Jiggle Physics and Feminism

In many of today's video games, television shows, graphic novels, and other sources of media we find almost all female characters subjected to men's fantasies of fetishism. With the common theme of reduced clothes and overly buxom features, compared to their male counterpart, women are objectified in the most sexualform. Some of the prime examples would be Soul Caliber, Bayonetta, and the women of League of Legends.

Soul Caliber is one of the most racie game to date. With each level progression reducing the amount of coverage on the character, the women of Soul Caliber are nearly naked once they reach their full potential. And lets not forget the jiggle physics. In almost every video game today (especially fighting games) the Jiggle Physics , also known as Soft-Body Physics, or sometimes Cloth Physics, is the art and science of simulating the behavior of non-rigid objects and materials in a computer. In this respect, it's a sister trope to Ragdoll Physics, which deals with more rigid structures. This means that when a character attacks another character or makes any movement jiggling will occur, especially to the breasts and butt. 

Bayonetta is another prime example of a Japanese video game exposing women to a nearly uncomfortable manor. In the game the main character Bayonetta is adorned in a sexy catsuit created from her own hair. Every time Bayonetta is hit by an attack she briefly loses parts of her clothing, exposing her naked body to the player. By exposing the characters body she is being objectified and the woman is dehumanized. 

So these are video game characters. Who cares if they are dehumanized? They are not real and its not like this would affect us in the real world, right? Wrong!

We dehumanize countless people every day. Every person you walk past, who you do not know personally, is seen as a husk. We do not think of the affects we have on one another because we do not see their lives, and if we do not see their lives we subconsciously do not realize they have one. For example: When you go to a restaurant and have a server wait on you, you do not think about their life outside of their work. We just assume that at the end of the night the server goes to the back of the restaurant and gets in their box until it is time for them to work again. Same goes for students with teachers. This is why it is such a shock to us when we see someone outside of their profession. 

As for the effect of the reduction or removal of clothing in video games, that also causes us to dehumanize

and devalue women. Women are automatically tied to their physicality. For some if the woman does not meet their ideal (and usually unrealistic) standards then they will give no second thought to her. This means if her waist is not thin enough, her butt is not big enough, or her boobs are not gigantic and jiggling then that woman means nothing and does not deserve attention. They are not regarded socially or sometimes if they do meet the the standard they are considered to have lesser intelligence. Women are placed in a lose lose situation because women's treatment in media cause their physicality to be tied to both their psychology and sociology. 

In the American video game League of Legends, a newer version of DOTA, nearly every woman has excessive breast size, most of which are overly exposed. Here are three examples of the most exposed girls in League of Legends: (from left to right) Sona, Akali, and Elise.



As you can see the three women from this game have highly exposed breasts. The one on the left, Sona, holds record with the largest chest in the game. She can barely contain herself with the small piece of fabric used to hammock her large breasts. 

The lady in the center, Akali, also has large breasts which are only held in with the fabric down the center of her chest, exposing a large amount of side boob. Her costume is the most unrealistic of all, especially when you consider the fact that she is a ninja who jumps and spins when attacking. 

The last woman, Elise, has one of the most revealing costumes out of all the ladies of League. Her breasts are open nearly exposing her whole chest except the sides and right where the nipples would be. 

These are three examples of how video games expose women's bodies and how the reduction of clothes on a female character affects how we think today. With all this said I am not against how women are portrayed in video games, I would like to visually the enjoy the character I will spend the next few hours staring at. I am against the dehumanization we have been conditioned to subconsciously do. I as much as anyone am guilty of not considering the lives of others. But if we keep in mind that the beautiful yet overly sexualized and exposed women are not ideally what we should strive to be or look for, then we can learn not to objectify or subjectivity women.

Too Powerful to Be Held

The internet is too powerful to be held in the hands of a few internet providers. Back in the day companies like Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast "declared war" on the internets founding principle: networks should be neutral and users don't need anyone's permission to create, broadcast, communicate, invent, or share online. This has empowered all of us with the freedom to express ourselves online (whether that be good or bad.) With this permissionless innovation we are allowed to innovate our online world, which in turn has recreated our world today; both in technology and in culture.

