Geena Davis and the Fight for Gender Equality in the Media

The 25th anniversary of Thelma & Louise sparked conversation about feminist films and female filmmakers. Geena Davis, one of the stars of the film, launched the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in 2004. This institute which focuses on improving female roles in family entertainment makes its mission to "champion women and diverse voices in media." This institute is a great step in the right direction to address the lack of diverse voices in the media. Additionally, it combats the symbolic annihilation and silencing of marginalized groups. 

Harriet Tubman BioPic and Symbolic Annihilation

The story of Harriet Tubman is one that we all know, however, just until recently it had never been adapted into a film. Viola Davis and husband Julius Tennon have worked to get the story told. Davis has gone on record saying that the story has not been told because it is about a black woman. In the hierarchy of the heteropatriarchy black women are the low man on the totem pole. They are often symbolically annihilated erasing them from the public mind, and essential the public discourse which then sacrifices their well being because they aren't seen as having a voice. It is important that Davis and Tennon portray this story as authentically as possible to promote positive images of black women. 

Sexism and Ageism in Commercials

Today I saw a commercial for Olay Regenerist, an anti aging cream. The target demographic is women in their 40s and 50s. But in this commercial the actress using the cream is definitely in her twenties maybe very early thirties but nowhere near the age to be concerned about wrinkles. The blatant younger casting perpetuates the discrimination against aging women in the film industry. By eliminating aging or older women, that portion of society is symbolically annihilated. Their interests such as women's rights or gender inequality are ignored in the mainstream media and therefore deemed unimportant.

Met Gala & The Hegemony

The pre-show for the Met Gala consisted of four white critics who discussed the fashion choices that were made for and by celebrities and designers. These critics praised Taylor Swift for her peroxided hair and silver dress. Perhaps I have become bitter but I am tired of hearing about how amazing Taylor Swift is. Though I am a fan of some of her songs, her constant praise and media coverage cultivates the idea that traditionally white females (thin, blonde, superior, etc. ) are the norm and what young girls should strive for. Additionally the elitist aura surrounding the Met Gala perpetuates the concept of cultural class. Those who have money and control the political economy can purchase tickets to the gala and therefore effect cultural class perpetuating the hegemonic agenda. 

This just in: an actual "woman card"- thanks for the inspiration Donald

I recently posted about Donald Trump’s attack on Hillary Clinton for using the “women’s card”, whatever that may be.  With this attack, Trump had stated that if Hillary were a woman she would not have made it this far in the presidential race and she had continued to play the “women’s card” in order to secure votes.  The media covered this statement to its fullest extent, with headlines everywhere you could turn discussing Trump’s latest attack on his opponent.  With all of the comments Trump has made against women, this did not exactly come as a surprise, but rather more of an further acknowledgement that Trump does not feel Clinton is fit for presidency.  

With the media’s uproar on covering this topic, Clinton has received immense questioning about her response to this supposed “women’s card” and this just in, she has appropriated the phrase and thankfully is using Trump’s patriarchal discrimination to her advantage.  Clinton has quite literally created a physical “Woman Card” that she sending to supporters who donate $10 or more to her campaign.  With the distribution of this card, Clinton has publicly stated that, “If fighting for women’s health care and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman card, then deal me in!”  While this physical “woman card” is Clinton’s somewhat satirical way of fighting back, it is also a metaphoric statement to her supporters that she wants to be dealt into the fight for equal rights for women.  Hillary Clinton happens to be a woman, yes, but as intersectionality has taught us, she is so much more.  She is a woman who aims to fight for equal rights, part of which very much so pertains to women, so we no longer have to earn 78 cents to every man’s dollar.  That fight for women's rights is something Clinton is proud of and should continue to be.  The establishment of her “woman card” is a public statement to Trump that she may in fact be playing a “woman card”, but only in the sense that she believes in the radical notion of equal rights for all, including women, which unfortunately Trump does not appear to do.  

The “woman card” is a political statement in the media that there is in fact no such thing as a “woman card” unless it pertains to equality.  So thank you Donald, for inspiring Hillary to even more so proclaim her much needed activism for female rights- the media is loving it.   

