The Celebrity PSA, starring George Takei

Now, we have had celebrities supporting products and companies since the dawn of print media, nay, the dawn of commerce. Oratory word of mouth can make all the difference to the aspiring merchant, and imagine if royalty fancied their product? They'd have a new slogan in ten seconds flat! However, the (over?)connectedness of the digital age has also enabled a different kind of advertising; political lobbying and public service announcements (occasionally disguised) spread throughout youtube, twitter, facebook, let alone the aging television. The rich and famous instruct their followers on political issues, attack or humiliate rivals, and use entertainment as a tool of enlightenment. Humor, after all, can be the most effective way to rally for a cause.

While this does seem to have a sinister edge, it's only because anyone can do it, good or ill. However, for every loudmouthed Donald Trump, you have a well-spoken George Takei. Lobbying for gay rights and the awareness of Japanese internment during World War II, the former Star Trek actor is a hit across the internet, approaching issues with a balance of humor and severity. While he has a prolific facebook account, the following videos should be more than enough to portray those traits.

First, speaking out against an Arkansas School Board Member in 2010

And second, a recent Conan skit...

Humor, wit, and as a commentator put it, a voice that can say a "juvenile word like 'douchebag' with such gravitas" can go a long way in the digital world.

((If the hyperlinks do not work, here are the text links in order: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UACK93xF-FE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNjuB_lwgQE ))

Opposite Day

Last week my friend came across this video on tumblr called Love is All You Need?  It is a short movie on what the world would be like if homosexual couples were the norm and heterosexual couples were outcasts.  It follows this young girl who realizes that she is different from everyone else but does not know why she is like that.  You see her struggles with herself and with the other kids at school. She is constantly being teased because she is a “hetero” and a lot of the kids take the bullying to an extreme. 

 This video is taking what happens with gay kids in today’s world, but just showing what it is like from the other side.  I think it is a video that everyone should see because it provides another perspective on exactly what can happen to homosexual people when they are bullied and just how not accepting some people can be.  The video’s message is that teen bullying and suicide based on sexual preference is ridiculous and should be stopped.  The video is a little long but it is well worth it to watch.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3ROXTFfkcfo

(Jessica Schmidt)

Marshmallows and Multitasking?

A very interesting study that says students' school work suffers when they try to multitask, especially when they engage with multiple gadgets...thoughts?

What about the Boys?: Negative Influences of Action Figures

What about the Boys?: Negative Influences of Action Figures

               Everyone knows about the Barbie blame game. Everything from her breasts to her hair to her incredibly small waist; it’s all unattainable, unrealistic, and even a little scary. If Barbie was blown up to a real person’s size, she would not be able to physically live or support herself due to her disproportionate body. But why then do young girls continue to idolize, fantasize, and give power to these dolls that are indeed much smaller than they are? It’s because Barbie, in their eyes, are “perfect.” In extreme cases, this can eventually lead to low self-esteem and even eating disorders. But who’s to say that the same can’t go for young boys playing with action figures?

                Being constantly bombarded with images of what society considers as the “perfect” body can take a toll on people’s psyches, especially for young children. Body image issues seem to be more prominent for young girls, however many overlook the effect it has on young boys.  Over the past few decades, the evolution of action figures resulted in increasingly more muscular action figures to the point where they are unrealistic. If today’s G.I. Joe action figure was blown up to a real person’s size, he would exceed the world’s largest bodybuilder. Toys like these are a negative influence on children because they present unattainable bodies. Obsession with muscular action figures can lead to psychological concerns, eating disorders, and conformity to extreme gender stereotypes which can lead to violence. To read a little more about it, see this site. 

(Joanne Zhao)

Gun Control Debate

Gun control has always been a sensitive issue in the United States, especially in the past few years with the increasing number of shootings in public places like schools and movie theaters.  These shootings have sparked major political debates on whether or not gun control laws should be stricter.  Guns have been a part of American culture since the writing of the Constitution, which prompts many people to say that the government has no right to regulate how guns are bought and sold.  However, these public shootings can’t be ignored for much longer.  Other countries have faced the same circumstances and have simply restricted guns more.  An example can be found in Australia, where, after a mass shooting, enacted strict laws against guns.  The result?  Not a single mass shooting since.  In my opinion, it should be that simple but in the United States any potential progress seems to have been made unnecessarily difficult.  Linked here is a clip from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart where one of the correspondents travels to Australia to see if the United States can learn anything from them on gun control.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/483443#i0,p12,d1 

Paul McCartney's Try at a New Genre of Music

My post is about the famous musician Paul McCartney, a former member of the Beatles. Mccartney is working on his new album and is supposedly being influenced by the artist Usher. His last album, Kisses on the Bottom, incorporated pop and jazz influences but McCartney reportedly wanted to ditch these idea s for a more modern sound. Mark Ronson, his producer, said that he wanted to focus on sound influenced by Usher, funk and moombahton. Moombahton is a newer genre of music that incorporates reggae and Spanish sounding tunes. Ronson, in an interview from Rolling Stone, said that Paul played him the song ‘Climax’ by Usher and told him that he “loved where all of the sonics sit in this”.  McCartney has developed music of all genres so now he wants to try creating music with a high level of energy that is seen in popular music today. Ronson says that he “do[esn’t] know if [our stuff] is revolutionary, but they're brilliant songs”. Elton John is reportedly helping with the production and collaborating with Paul in this album. To any long time Paul McCartney fans, Elton John said that the album is ‘classic John’. There is one song on the album called ‘Hosanna’ that is solely Paul with an acoustic guitar that is allegedly breathtaking. I don’t know about you guys, but I am more than excited for the release of McCartney’s new album. 

Cyberbullying at New Paltz?

While we were having the cyber bullying discussion earlier this week, something occurred to me. We easily pointed out the cyber bullying in other schools, yet we lacked to acknowledge if we had any in our own community? I pondered my mind to find the most blatant form of cyber bullying, and then I found it. It can be found on the Facebook group called New Paltz Secrets. New Paltz Secrets is a group where people can message a “secret” to the page and said “secret” will be posted anonymously. The “secret” can range from thinking someone is attractive to a funny drunken mishap or even cyber bullying. As I scrolled through the page I found bits of tamed cyber bullying, nothing to the extent of what we discussed in class. A “secret” that stuck out was one regarding a foreign exchange student. Someone posted about how annoying he was and others quickly chimed in. Fortunately, someone understood the harm cyber bullying can do and defended the foreign exchange student. Others began to come to his aid as well. Regardless of how the defenders felt about the student, they defended him because they knew what the anonymous person was doing was wrong. They didn’t want anything bad to occur as a result of the “secret” and for that these individuals should be commended. I think it’s a shame that after all we’ve heard about cyber bullying in the world that people continue to do it. It is especially disheartening to hear about it in our own community. Luckily, there are good people who will stand up to this injustice and prevent it from being another cyber bullying headline. People understand how bad it can get and decide to do something in the beginning stages. I also noticed on my feed that these kinds of pages are becoming more popular amongst other colleges. Boston University has BU Confessions page and SUNY Purchase has a Purchase Missed Connections page. If there is cyber bullying going on these pages, hopefully there are some brave individuals who will put an end to it.

https://www.facebook.com/NewPaltzSecrets?fref=ts