But today our freedom is in danger. If the federal court strikes down the nation's net neutrality law we can kiss our WorldWideWeb freedom goodbye.

Originally AT&T introduced the idea of Google and Yahoo paying companies like AT&T for reliably reaching users on their networks. Which is just another money grubby way to increase their profit. Users already pay their fees for internet access, as do search engines like Google and Yahoo, who pay to other telecom companies.

The internet is a luxury and a right that should not be withheld from the american public. Else wise we could fear of having our internet censored just like China.

How can we expect our nation to continue to grow if we don't allow the users to have freedom of their internet? Even for what would seem like simple uses, Nexus Mods (an online free Skyrim mod website) has allowed users to create extensive mods, some adding hours 35 hours of gameplay, to skyrim. One user created a mod larger than both of Bethesda's original two DLC's combined and held 35+ hours of gameplay for PC users. The free internet has allowed that user to use his mod as a resume for his application to Bethesda.

Without our right to freedom of the internet how can we expect our great nation to stack up to other
countries who allow this freedom to their users? If the federal court chooses to rule in favor of the large companies plotting to monopolize against the users our nation will be reduced to a non reticulate nation.

So Apple did something

Apple is always tricking its customers into buying their latest and greatest new products. One way apple does this is through their updates. Once you buy one of their products apple will send out updates. Which sounds great right? Wrong! Think of it this way. Say you have an apple product like the iPhone for two years, or the average time between upgrading your phone based on a cell plan. If an cell phone continues to update the software it can destroy the hardware in the phone.

But I must say "Thank God!" Apple has finally decided to make updates free! It use to cost $99 for an update from Apple. On a PC the updates are not only more frequent but they are free. It only makes sense that updates now be free with the mobile devices taking over.

It does make purchasing an apple more appealing now that the updates are free. But this does lead me to believe Apple will be charging more elsewhere to make up for their 25% loss.

The Influence of Advertising

After watching the video Art & Copy what really caught my attention was how people purchase a product based off of the connotations affiliated with a brand. In an advertisement for beer we can see a nearly naked woman covered in beer caps. This advertisement is obviously for men. It says to the viewer’s subconscious “Hey if I drink this beer then I could have women that look like this hangout with me.”  

In the advertisement Size Sassy in Special K's "more than just a number" campaign a woman goes to a store searching for jeans, but upon arrival she notices none of the jeans have numbered sizes. The Special K speaker states “Focus less on the number and more one how the fit makes us feel.” This advertisement speaks to women because it has an attractive, but not over sexualized woman in the commercial that many women can aspire to look like. It also addresses an issue every woman can relate to: finding the right jean size to purchase. Sure the size 11 fits the best and allows you to be comfortable, but if you can fit into those size 7 jeans then you have validated that you haven’t gained weight since your boyfriend left you. Who cares if there is a slight muffin top? You’ll just pull up the pants a bit higher so it’s less noticeable.

People buy what they wish their lives could be. If a brand can successfully create an advertisement that associates their product with a feeling customers are missing in their lives or are seeking for then people will be driven to loyally purchase that product.  

Another thing that interests me from Art & Copy was the genesis of some brands and how they have made an impact of on our everyday lives. For example, Google has been around for many years and almost instantly it became a huge hit. Now Google owns two-thirds of the U.S.’s search engine market. How did Google get so popular? It became a verb with the phrase “Google it.” Don’t know something? Google it. Need to spell a word? Google it!

Another brand that has become popular and have made and an

unforgettable impression on consumers is Nike's “Just do it" campaign. Although you may not be a pro athlete this does not mean the slogan is unrelatable. Nike stated after they released their “Just do it” campaign that they received many emails from people of all different backgrounds how Nike’s slogan has influenced their personal lives. One man wrote it that it helped him to kick his smoking addiction. A woman said it gave her the power to leave her boyfriend. A young boy was able to gain the courage to ask a girl out after being empowered by “Just do it.”