An Brief Ethnography on Brazil's Racial and Class Divide Courtesy of BBC

The UK based news outlet, BBC, is one of the most reputable international news outlets, priding itself in predominantly unbiased reporting and an accurate global perspective.  Thus, I try to stay updated on their international sector and see what types of stories are being covered in BBC versus American news outlets.  I stumbled upon a video the BBC created to show the racial and class divide that persists throughout Brazil, with an emphasis on the multicultural city of Rio de Janeiro.  This short video depicts two young woman studying at the same private university and who grew up in Brazil, in an effort to portray the differences individuals experience based on their race and class.  

Sharon was a white female of English descent who enjoyed golfing while Julianna was of black female of African descent who loves to attend Afro-Brazilian dance classes.  The two girls took each other to their daily routine and realized that they were similar in the sense that they both fostered a love of sports and having strong familial influences, but acknowledged that their cultural differences were too great for them to truly understand one another’s lifestyle.  

I think it is particularly interesting that BBC made an effort to put this at the forefront of their global news page this week.  BBC is referring to this time as their “identity season” and are thus identifying the intersectionality of individuals and cultures around the world.  I think it would make a world of a difference (pun intended) if other news outlets took after BBC’s efforts to promote cultural divides and global influences.  Understanding the diversity of not only the world, but throughout cities could make an immensely positive influence on international prosperity and acceptance.  The media has the ability to frame the minds of individuals around the world and using this power in a positive manner, as BBC has in fostering an “identity season” opens followers to a positive outlook on cultural appropriation throughout the globe.  

Qué: Disney's "First" Latina Princess

http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-et-trb-disney-latina-princess-parks-debut-20160429-snap-htmlstory.html

Princesa Elena, Disney's "first" Latina princess is about to make her debut on TV this summer and in Disney parks. But what advocates and fans fail to realize is that Elena is not a Latina princess but she is the "first princess inspired by diverse Latin cultures." Latinos have not been represented in the media and if they have, they've been stereotyped. We can see this with popular films Maid in Manhattan and in politics (aka Trump). 

Elena also is not getting a feature film like other up and coming princesses of color such as Hawaiian princess Moana. It seems that this princess is being excluded from the opportunity that other princesses of color have had. This could be because of the all the controversy around illegal immigration in our country which could have influenced producers' decision to not make Elena a feature film. I'm not sure but I do hope is that this show actually showcases the history and traditions of Hispanic culture and moves away from stereotypical characters such as Dora. And maybe down the road we can get a feature film about a Latina princess.  

Lemonade: experience of black women

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/29/beyonce-lemonade-jay-z-explainer

Beyoncé's latest album is making huge statements. But Beyoncé's album isn't just about the critically acclaimed divorce rumors it's more than that. Her album is looking deeper into the experience of black women. This is something that on more than one occasion has been disregarded, “the most disrespected person in America”, to quote Beyoncé quoting Malcolm X in the feature film.  Her title of the album speaks to this.

Beyoncé's film title Lemonade draws from Jay Z's grandmother. She was shown in the video at her 90th birthday, “I was given lemons and I made lemonade.” She wanted to show a strong black women that made something of what she was given and strived to take opportunities. Her film also features the mothers of Eric Garner,Trayvon Martin, and Michael Brown holding photographs of their dead sons; showing the experience of grieving mothers who's son's weren't given justice. And there is also cameos from Serena Williams and a number of young, black celebrities, such as Zendaya, Amandla Stenberg and Quvenzhané Wallis excelling in their fields instead of being sexually objectified as the black female body often is. 

Her album made statements and they were received well by many who took to Twitter to post the #Lemonade.  Some may say it was all about her divorce but she is speaking to more than just this. 

That one time Trump wasn't the worst?

When asked how Trump felt about HB2 and in general any law that mandating folks use the restroom that match their sex that they were assigned at birth he actually said "that's not necessary." So Caitlin Jenner took him up on it, and went to Trump Tower to use the ladies room. The way this was portrayed by the mainstream media, including The Today Show, was positive, which is very different than the usual coverage of the possibility of a "bathroom predator," which candidate Ted Cruz has also been preaching about. This just goes to show the importance of representation in the media. Though Caitlin Jenners fame and politics can be controversial, havign her out there speaking out about her trans experience does have a huge impact in the shaping of American politics.

