New Letter to the President

Dear Mr. President,

On behalf of America, I would like to portray to you my opinion on media. Media is an evil, manipulative corporation but it is also a human right. This controversial topic sets forth a substantial amount of criticism and a fine line should be set between what is just media, and what is immoral media. As our president it is your duty to create this imaginary line of what is right and wrong in the subject of media, but perhaps my opinion can help sway your choice. Media has the power to start or end a war, ruin a persons life, bring great pain to people, cause suicides, or it can even just express which team won the most recent NBA game. There are examples of controlled media around the world and media is used to manipulate any and every human being, but can even bring forth the truth to vital predicaments, for example the revolution of a country. The question set into the open is should media be controlled?

Popular media is such a controversial divisive topic mainly because it can bring so much good and on the other hand, can cause so much destruction. Media is a powerful tool that can do anything from getting a person to buy a product, to convincing someone to think and act a certain way. I do not believe media should be controlled to a certain extent, the people have the right to know everything, but the way everything is presented is not beneficial to this country. People believe certain talk show hosts and anchormen religiously and that can become a problem when biased news corporations are manipulating half the country. People around the globe idolize American popular culture, according to Todd Gitlin, author of the article, “Under the Sign of Mickey Mouse and Co.” who states, “American popular culture is the nemesis that hundreds of millions – perhaps billions – of people love, and love to hate” (Gitlin, 826). Around the world people everywhere aspire to be a part of American culture and it is drastically changing the way this world operates. 

People everywhere have the right to have media fill them in on what is happening in the world, that is a human right. However, it is getting to the point where major corporations, especially in America, are growing too powerful too quickly. These manipulative corporations are allowed to do whatever they want, many of which “study America’s children like laboratory rats in order to sell them billions of dollars in merchandise by tempting, degrading, and corrupting them” (Kuplian, 650) according to David Kuplian, author of “Killer Culture”. The world has drastically changed due to the technology that was unavailable before the new century began. Children are gradually decreasing the time they spend outside and dramatically increasing the time spent in front of the television. If Americas youth is going to be spending all this time in front of the television, there should not be a series of advertisements playing eighty percent of the time with the sole purpose of brainwashing and manipulating society into purchasing their products. 

Corporations are brainwashing kids like never before to buy their products. Commercials on every channel of every station are made to brainwash the viewer into buying their products. Many products are built to expire in as little as two years after creation so that the consumer has to buy the new product available. A prime example of a corporation that does this is Apple. When was the last time you looked around and saw someone with the first iPhone ever made? I doubt it was long after the second iPhone was released. Every time a new product is made by this company there is a line around the block at every store just to trade in their old phone for a newer version that is practically identical. According to Matt Rosoff, author of business insider article Lawsuit: Apple Made Upgrade Break Old iPhone stated “A lot of customers--myself included--found that the "upgrade" to iOS 4 created crippling performance problems on older phones” (Rosoff). Apple designed an upgrade to make old phones virtually unusable for the sole purpose of getting the consumer to purchase the newest version. Practically every American corporation is evil and money hungry and will stop at nothing to keep gaining more and more power and money. Corporations in America have far too much power, be it media or consumer based corporations, and in many situations these go hand in hand. 

There needs to be something done to stop these corporations in their tracks. It is unfair when huge organizations such as McDonalds and Wall Mart are coming into small towns and taking all the business. How are new small businesses supposed to thrive in an economy run by huge corporations? The media is basically allowed to state what they want and can be completely biased with no penalty. This topic is so controversial because of the first Amendment stated in the Constitution, however that can not justify the manipulations and corruptions occurring daily. Corporations in America have way too much power, they build their items in sweat shops across seas for very cheap and over price them to make an exponential profit. This system causes the wildlife and natural preservatives to die off due to deforestation. This process has been on-going for decades as I am sure you are well aware. One way around this problem would be to set a high tariff on American based corporations that branch out of the country to create factories around the world. This would be more profitable for America for many reasons. It would create more jobs for Americans, because major corporations would have more of an incentive to stay on American soil. This would decrease the national unemployment rate and boost pride in many Americans. 