Something as simple as a feeling or a phrase empowers brands to not only sell their product but to change a person’s life. Whether this is something small like purchasing Special K to get into a smaller pants size or something as large being empowered to quit a lifelong addiction through a simple slogan, advertisements have the power to influence our lives. 

Freud's Structural Theory

Shortly after Sigmund Freud's daughters death in 1920 he published a book called The Ego and the Id. This book explains Freud's structural theory, the motivations and choices and individual makes. Freud believed that every individual had 3 different levels of awareness. 

1.) The Id: functions in the irrational and emotional part of the mind. This operates according to the pleasure principle and seeks immediate gratification. The Id has no regard for consequence. At birth a baby's mind is all Id. It wants what it wants, when it wants it. Typically if a persons Id is too strong they are considered uncaring to another persons feelings.

The Id can also be broken down into two separate components that make up the Id: Eros and Thanatos. Thanatos consist of the aggressive, or death, instinct. Eros consists of personality and the sex, or life, instinct. Eros also contains the Libido.

The Libido, a.k.a. our sexual drive, is instinctual psychic energy that in Psychoanalytic theory is derived from primitive biological urges and that is expresses in conscious activity. It constantly seeks sexual pleasure and self preservation and is the force driving our decisions. 

2.) The Ego: is the rational part of the mind. The Ego operates according to the reality principle and is extremely objective. The Ego is considered the control center of the personality; it constantly tries to compromise between the Id and the Superego. It desperately tries to avoid displeasure or pain. The ego's responsibility, in short, is to gain the Id's pleasures without suffering consequence. If a person's Ego is too strong they may seem cold, extremely rational, and perhaps even distant.

3.) The Superego: This is where our conscious is held. These are our values, morals, and standards we hold as an individual. The Superego drives you to follow your aspirations and to strive for perfection. Its role is to store and enforce rules on the mind that society and parental roles have placed upon us, this comes from it ability to create anxiety and guilt. It sets the rules for which the Ego must strive. The Superego is the last part of the mind to develop. If the Superego is too strong a person may feel guilty most of the time and may even have insufferably saintly personality.

Personally, my Ego is too strong. Although I am quite humble, I am a very rational person who can seem to serious at times. Which one of three states of awareness do you believe you are too strong in? Leave what state you're too strong in the comments below. 

Welcome to Google, Bing Users

It comes as no surprise, Google is more favored than Bing. Google even became a commonly used verb after its first few years of operation. Got a question? "Google it". Even the employees at Microsoft, the creator of Bing, prefer to use Google as their search engine. 

Microsoft also created Internet Explorer, the lesser know 11th plague God put on this earth. If I couldn't trust Microsoft to make a semi-half decent browser then what faith would I have in their search engine? But hey at least got Microsoft Word right.

Personally, I prefer Google. I use Google Chrome as my web browser so Google is my default search engine. But even before the times of Chrome I have prefered the nearly effortless experience I get with using Google. I don't know if its the cute interactive logo during special occasions, like when the Google logo became a keyboard one day and you could play mary had a little lamb. I don't know if its the broadness when I type in a search that helps me find the result I want. I don't know exactly what it is that keeps me as a devoted Google user, but I do know that I never want to switch.

Years ago I recall using Bing and hated it because its searches were too narrow and didn't have as many choices as Google. I decided to do a side by side comparison of Google and Bing searching "Mountain Goat". Bing has a nice clean modern style to it, but its logo is

quite frankly stupid. What is that? An arrow? Initially I don't like the suggestions Bing gives me to search, Google at least keeps track of where I like to go and remembers. Bing was competent enough to find my search but suggested about a million other animals as "related topics" and showed up with pictures first.

When I typed "Mountain Goat" into Google I got the most relevant websites to my search first, then pictures. Now I don't know about you, but when I am using a search engine 7 out of 10 times I'm searching for a website. Google also doesn't try to get me off topic like a child with ADD. Google owns two-thirds of the U.S. search market, that means it will find you what you're looking for. It does not have to distract you and attempt to pull you off topic like Bing.