"Lemonade" and Azealia Banks: How the "Heartbroken black female" narrative isn't the whole story

After the release of Beyonce's new "Lemonade," there has been plenty of discussion over the meaning of the album and the representations within that. Azealia Banks, rapper, tweated out after the HBO special that "This heartbroken black female narrative you keep trying to push is the Antithesis of what feminism is," as well as others. Though I do feel that conversations about feminism, what it is and isn't, it something that is important to discuss in the public sphere (like what we talked about in class, how social media allows the non elite to set the agenda as far as what is talked about), I think that Azealia misses some of the complexity in "Lemonade" and what feminism is in general. "Lemonade," though driven by the story line of what it is like to be cheated on, actually exclusively explores Beyonce's personal journey to self love and self healing through her homosocial relationships with women (i.e. how most of the characters in her video are black women, the spoken word between songs are exclusively about the woman experience, including birth and menstration, and the actual title "Lemonade" coming from inspiration from her grandmother and her grandmothers strength). I think there is something to be said for just expressing what you feel, and I do think that a disturbance in a marriage this great can be rattling, but to say that this album doesn't in any way resemble feminism is missing the point. Living in patriarchy means that sometimes artists need to talk about it, but the way that Beyonce resolves her broken heart is one that is feminist, she didn't focus on getting his attention again, she figured her life out through her relationships with other women. Sounds pretty feminist to me.

The "Woman Card"??

Yesterday in Indiana, Republican favorite Donald Trump was accused of misogyny in attacking Hillary Clinton solely because she is a woman. Trump accused Clinton of "playing the woman's card" to get where she is. "'If Hillary Clinton were a man, I don't think she'd get 5 percent of the vote.'" Given Trump's notorious history for outlandish and offensive comments, I cannot say that I am super shocked by these absurd comments he made against Clinton. He continued to mock her, questioning her "strength" and "stamina" just because she is a woman. Trump hopefully will pay the price in terms of his declining number of female supporters. Despite the fact that Trump continues to make offensive comments such as this, Clinton will pivot to issues such as equal pay for women, paid family and medical leave and raising the minimum wage. 

What even is a "women's card"?

Earlier this week, the ongoing feud between Trump and Clinton accelerated yet again, this time over the “women's card.”  After the most recent Super Tuesday, showing that both Trump and Clinton will very likely receive their respective party’s nominations, Trump publicly stated: "She has got nothing else going. Frankly, if Hillary Clinton were a man, I don't think she would get 5% of the vote. And the beautiful thing is, women don't like her."  This was a part of Trump’s elaboration on Clinton playing what he referred to as the “women’s card.”  Since Tuesday, the media has replayed and analyzed this statement extensively, cultivating the minds of viewers and readers into actually believing this patriarchal, inaccurate, and offensive statement by Trump.

By claiming there is such a thing as a “women’s card,” Trump is using his male privilege to undermine gender equality, let alone female empowerment.  Additionally, he is simultaneously cultivating his viewers into thinking that “women don’t like” Clinton, when in fact, Tuesday’s polling showed that Clinton received 68% of female democratic voters.  However, by stating this lie on national television, Trump aimed to undermine his opponent through female subordination in a means that less educated viewers would believe into thinking accurate.  The media has the ability to overrun stories, which frequently turns the public into believing them.  Trump is using his high presence in the media to his advantage, as he aims to convince America his statements could in fact be true, when of course, many are not.  Using phrases like “women’s card” is not only inaccurate, it is also assuming that women cannot exhibit the same powerful, motivating leadership that a man could, creating an even larger gender gap in American politics and society.  

Real Life "She's the Man"

If you're anything like me, you've seen the movie "She's the Man" no less than 50 times since it came out. While scrolling through Facebook today, I came across a video captioned, "A female soccer player disguised herself as a man to prove that she can play just as well as the boys." Immediately, I was intrigued. This video made by a Spanish TV network depicts professional soccer player Brenda Perez, disguised as a male, playing soccer with men. She keeps up with the men and then, to their surprise, takes off her disguise and scores a free kick at the end of the video.

