libraries are a thing of the past, and sites like wikipedia will soon be the standard. The only thing I didn’t like about editing wikipedia was their formatting system. It’s not very user friendly. Typing in codes to insert links and other pieces is really annoying and most likely trouble for people who aren’t computer savvy. Maybe they should implement a shortcut-button kind of thing. Overall, I was pleased to contribute my knowledge and research to a place where millions of people come to get their information. Hopefully if anyone is looking for information on the office of emergency management, they’ll read my article and use it in their papers.

Class Reflection #5 04-28-08

Seeing all those pictures of those kids and young adults getting harassed and abused is crazy. I don’t know if I would’ve been able to stand there and let the general public mock me, especially hurt me physically. In some circumstances I’m sure they knew that they would be going to jail or be punished for what they were doing. Something that really caught my eye was the fact that there were white people to stood besides the blacks in support of them. In one of the pictures from the Woolworths sit in, there was a white sitting next to all the blacks. It makes me think of a Dave Chappelle sketch when I see that kind of stuff. He parodies the sit in with a “shit in” in season 2, episode 13. It’s funny to laugh at now, but at the time I’m sure it would’ve been highly offensive to black people. I have much respect for those brave people who took all that abuse to stand up for what was right.

Portrayals of Women: Then and Now 05-05-08

American culture has always and will continue to influence the masses; however, it seems that women are more molded into the person society deems necessary at the time. While men and women are now thought of as equals, during World War II this was certainly not the case. When men went to war there was a noticeable gap in the work force that needed to be filled. Naturally, women fulfilled these duties. Posters and advertisements showed heroines like Rosie the Riveter working outside the home to show support for both their country and their husbands. Woman saw these images and began to work outside the home. They were the most available to join the work force, not to mention the enticements of higher war wages, more available time and opportunity to work, and wartime restrictions on leisure activities.

Postwar American life became organized around marriage and family. As men came back from the war they merged with the peacetime economy, taking jobs away from women and sending them back to the home. With the demise of Rosie came the rise of new role models whose ideas and beliefs were focused around the home and not the workplace. After the war many of these women’s jobs were taken by men with the desire of a cozy, domestic life. Almost overnight, television became the preeminent mass medium, carrying images of American culture into the home. Television shows displayed the personification of what a husband thought a wife should be. Like the Oldsmobile film demonstrates, women were seemingly only concerned with superficial things such as appearance, status, and social class. It provides men with certain sayings or actions to say to a female customer in order to make a sale through generalizations and stereotypes. If I were a woman I would be offended to appear to be so easily influenced and manipulated as if I were unable to think for myself.

I chose to compare this film to a commercial for Under Armour apparel called “Boom Boom Tap.” It depicts young women playing softball wearing all Under Armour gear, cheering one another on throughout the game and getting dirty as they slide from base to base. The women are independent, fearless, and more importantly, unconcerned with their appearances. I think another important aspect of this commercial is that there is not a single man in it. The entire focus is on the female, encouraging women to feel empowered. This commercial contradicts everything a postwar woman would do, say, or act, which presents a strong contrast to the Oldsmobile film. Postwar women would never spend their free time away from the home let alone playing a “manly” sport with a good possibility of getting dirty. They were more concerned with the concerns of their husbands and maintaining their appearances.

Like I stated earlier, men and women have more equal roles in society. Gender roles have become more malleable as women work outside the home and play professional sports and men are stay-at-home dads and get manicures. The media will always be a great influence on both sexes as we all fall victim to the newest trends and the expensive cars. At least now it is safe to say that both genders can be equally intelligent as well as equally superficial.

Oldsmobile

Under Armour

Wikipedia Article OEM 04-21-08

Office of Emergency Management

Class Reflection #4 04-14-08

Advertising in America hasn’t really changed much in the sense that the marketers and advertisers still use stereotypes and gender roles in order to sell their products. Back then they used women to show them as a possession or and object. Men were used to signify power and leadership. Nowadays women are used for their sexuality more often then not. Try grabbing a magazine off the rack at a store and I’ll bet there are ads that show beautiful women trying to get your “typical” guys to buy something. Or they use hot women to make not so hot women to buy their products to make them hot. Men are shown drinking beer and having fun. Drink this beer and women will flock to you. Use this body spray and women will jump off rooftops to touch you. It’s awesome and it works for the most part I think. Guys want manly things and pretty women. Women want expensive things and to be pretty. Circle of life, works great!

Class Reflection #3 04-07-08

This time around we talked a lot about advertisements and how they affected people past and present. How they were similar and different. It’s interesting that they were aware of gender and age demographics 100 years ago, like they are today. Nowadays they have all these research groups and discussion boards to figure out what people of certain age, sex, and race need/want. Something that wasn’t mentioned in class, was advertisements geared towards specific races. Like maybe certain foods are advertised to specific races. Stereotypes would be like tacos to spanish guy and chicken to a black guy. It would interesting to know what sex, race, and gender have the most spending power. And the least spending power. I would think it’s middle aged, middle class, white women. Some ads really speak to guys, like the axe commercials. Man, if I spray that stuff on me, beautiful chicks in bikinis will dive at me. What guy would’nt want that?

Wiki References 04-07-08

External Links:

http://www.fema.gov/index.shtm

http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/index.htm

Wikipedia Articles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agency

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NYC_Office_of_Emergency_Management

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_protection

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_management

Books:

Living With Hazards, Dealing With Disasters: An Introduction to Emergency Management by Waugh, William L.
Publication: Armonk, N.Y. ME Sharpe, Inc., 2000.

Facing the Unexpected: Disaster Preparedness and Response in the United States
by Tierney, Kathleen J.; Lindell, Michael K.; Perry, Ronald W.
Publication: Washington, D.C. National Academies Press, 2001.