Google already does all of the functions needed in a search engine. Google is familiar and user friendly. Google is so well known and used that Google, unlike Bing, does not have to advertise their search engine to users. Why switch to Bing when it has no specific advantages over Google? Plus who could resist the adorable graphical interfaces Google creates?

Altschul Semiotic Analysis

I chose to analyze the signs of an advertisement for Altschul Orthodontics. I chose this ad because I have a personal connection to orthopedics and found the advertisement to be quite humorous. In order to analyze this advertisement I will be using semiotics, the science of signs and method for viewing our world. 

Semiotics is broken down into two terms ideology and mythology. The Webster dictionary defines Ideology as a system of ideas and ideals, the study of their origin and nature. Mythology, defined by Dr. Kevin Williams, is the stories we live by. (Williams)  I will be using both of these terms to help me find the signified of the signs in the advertisement I have chosen.

A sign is defined as anything that points beyond itself or has meaning beyond itself  This means that virtually anything can be a sign. The two ideas that compose a sign are the signifier and the signified. The signifier is the physical manifestation of the sign, the sound, or the letters on a page. Signifies is what the sign stands for, a mental concept. In the advertisement I have selected there are numerous signs; here are four which I analyzed.

Crosswalk: The crosswalk in the image signifies teeth. The crooked teeth signify the difficult social steps experienced through life and how much easier those social experiences would be with straight teeth. The crooked sidewalk also signifies the funny looks and judgments people make about those with crooked teeth. The sidewalk looks unordinary and absurd, it’s not taken seriously. That signifies the way someone might look at you and as a result they may think you are absurd or not take you seriously as a human being. The straight crosswalk signifies confidence and aspiration. With straight teeth you can gain more confidence and have bigger aspirations. It also signifies a purpose for a destination.

Blue sky: is where the straight crosswalk is leading to, since the crosswalk signifies straight teeth which signify happiness the blue sky signifies the opportunities and happiness that come from getting your teeth straightened.

The Foliage: the foliage is plentiful across the street vs. the dead dirt on the side of the street the viewer is on.

Dirt: the dirt on the side of the street the viewer is standing on signifies the place the viewer would be in life without/ before getting their teeth corrected. That place would be not very prosperous, not very successful; nothing is going for them just as nothing is growing in the dirt.

These signs are symbolic because they all represent a meaning beyond what the object actually is and the relationship between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary.  In the advertisement the crosswalk is suggesting that the orthodontics can fix any set of teeth. The signs are using images to make a statement, which means the signs are rhetorical. The sign showing the “jacked up” crosswalk is rhetorical; the orthodontist does not care about how it looked before, they are making a statement about the results of their work.

Straight teeth are a code of dental hygiene. Having straight teeth signifies being responsible. Just as not having straight teeth signifies a lack of responsibility. Being responsible also correlates to success. Thus enforcing the signified “road to success” the crosswalk signifier signifies.

As children we do not want to take the responsibility to take care of ourselves. If we give into this temptation when we become adults then we are irresponsible. Once we are aware of the world around us and are able to be influenced we then start to focus on the responsibility of taking care of ourselves. We gather this from advertisements and movies where people have perfect teeth and we believe that if we are not perfect then we are a failure. Our teeth are just one of the many things that we as a culture believe must be perfect; so we take care of them and if they are not naturally straight we apply braces to them.

            The text I have chosen presents false consciousness and psychological terrorism. Society has told us that we must look a certain way, lest we be rejected. Fear of rejection leads the members of our society to invest in materialistic enhancements, like straight teeth. We essentially compete unconsciously with others to further our chances of success; whether that is socially or economically. Since these ideals have been placed on us by society they are not our own and are a way for us to be separated by our inherent values. If you make more you can afford you can afford the materialistic enhancements.

            We are constantly under attack by advertisements and images which apply pressure on our ideals. The modern world as we know it has been socially conditioned by media, that is to say, “training” individuals to conduct themselves in a way approved by society. 