As a female soccer player, I've appreciated stories like this my entire life. Because women are rarely portrayed as tough athletes in media, it has been hard to be taken seriously in the past as a female athlete. Even the women's national team doesn't get paid nearly as much as the men's national team! Usually, in media, women are stereotyped as being sweet and not tough. Or, when they are tough, they epitomize the fighting fuck toy, an image of a woman as tough but only there for male pleasure. Videos like this work to debunk stereotypes of women and prove that they can fight alongside the best of them -- WITHOUT being a fighting fuck toy.

Violence at Trump Rally

It has been a pattern that there is always violence at Trump rallies. I saw this picture on my Facebook timeline and was shocked. That this far in the political race, this is still acceptable? What if this man was not white? How would the Trump supporters treat him? What if he was a Latino man? The repercussions could have been a lot worse because Trump is such an opponent of immigration.

New NCAA LGBTQ Law

Earlier this week, the NCAA voted against hosting events in places with anti-LGBTQ policies (here in North Carolina). This is bad for North Carolina because March Madness was scheduled here for next year. I am very curious to see what the NCAA does with these new policies, and see if North Carolina will change these new laws.

On Diversity in Hollywood

I was reading an article on Elle.com that fits perfectly for our class. The article touches on Hollywood's diversity problem by examining a vlog called "every single word." These video clips take a look at how many characters of color speak in the films. The results are extremely eye opening and emphasize the lack of diversity that exists on screen. One example is the Harry Potter film series, which runs for a total of 1207 minutes. Of those 1207 minutes, people of color only speak for 5 of them. Films are so powerful, and if people don't see themselves being represented it can create negative effects. The world is not made of white, heterosexual, cisgendered humans. We each have varying identities, and we need to represent this in films.

Beyonce's Lemonade

Last Saturday, Beyonce released her latest visual album titled Lemonade. It is an artistically rich film/work that is unapologetically black. Many of the songs are rich in anger, sadness, and love. There are many interpretations of what the lyrics mean, but one thing is clear in Lemonade: Beyonce is celebrating her blackness. I think that the album comes at a time where blackness is not always celebrated, as is evident in the media's interpretation of her song Formation as being anti-police. Formation, just like the rest of the songs on the album, are not about being anti-police. The songs on Lemonade celebrate blackness in a profound way. This album has gripped the media, and social media sphere, and I am interested to see how it is interpreted during award season. PS: HBO has nominated it for an Emmy.

-McKenzie

Uber Drving Tip option

Uber drivers around the nation have been asking the company to add an tip option to the app but black drivers have come out and said that discrimination against black drivers would occur and they would receive no tip while white drivers would get more tips. Do you think this is a relevant matter that should be considered?

Move Over Kendall Jenner, There are New Models In Town

The online clothing brand, ModCloth, has made a bold statement with their latest promotion. In their new swimsuit ad campaign, rather than featuring models, they are featuring their own employees. These are not your typical models. ModCloth has been very outspoken about highly Photoshopped magazine spreads and ad campaigns that portray unrealistic body proportions for years. Last year the clothing brand even signed a pledge stating that they would not Photoshop any of their models.  “We’re all about celebrating the beauty of all women and all sizes, shapes, forms and color,” Modcloth’s Chief Marketing Officer Nancy Ramamurthi said. Many people on social media have praised this campaign saying that it is brave, inspirational, and incredible. This campaign is honest and real, something that a lot of swimsuit adds lack. I think that this campaign is making a powerful statement. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and the average women, not a sports illustrated model, can still cover a magazine. It’s all about real women, not edited ones. Hopefully ad campaigns like this can begin to cultivate new standards and beauty ideals for women.

I Can't Blame Him ......

I was on Facebook last week and saw a post from a man regarding the HB2 laws. He was not happy at all about the situation. His reason was because he was not comfortable with a man possibly being in the restroom at the same time as his daughter. He was really upset that this was even being considered. He even took it as far as to throw out threats to the people who wanted to use girls bathrooms. I can relate to him because I have a baby sister and I would be extremely uncomfortable if a man was in the same bathroom as her.