Anti-Italian Stereotypes 04-06-08

Stereotypes are as old as human culture itself. They reflect ideas that groups of people hold about others who are different from them. A stereotype can be defined as a fixed, commonly held notion or image of a person or group, based on an oversimplification of some observed or imagined trait of behavior or appearance. It can be embedded in single word or phrase, an image, or a combination of words and images. The image evoked is easily recognized and understood by others who share the same views. Stereotypes can be either positive, but most stereotypes tend to make us feel superior in some way to the person or group being stereotyped. Just like any other minority, Italians have put up their fair share of stereotypes, beginning centuries ago and perpetuated today mainly through the media

In America and many other nations, Italians have also been stereotyped as swarthy perpetual foreigners in a lower class, restricted to blue collar jobs. They have been stereotyped working as construction workers, chefs, beggars, peddlers, plumbers, and in other working class jobs. Another stereotype of Italian American is the “goombah” or “guido”, a working class or lower class Italian male. Degrading and even dehumanizing images have been prevalent in the perpetuation of ignorance and historical myths.

After the American Civil War, some poor Italian immigrants were recruited to fill the place of abolished slave labor by working on Southern plantations, while Italians in the North often worked in sweat shops and factories. The Italian American’s role as a hard laborer has contributed to many stereotypes that persist today. Many Americans saw the swarthy, darker skinned Italians as a “missing link” between whites and blacks. In some areas of the South, as well as the North, Italians were “semi-segregated.” Many native Americans viewed Italian immigrants as lowlife criminals and “undesirables” swarming into North America. In 1921, Congress passed a racially-based quota which limited the number of Italians that were allowed to enter the United States annually.

While there have been some infamous Italian gangsters such as Al Capone and John Gotti, Italians still have this image of being involved in organized crime. The media is the main factor contributing to this perpetuation of this Italian stereotype. For example, mafia movies such as The Godfather or Goodfellas. It is meant for pure entertainment and may or may not be based on any real people or places. While there are bad people of every race, this is no reason to prejudge an entire nationality. It is not fair to say that all Italians are involved in the Mafia, because this is just not correct.

In the past fifty years, there has been a great change in how stereotypes have presented in the U.S.; however, stereotypes are still common today, mainly due to ignorance. It is this lack of knowledge that causes people to have false information about others. One frequent misconception is that all Italians are involved in organized crime. This causes the public to be afraid of, or intimidated, by Italians in America.

Anti-Italian Protest

John Gotti

Rocksburg est. 1837 03-03-08

Located in the outskirts of western New York, Rocksburg is a medium-sized town with an estimated population of 1,500. It was founded by a great man named Danny Mendoza. He traveled from a developing settlement in northern Virginia in search of a better climate, leading him to pioneer this new town in 1837. While it seems to be secluded, it is not isolated from other cities and towns; however, it is a couple miles away from the closest civilization.

Rocksburg is a capitalist democracy with an elected Mayor who appoints judges and the police commissioner. These high-ranking officials are the people who create and maintain the laws of the town. The laws are fairly basic and what you would expect a well maintained society should have. The crime rate is very low and usually minor. Murder, theft, assault, and adultery are outlawed. Everyone pays an 8% income tax that goes towards maintaining public building, school, parks, and roads. Other than the required tax, citizens are free to spend their money however the choose.

The goals of the town are to create a mostly self-sufficient society with some trading or importing of other products from neighboring cities. Some imported products include grains, vegetables, fruits, and metals. Rocksburg exports fish and fishing equipment. In addition to fishing, Rocksburg also builds and sells ships of different sizes and class. We sell, trade, and buy a wide variety of products in order to maintain the town’s wealth. There is virtually no poverty in Rocksburg, because everyone is required to go to school and specialize in a field.

The town is predominately Christian, however, the citizens are free to be a part of any religion they choose. The community is equally comprised of labor-focused occupations, mainly in the factories and mills, and specialized professions, such as doctors, nurses, and lawyers. While woman are part of the workforce, men dominate the positions of power and authority. Everyone is fairly compensated for their work and time. There is no slavery in this town despite the time period. For both men and women, there is a high education rate with most people completing several years of schooling. Unlike many societies, there is no extensive span of social classes as wealth is pretty evenly distributed within the town. The majority of citizens are middle class with a few upper middle class citizens such as the mayor and other specialized positions. There is no real class of extremely wealthy people just as there is no lower class Salary is based on occupation, education, and specialized skill level. Obviously, the citizens with more responsibility will earn a bit more than the citizens with less; it is not a dramatic difference. Everyone works collectively as a town to further the prosperity of the town as a whole, but not everyone does the same work and there is a minor class difference.

Rocksburg is divided up into sections or districts. The residential district is in the northeast of the city, while the entire commercial district is located south of the river. The public buildings including the hospital, courthouse, police station, and fire station are in the upper northwest area. Having it sectioned off this way makes the city as a whole more organized, and the land is valued about the same. There is not one area that’s “richer” than another. The river is easily accessible from anywhere in the town. By having the commercial area right on the river, it makes fishing and building a lot easier since there’s virtually no travel to and from the water source.

Rocksburg Map

 

Class Reflection #2 02-18-08

It’s only natural that after the Revolution Americans would want to start expanding west. And when Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase and tripled the size of our country it all but secured our future as a nation. It was cool how Boggs compared Chappelles Show to the Blackface plays from back then. While some people might say that Chappelle was an offensive show, I don’t think it was as bad as Blackface was. They both made fun of the stereotypes that existed back in their time. 24 is an amazing show. Everyone should watch it. That is all….