There are many problems that need to be solved, and I am not looking for an immediate answer. However, I do hope this letter reaches you and perhaps causes you to look at some different issues at hand. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Ryan Lubell

Works Cited

Gitlin, Todd. "Under the Sign of Mickey Mouse & Co.." http://dlib.info. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2013. <dlib.info/home/lbai/Mickey%20Mouse>.

Kupelian, David. The marketing of evil: how radicals, elitists, and pseudo-experts sell us corruption disguised as freedom. Nashville, Tenn.: WND Books, 2005. Print.

Rosoff, Matt. "Lawsuit: Apple Made Upgrade Break Old iPhones - Business Insider." Business Insider. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2013. <http://www.businessinsider.com/lawsuit-apple-made-upgrade-break-old-iphones-2010-11>.

Letter to the President. MEDIA

Dear Mr. President,

          

            On behalf of America, I would like to portray to you my opinion on media. Media is an evil, manipulative corporation but it is also a human right. This controversial topic sets forth a substantial amount of criticism and a fine line should be set between what is just media, and what is immoral media. As president it is your duty to create this imaginary line of what is right and wrong but perhaps my opinion can help sway your choice. Media has the power to start or end a war, ruin a persons life, bring great pain to people, cause suicides, or it can even just express which team won the most recent NBA game. There are examples of controlled media around the world and media is used to manipulate children but can even bring forth the truth to vital predicaments, for example the revolution of a country. The question set into the open is should media be controlled?

            Popular media is such a controversial divisive topic mainly because it can bring so much good and on the other hand, can cause so much destruction. Media is a powerful tool that can do anything from getting a person to buy a product, to convincing someone to think and act a certain way. I do not believe media should be controlled to a certain extent, the people have the right to know everything, but the way everything is presented is not beneficial to this country. People believe certain talk show hosts and anchormen religiously and that can become a problem when biased news corporations are manipulating half the country. People around the globe idolize American popular culture, according to Todd Gitlin, author of the article, “Under the Sign of Mickey Mouse and Co.” who states “American popular culture is the nemesis that hundreds of millions – perhaps billions – of people love, and love to hate” (Gitlin, 826). Around the world people everywhere aspire to be a part of American culture and it is drastically changing the way this world operates.

            People everywhere have the right to have media fill them in on what is happening in the world, that is a human right. However, it is getting to the point where major corporations, especially in America, are growing too powerful too quickly. These manipulative corporations are allowed to do whatever they want, many of which “study America’s children like laboratory rats in order to sell them billions of dollars in merchandise by tempting, degrading, and corrupting them” (Kuplian, 650) according to David Kuplian, author of “Killer Culture”. The world has drastically changed due to the technology that was unavailable before the new century began. Children are gradually decreasing the time they spend outside and dramatically increasing the time spent in front of the television. If Americas youth is going to be spending all this time in front of the television, there should not be a series of advertisements playing eighty percent of the time with the sole purpose of brainwashing and manipulating society into purchasing their products.

Sincerely,

Ryan Lubell

            

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

ANNONTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. New York, NY: Pantheon, 2003. Print

            The author, Marjane Satrapi, divulges into her very own life as a young girl growing up in the revolution of Iran. This book is a prime example of a primary source that gives an accurate depiction of what life was like during her childhood in Iran. Satrapi elaborates on the brutality of the Iranian government, and how her and her family strived and thrived during these hard times. The level of trust that had to suffice within each family was tremendous and to witness it first hand must have been incredible. The author as a young girl had to deal with many hardships, such as family members in jail and tortured, hiding their valuables, not trusting neighbors and not having basic freedoms available in America. This citation gives key examples of oppression in Iran during Satrapis childhood and the struggles she had to endure.

CLAY, REBECCA A.. "Unraveling new media's effects on children." American             Psychological Association (APA). N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2013.             <http://www.apa.org/monitor/feb03/unraveling.aspx>.

            The author, Rebecca Clay, discusses the topic of the affects that media has on children. She discusses of different types of programs and the influence certain television programs can have on children. She explains of how children in the present spend much more time than they ever had in the past watching television. The media has a direct connection to the minds of our youth and use commercials to get kids hooked into their products. Reading storybooks had declined dramatically for most children over the past few years, and this article explains the psychological effects it can have on these children in the future. Rebecca shows examples of how this study is proven to be true and is a good source of showing the effects television have on the minds of the youth. 