            Our society undergoes psychological terrorism, over criticizing topics such as obesity while promoting unhealthy degrees of “being thin”; this is only one example. There countless others, such as the emphasis on staying “forever young” while showing complete disgust towards aging. Other ideals go so far as to promote our society as a white dominated culture and anyone else would be considered an aversion. The problem is if you do not fit into society’s “box of perfectness” then you are either forced to fit in or accept defeat. An example being, when Beyoncé became spokeswoman for L'Oreal makeup and hair care products L'Oreal lightened Beyoncé’s complexion. L’Oreal was highly criticized for making Beyoncé appear whiter or “more idealistic”; only adhering to the idea of white dominated society.

"Myths are the narrative stories which provide answers to the questions of identity by making it possible to identify with those events and beings that exemplify in a clear and powerful way the relationship with the sacred that under girds human life."(Burke) Myths administer models which dictate human behavior in a society, which provides a link between belief and behavior. The myths answer the identity questions we have and give reasoning to how we go about performing tasks. The reasoning behind Americans taking care of their teeth better than our sister culture in England could be because bad teeth are a stereo type of our old culture, so to distinguish us from the old culture Americans take care of their teeth.

In our culture everyone strives for the “American Dream” which is to be successful and living comfortable. In order to flaunt that you are successful and are able to live comfortable a few codes must be met, like having nice or perfect teeth.

ISA or Ideological State Apparatus comes into play with the advertisement and its semiotic meanings. ISA seeks to keep people in the social and economic place they are in. The other social classes are controlled by the social elite. The social elite have set the criteria/ codes for being successful. One of which are being attractive, but to be considered attractive one must have straight teeth. Advertisements themselves are a way of controlling our culture to work harder.

The Repressive State Apparatus or RSA also comes into play with the signs in the advertisement. With the high cost of dental care and lack of help from government many people in our society find it difficult if not impossible to maintain the economic base. 

Even in our legal system you must be cosmetically up to date. Congressmen and Senators are now being treated like celebrities; because they are in the spotlight they enhance their likeability by staying cosmetically attractive. During presidential elections the “more attractive” candidate typically wins.

Hegemony allows ideology to be re-enforced. Dr. Kevin Williams defines Hegemony as “a preponderant influence or authority of one group over another.”(Williams) Through advertisements these ideologies of how a person should aspire to be are heavily unloaded on the population of our culture daily. As a result our culture anxiously tries to become what they naturally are not. 

The semiotic analysis of this advertisement and its signs clearly show the formation of thought every person wakes up thinking every day and how they comprehend the society they live in. It shows the unobtainable “perfectness” every member of our society strives for. 

Mythology & Racism

When you hear the word racism what do you think of? Trayvon Martin, the KKK, a burning cross? These are the extreme cases of racism that typically come to mind, but what about subtle racism that hits us every day?

But before we look at subtle racism let us look at the definition of racism. Racism: A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image. One that is regarded as embodying or conforming to a set image or type. 

Professor Alvin Alvarez explains subtle racism "These are incidents that may seem innocent and small, but cumulatively they can have a powerful impact on an individual's mental health. “These incidents can be anything from being made fun of in school for being different to being ignored by another individual to making judgments based off of stereotyping. Racial stereotyping dehumanizes our fellow humans. We only see them as a characteristic instead of having a life.

 

After 9/11 seeing someone from the Middle East on the street casted fear into the hearts of the American people, because the event of 9/11 middle easterners have a stereotype of being hostile and hating America. As a result most people ignore, make judgments, and even harass people because of their Middle Eastern race. 

Another myth we experience in our everyday lives is the myth that a mixed-race person only hold one of the many different races they contain.— For example, when we see a mixed Caucasian and African American person we tend to associate the stereotype that addresses the most promenade characteristic of them. 

Some of the oldest race based stereotypes that impacts our everyday lives can be easily found our kitchens. The products we have in our kitchen promote racial stereotypes to promote their products.

 We cannot continue to act upon our interpretations of stereotypes. We cannot continue to dehumanize our fellow humans. We need to not allow our impulses to act for us, rather we need to see all peoples, no matter their ethnicity as a living human being who have values, a family, and a purpose to their lives. We shall no longer look at a stranger as an empty husk. 