Officially a Definition Term?

Websters dictionary took a chance and put "Genderqueer" into their list of words. Overall there has been good reviews about it and not really anything bad. Webster defines Genderqueer as "someone who cannot be identified solely male or female". This ties in with our class because I remember how we talked about how the LGBT community is reclaiming the word "Queer" and turning it into something more positive rather than negative.

Racial Commentary (on Yellow Face) in "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"

As per usual, Netflix had impeccable timing when releasing new shows. Last week, season two of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," was released on Netflix. So, naturally, instead of studying for finals I've been catching up on this hilarious show, created by Tina Fey.

Throughout the first few episodes of this season, the characters have satirically commented on social issues in society today. There have been stark examples of this throughout the first few episodes, but I want to focus on episode 3. In episode 3, Titus, a black man, has a one-man show where he plays a Japanese woman, who he believed he was in a past life. Once the Internet gets a hold of his show, a group of anti-Titus Internet users come to "boo" his performance. The group comes to protest Titus's show because he is practicing yellow face by dressing as a Japanese woman. Ironically, at the end of the show, the Internet group is moved to tears because Titus's performance was so beautiful.

By making this episode, the producers of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" bring humor to a recurring practice of whitewashing in the media. The episode is lighthearted and funny, but whitewashing is a real issue that is happening constantly in media and symbolically annihilating minority groups. When an actor plays a role of another race, they are stripping that race of their right to own their story and correctly portray that role.

Cultural Appropriation in Coachella Fashion

The past two weekends, hipsters and various Californians alike gathered at Empire Polo Club for Coachella 2016, a famous music festival in Indio, California. Despite recent media attention regarding cultural appropriation, with celebrities like Justin Bieber and Kylie Jenner, many Coachella-goers still dressed up in stereotypical Native American and African dress. Vice published an article today with pictures of people dressed in culturally offensive outfits at Coachella, with their explanation of why they chose to wear it. Most interviewees explained that they chose their outfits because they're comfortable, despite their imminent controversy. In particular, one couple stood out to me because they didn't even know what their shirts, which were Dashikis, were. When the guy was asked what he was wearing, he responded, "A shirt?" And when the girl was asked if she felt weird in it, she said, "No. I feel free." This shows the couple's ignorance even though their clothing is a stark example of cultural appropriation.

As we discussed in class, groups like Native Americans are often portrayed as one-dimensional and wearing stereotypical clothing in movies and TV shows. As a result, people often dress up as Native Americans for Halloween, which strips them of their cultural and actual heritage. The way we see groups in media influences what people think of them as a group. This is epitomized in Halloween costumes and outfits people wear to musical festivals.

The Huffington Post - a progressive paper

Today I was reading the Huffington Post, as I usually do to catch up on news and I stumbled across a tab called "queer voices."  I don't think I would usually go to this page, but our class discussions about how the LGBTQ community is underrepresented in the media encouraged me to dive a little deeper.

To my pleasant surprise, the Huffington Post has a plethora of articles that relate to the LGBTQ community.  These articles deal with politics as well as personal stories from the queer community.  I think it is phenomenal that a well known paper has taken it upon themselves to have a page dedicated to a minority community in our society -- well done!

Youth and Guns

YOUTH & GUNS
Earlier this week, a lady posted a video of a young child around age 7 or 8 walking around the streets carrying a gun. This posses multiple problems for me, because of recent actions over the past year. 1st - the kid could be mistaken as a problem child and shot, Tamir Rice
2nd- kid could have shot another kid on accident
3rd- kid may be mistaken for a kid in a gang
All three of these are negative outcomes. No positive outcome comes from a young kid carry a gun, we have to protect our youth because their our future. Our kids think its okay for them to guns because what they see in their lived experience, whats on tv and movies and especially what they hear in music. With famous rappers like Kodak Black, guns and killing is glorified in the black community.

Respeck My Name

The biggest hip hop joke of the week, goes to Birdman. When he came to Breakfast Club going off and cussing because he felt disrespected. He said "Respect my F*CKING name", when u mention me. Breakfast Club God, Charlemagne, responded by "Did you pull up on Rick Ross or Trick Daddy like that". This type of media is what continue Hip Hop beef and leads our youth in this type of actions. We need to stop slandering others name in the media, because it teaches our youth that its okay, which leads to social media bullying. We have to be examples to the youth.