Reading Analysis (Under the Sign of Mickey Mouse & Co.)

Ryan Lubell

April 28, 2013

Instructor Stacey Knapp

Reading Analysis

In the article titled, Under the Sign of Mickey Mouse & Co., the author, Todd Gitlin divulges into his opinion on corporate America. Gitlin discusses how American popular culture has infiltrated countries all over the world and infested them with popular American icons such as Disney. In today’s culture, entertainment is one of the of the worlds top exports. Gitlin explains his point of view of corporate American when he states, “Everywhere, the media flow defies national boundaries” (Gitlin). What Gitlin is stating is that, no matter who or where someone is, if they have access to a computer with an internet connection, they can gain access to knowledge their government may or may not want them to be in possession of.  Gitlin gives examples of how no matter where a person is in the world, if they ask a random person if they know what coke-a-cola is, there is a one hundred percent chance that random person will know what they are talking about. Although these evil corporations are supplying American products, which society foolishly buys into, that is only the first half of it. With all the supply that these corporations are pumping into stores across the country, comes a demand from the buyers. People all over the world not only recognize the products American corporations are selling, but they demand and want it to be in their possession.

Gittlin has a valid point with how insane advertisement and social media has become in today’s culture. I agree with Gittlin that American corporations are greedy and will stop at nothing to study children in order to figure out how to sell the most amount of product in the least amount of time. It is ridiculous major corporations hire top scientists in order to maximize the potential of selling their products.  I remember being a child, how excited I would be when I would watch television and there would always be some advertisement directed toward me to buy some stuffed toy or game. I would immediately demand my parents to buy this certain toy otherwise I would be miserable for the rest of my life. The way this certain advertisement impacted my emotions was no accident. Major corporations direct advertisements at children to maximize the potential of selling a certain item, and it happens all the time, all over the world. Many parents have a hard time saying no to their children, especially when they have had a long day and their child is screaming and crying in their ear over some toy, and its not worth arguing over! Many parents find themselves giving in to their children desperately craving a toy from the television when they are tired and fed up. Corporate America has slowly but surely taken over the “media” world and will not stop until they have taken every asset they can.

If I could change anything in my society or community.

If I could change anything in my society or community, I would change the form of currency we use, what we do in our spare time, and many more alterations. First off, it would be much more convenient if around the globe everyone had the same currency. That way, it would be much easier to exchange or trade valuables with strangers for items that you need. If I could, I would make spending one’s free time more like it was in the late 20^th century. It makes me sad to go outside and see a fraction of the amount of people playing or enjoying themselves as compared to how things were before the current updated technology we now possess. If I could alter my society for the better, I would sway people to not be racist or sexist, and to help others in need like homeless or with the elderly crossing the street, more often. If I could change my society or community, I would make it so little kids are not so mean to each other, and are taught to teach others with respect so that they grow up to behave in this manner. Children who are nicer to each other and do not name call or cause violence in their schools will be rewarded exponentially to act as a better role model for the other children.

I would cut down funding to the major corporations that maintain control over America currently. Major businesses like Viacom basically run corporate America and make it much harder for the middleman to start their own business. Their should be a limit to how big a company could get, but in modern day America, those huge corporations just pay off everyone in the business and always get what they want. There should be something done about the one “percenters”, although they did work hard to earn their position and status, it is unfair that so few are doing so well in today’s society, while so many are doing so poorly. The wealth of America should be spread to benefit the needs of the many, most definitely not the needs of the few.

In today’s society, one big alteration I would make is of the funding for education. Education is supposed to be the most vital funding asset of our country, but instead it is the least important. Getting into college or a university has become some huge competition. The government should have education as their top priority of funding, that way more colleges would be less competitive and much more people would have the opportunity to get the education they deserve. Also I would change the education system entirely. It seems wrong that we only teach general education starting at a very basic level. If a child or parent knew what type of education they strived to achieve, it would make little sense to put them through the basic routine of school right away. Per say one wanted to be an actor, why would he or she have to start at school learning things he or she will never use again for the rest of their life. It would be more ideal for that child, if it is their passion, to just start early from acting school, to better their skill of their passion in the future. 