The New iWipe

Earlier last week Apple released its two new iPhones, the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. Three short days after launch Apple had sold over 9 million iPhones. That is quite large number, considering the differences from the previous iPhone 5 are miniscule. 

Do we really need a new iPhone each year? No! At least not while they continue to make piss poor advancements to the technology. Oh great, my phone has slightly higher resolution than my last phone. Thats worth $299 each year for a new phone. And on top of  paying $299 you can get either a better camera OR have your iPhone in one of five colors. For that price, it better have not only the amazing camera, but all five colors on it, and the capability to wipe my ass; I call it iWipe. 


Especially since Apple is secretly destroying your older iPhones with its updates.

Have you noticed that every time your older iPhones updates more and more things become inaccessible? That's because the new software "updates" eventually shut your phone down, forcing you to purchase the new model. 

With the new iPhone products not much has changed; if doctors and scientists were to make advances at the same rate as Apple we'd still be curing polio. 

As it stands, a new iPhone customer should expect greater technical changes to their iPhones. As of right now the technology is controlling our society rather than society controlling the technical advantages the iPhone gives us. The iPhone caters to what Apple wants people to have rather than what the people need.

The Adida's Panty-Drop

Advertisements have used sex to sell products for thousands of years. Everyone knows "sex sells". But have advertisements gone a bit overboard by over sexualizing ads?

In the advertisement above we see a man and woman from the calves down. The woman is in high heels with her panties around her ankles. The image is black and white with the adidas logo placed in the middle and the phrase "The first thing see notices... are your shoes."

The purpose of this ad is to sell you adidas. The advertiser is telling the viewer that if you wear these shoes she will know you're hot stuff. She'll be captivated by your adidas shoes and immediately drop her panties for you. Long story short, wanna be cool, wanna get laid, then buy this product. 

In American culture black and white is often interpreted as vintage or classic. Adidas have been around for many years and is a well known brand that has formed a lifestyle around their shoes. The fact that we can only see one of the man's legs makes it phallic, representing the mans penis and his masculinity. The fact that the man is completely covered shows that he can't be dominated by other woman. There is no possible way he could lose control, keeping his head clear to choose which lady suits his fancy. 

In our culture women are seen as dainty damsels who can be easily controlled by a strong masculine man. To conquer a woman is simple all you have to do is capture or control her. Although the woman in the adidas ad is not physically bound she is captured by the ever so attractive shoe. The first thing she sees is the shoe and then its game over for her, she is captured by the shoe and under its control. She looses all physical restraint and allows lust to take over on the shoe wearers body. By doing this the ad is dehumanising the woman, we don't see her as someones daughter, we see her as nothing more than a sexual toy. 

In this advertisement there are many signifiers but the one that sticks out to me the most is the panties. The panties signify sexual drive, femininity, and vulnerability.

The Effect of Music

How many times have you been watching a movie where in one scene you notice the music and suddenly you become engrossed into the world of the scene? Suddenly you're experiencing an extreme emotion, then once the music is over or you've been interrupted you stop and break out of the trance.

Adding music to a scene in a film or playing in the background to a painting can completely change the mood of the scene. For instance, if you are looking at Starry Night by Van Gogh while listening to Scary Music the mood of the painting becomes creepy. With the music playing the viewer can assume that there is something amiss in the town and that horrifying events await the poor unexpecting people. The viewer can almost see the lights inside the small homes and church turn out creating a sense of fear for what is to come.

Now if we look at the same painting but with relaxing music our mood toward the painting completely changes. It is almost as if the viewer is on top of a hill overlooking the old peaceful town with the calm night breeze giving a cold yet comforting chill to their body along with a sense of freedom. 

We can see the same effects occur in movies. In horror films music is used to build the audience up, making the scare dramatic. But if you watch a scary movie without sound the audience has nothing but the visuals to create the effect. How else will the audience know that the hero is heading directly toward eminent danger without bluntly showing it? Thus, making the scene significantly less dramatic and sometimes not successful. 