KILLER CULTURE.

The article “Killer Culture”, by David Kupelian, discusses how popular culture has taken over the media and is corrupting the minds of youth society. David discusses about how certain aspects of popular culture like MTV have a huge negative aspect on society. Everything that MTV displays on their channel is a commercial in an attempt to sell the viewer something. MTV consists of music television videos, sponsors, advertisements, and much more all with the sole purpose to get into the viewers head. Today’s youth society has drastically changed from the youth society of the previous decades. Across the nation, there are teenagers in rebellion because of not being loved absolutely, for “children deserve and desperately need firmness, patience, fairness, limits, kindness, insight, and a good, non-hypocritical example” (Kupelian). These are the traits that every parent should possess and without these traits, a child may rebel and everything they were taught to dislike to maintain the right path may eventually seem attractive to them. This includes body piercings, tattoos, and meaningless sex with countless individuals. For a parent this is a gruesome nightmare, but in the mind of Kupelian, it is all the parents’ responsibility.

I believe Kupelian is correct in the sense that if a parent does not act in the way a good parent should, it could have very negative effects on the child. Without a parent to justify between what is right and wrong would lead to complete and utter chaos in a child’s life. However, too much parenting or over-protection can also lead to the same disastrous outcome. Parents need to guide their children toward the right path and control the atmosphere in which they live and learn in, but to try to control one’s child will never end in the way that parent wants. Many parents blame social media on why their child is so nasty, but many parents forget about parent control. It is very hard to uncorrupt a child who has been exposed to popular media, but if one were to simply block channels on the television that they found unsuitable for their child, there would be a huge disaster averted. Many parents just let their children surf the web and scroll through the television, but the Internet can be a terrible place. If a child is pre-exposed to adult content the psychological effects can be quite damaging. The ideal situation would be not to expose a child to the vast and disturbing ways of the Internet until their brains have matured enough to where they can understand and comprehend what they see. By doing this, these children will not become corrupted or addicted to the Internet and will live more “normal” lives, spending more time outside and free. It is only fair to a child that they be raised in a suitable atmosphere where they can grow and educate in a healthy environment not infested with popular culture.

            

MLA citations

WORKS CITED:

"12th Imam." Popular Issues - AllAboutPopularIssues.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.             <http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/12th-imam.htm>.

"Al-Muraja'at." Al-Islam.org by the Ahlul Bayt DILP - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2013. <http://www.al-islam.org/murajaat/62.htm>.

Bakash, Shaul “Iran” American Historical Review (1991): 1479-496. Web.

"Biography of Imam Mohammad al-Mahdi - Islam Guidance." Sibtayn. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.             < http://www.sibtayn.com/en/?Itemid=467>.

"The Panjtan Society Youth Group."Panjtan.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.                         <http://www.panjtan.org.au/psyg/node/110>.

For my Iran Topic report I used a plethora of sources, including web pages, journal articles, journals, scholar articles and online web sources. According to to the University Library website, to avoid perjury and plagiarism one should follow these guidelines for MLA format: 

Spacing

In MLA style, the works-cited page is double spaced, with the same spacing within and between citations.

Order

Citations beginning with names and those beginning with titles are to be alphabetized together. Numbers in titles are treated as though they have been spelled out. For names, alphabetize based on the letters that come before the comma separating the last name from the first, and disregard any spaces or other punctuation in the last name. For titles, ignore articles such as "a" and "the" (and equivalents in other languages) for alphabetization purposes.

What to include

The title "Works Cited" indicates that the list you provide contains only the works you actually cite in your paper. If you wish to also include in your list works that you consult but do not cite, give your page the broader title "Works Consulted."

This information was helpful to me but some parts of the citation process are still giving me trouble. I always have a reference to look at when citing sources. Library 10 directly coincides with this material however I feel that the method of online coursework takes a little longer for me because I sometimes need further explanation and detail.

This information was helpful in the sense that when confused, I could always look back at these guidelines for more information. MLA format has never come to my understanding quite easily so to have this guideline as a fallback was quite helpful. I know understand with full clarity how and why MLA format is used, and how to properly cite my sources.