If you remove the music and the auditory signals the audience will pay more attention to the special effects. This is because all they have to rely on now are their eyes to feed them information about what is going on. We can see a prime example of this in a scene from The Eye once the audio is removed. When watching the clip please remember to mute the video so you can experience the affect.

 Without the music and auditory signals the viewer does not become engrossed into the scene. But once they are added it becomes so much easier to feel the actors anxiety. By adding the music we are taking away the viewers safety net forcing them to become one with the scene and to experience what the character is experiencing. 

As you can see the music makes a difference. Without the music to enhance the film the scare factor is lost. With music added a piece of art a painting can take on a completely different meaning. 

What if technology took over?!

On September 9th of 2013 the Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology was awarded $25 million grant from the National Science Foundation "to study how the brain creates intelligence and how that process can be replicated in machines." This was brought upon by the technological advances we have made in the past recent years. Google's self-driving car, [IBM's] Watson, and [Apple's] Siri are all examples of technology with human personification. They can all do specific things that the normal human being can accomplish. For example: Apple's Siri can take orders, "listen" when spoken too, then respond to tasks given to her or to what is said. Its almost like she can cognitively think for herself then respond to the user, which can be seen in this Zooey Deschanel iPhone 4S Siri commercial. 

With this technology we could see creations like C3-PO, R2-D2, or other intelligent self thinking droids come to fruition and be integrated into our everyday lives. Which would be really cool! Who doesn't want their own personal droid? Heck with this technology maybe we could take Walt Disney's frozen brain and put it into an android! Hooray for more Disney princesses! 

But when embracing this new technology we should remain cautious. For what if an event occurred where the technology gained too much intelligence? How would we know when enough intelligence is enough to give to a computer? What will happen if we decide to give the technology free will and it takes over causing the human race to be terminated?! Oh the humanity! 

Then again, what if we keep technology at arms length? What if we only program them with the intelligence they need to perform the task they were created for? What if we turn all technology into our personal slaves and create a automaton for every meaningless task?! Humanity could become lackadaisical and float around in hovercraft chairs eating cheese puffs and watching tv causing us to become fat and antisocial! Then we would become to heavy for the earth to handle! 

Truthfully with this technology at any extreme it probably wouldn't have a very good outcome. But with that said I believe we should progress with technological advances. How else could we grow as intelligent humans? Maybe my opinion is bias because I like Star Wars and would love to have my own R2-D2. 

Doritos Superbowl Analysis

Doritos- Goat 4 sale

The Surface Meaning: In the Doritos Superbowl commercial a man is selling an adorable goat eating Doritos. The man, who also enjoys Doritos, purchases the goat and takes the goat home for more delicious Doritos snacks. But after the 42^nd bag the owner starts to become irritated with his new cheesy corn chip loving friend. Once the goat has consumed 156 bags of the cheesy corn chip goodness the owner, whilst in bed, has decided that he has had enough with the goat. The commercial continues into the next morning where we find the goat in front of an empty cabinet screaming because all the Doritos are gone! In a fit of rage the goat destroys the photo of his owner as well as the popsicle stick bridge he has worked so very hard on. The goat finds the owner in his bedroom stashing the remainder of the Doritos while writing up a “Goat 4 Sale” sign. Still angry due to the lack of nutrition from his favorite snack, the goat shuts the door behind him leaving the epic battle between goat and Doritos lover to the audience’s imagination.

The Advertiser’s Intended Meaning: The ad is really trying to embed the idea that their product, Doritos, is so good that you can only share your Doritos so much. The deliciously cheesy goodness can only be shared for so long until the crunch of losing your delicious treat literally drives you insane.

The Ideological Meaning: We as the American culture tend to not want to share. We don’t like sharing our money, our space, or our toys; why would we want to share our Doritos? Although this commercial is an American commercial I feel that it would still be just as effective in other cultures. The type of humor, irony, is used often in our culture. In the beginning of the commercial we see a man who is beat up selling a goat. By the end of the commercial the new owner is preparing to sell the goat and is about to be beat up. This use of irony is not only specific to our culture but explains our social norms. 

Systematic Oppression

Supremacist Ideology + Discriminatory Acts + Structural Dominance = Oppression.

Rosie the Riveter, an American icon that represents feminism and the power women have on economic progress. While Rosie the Riveter inspired women in America during World War II, which lead to women suffrage, there are still billions of women in other countries who suffer from systematic oppression.  

Systematic oppression has always been around since the time of man began. Systematic oppression enroots itself into a culture when an individual or group of persons, such as Hitler and Kim Jong Il, take control. When trying to keep control over the culture the individual or group of persons wish to rule they use systematic oppression. 

Some forms of systematic oppression are racism, sexism, colorism, ect. With systematic oppression come consequence. 

Usually these consequences are civilian rights removed, psychological complications, physical obstacles to overcome, and even death. 

So how do we overcome systematic oppression? In order to abolish systematic oppression an effort must be made with many like minded individuals to gather and protest against the inhumane treatment. 

Niveen N wrote in their blog titled "Systematic Oppression" at Prezi.com "Systematic oppression is most commonly felt and expressed by a widespread, if unconscious, assumption that a certain group of people are inferior. Systematic oppression is rarely limited solely to government action. Individuals can be victims of systematic oppression, and in this case have no group membership to share their burden of being ostracized."

If we take it upon ourselves as individuals to fight against our cultural norms of stereotyping and treated all human beings as equals no matter what their color, nationality, class, or gender might be then we could be a bit closer to becoming an unbiased, non judgmental, non prejudice nation.

The NSA Leak

After reading the Article 'The US government has betrayed the internet. We need to take it back' I found myself agreeing with the writer Bruce Schneier. I do believe that our government has betrayed us and that they are now untrustworthy more than ever. How can we live in a free country where we are treated like criminals before we commit the crime? 

Yes, I do see and understand the "perks" of the US government seeing everything we have in our possession and innermost thoughts.

However, that does not make it right. When SOPA came out everyone was up in arms about the unfairness of this issue and even though the public clearly responded negatively to the internet restrictions and rules the US government felt we would be okay with them invading our privacy. I'm sorry but don't you need a warrant with probable cause to search through my stuff? Not when you're the US government you don't! 

I'm glad someone like Snowden stood up and said "No this is wrong!" and risked everything to speak up and warn the public of the government we have so blindly trusted. It also pleases me to see someone like Bruce Schneier ask for the insiders to give their stories and collect them. With enough stories and information behind this movement there is no way the government, or the public, could ignore the betrayal and anger left behind by not only Snowden but the countless others who are brave enough to speak up. We are not China, we are not communist, we are a democracy and reserve the right to surf our internet freely. 

Comm 406 Favorite Ad

Glove and Boots is a video blog that has mesmerized the audience of YouTube and gloveandboots.com with fun, witty, and downright hilarious skits since 2011. This video blog contains material performed by many handmade puppet, two of which are the stars of the show Mario and Fafa the groundhog. Since their arrival to the internet they have steadily gained fans and recognition leading to them getting nominated and eventually winning a Shorty award for best video blog. 

Shortly after their nomination for a shorty Mario and Fafa created an ad addressing their competition. Who was their competition? Justin Beiber’s DJ, whom of which had remained in the number one position for many weeks, that is, until Glove and Boots came out with an advertisement video announcing their nomination and urging their fans to help them dominate the competition and crush Justin Beiber’s DJ.

In the advertisement we see a spoof of a scene from a movie where many people of different backgrounds gather to hear Fafa’s words. With this add urging (And a small bribe promising they will sled down a mountain in a port-a-potty) their small group of YouTube junkie fans to spread the word on to their friends and vote they successfully gained 50,000 plus fans and quickly moved to first place. 

Comm352 Intro

Hello! My name is Kelly Dempsey. I am a junior comm major here at Shepherd University and Captain of the Shepherd Debate and Forensics team. I like video games like League of Legends and Skyim. In my spare time I am a comic book model for dc and marvel characters. Last summer I actually met the famous George Perez, who is a famous comic book artist. In the future I hope to just have a job I love that also makes me enough money to live comfortably.