LGBTQ Hate Crime in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is known for being very anti-gay ... in fact it is illegal to be openly gay in Bangladesh as well as many of the surrounding nations.  Yesterday, a man who works at the US Embassy and it the editor of Bangladesh's first LGBTQ magazine was hacked to death, according to the Daily Skimm.  His friend was also murdered.  

This is just one of several attacks that have happened in recent weeks - many of the people who have been killed by anti-gay groups (like Islamic Extremists) are proponents of free speech.

Though this story is disheartening and overwhelming, it is important to note that the western media is covering is and that they are appalled.  As we discuss HB2 here in North Caroline is interesting to also considering what is going on with the LGBTQ community in other nations. 

Disney’s New Princess

Get ready Disney fans…there is about to be a new princess in town. Disney is set to release its first Latina Princess: Elena of Avalor. She will make her introduction in Fall 2016. She is set to debut at Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom and will appear in her own show. She will be the protagonist in the upcoming Disney Junior series Elena of Avalor. Adding a princess like Elena is adding diversity and inclusion to the Disney community. She is bold, caring, funny, and clever; she is also slender, has long brown hair, brown eyes, and olive skin. Although I am happy that Disney is adding diversity, they seem to be relying on old and pervasive stereotypes about Latinas in terms of Elena’s appearance. She has long black hair, has rosy cheeks, olive skin, and brown eyes. But not every Latina fits this stereotypical image. Elena is also portrayed to be very slender, again reinforcing certain body ideals for young girls. There are some flaws in her portrayal, but there are also many benefits. It is important to know that her voice is one of a real Latina; Aimee Carrero is a Dominican Republic born American actress who plays the voice of Elena. This provides a great intersectionality to the role. Rather than having a white person play Elena, they are actually having a Latina play a Latina role. I see many strengths and weaknesses with this character, but would like to say that I think its great that Disney is continuing to diversify the princesses.

Ted Cruz: Transgender people are men pretending to be women

In light of HB2 recently passed in North Carolina, and bills alike in other states, that are discriminatory against transgender citizens, Republican presidential candidate, Ted Cruz, released an ad attacking Donald Trump's support of transgender individuals using restrooms according to the gender they identify with.  While one purpose of the ad was to attack Trump, it also made the claim that transgender people are "men pretending to be women".  When asked by CNN news anchors this morning, Cruz's Campaign Chairman refused to own up to the statement by deflecting the conversation to Donald Trump, but Ted Cruz made a statement himself that someone who is transgender should not be in a little girls' bathroom.

Whitewashing in 2016

White-washing is a common method of symbolic annihilation of minority groups in the media.  Recently, the casting of Scarlett Johansson as the Japanese character, Major Motoko Kusangagi in the upcoming Hollywood film, Ghost in the Shell, has raised concerns within the Japanese fan base of the anime film.  Although some people had issue with the portrayal of a Japanese character by a White woman, a number of Japanese people unfortunately don't really care.  This could possibly be a sign of cultivation of White Hollywood by Japanese viewers.  One popular screenwriter, Max Landis commented that there are no A-list female Asian celebrities capable of getting a major Hollywood film off the ground in 2016.


http://www.bet.com/news/celebrities/2016/04/18/see-how-far-hollywood-went-to-make-scarlett-johansson-not-look-white.html

Fatal fight at Delaware high school brings grief, questions

http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/22/us/delaware-high-school-death/

Maybe it was about a boy, some said; others said it wasn't. Whatever it was about, the fight in a bathroom at Howard High School of Technology in Wilmington, Delaware, ended in death for a 16-year-old girl. "We know it is happening in the streets, but now we are talking about violence happening in a place that normally should be a safe haven", said Rev. Sandra Ben by the Delaware News Journal newspaper.

A young girl's life was taken away at such a young age and for what reason. There are allegations that it was over a boy and if it was this goes to show us what the media and TV is teaching the youth today. We see in reality TV shows and dramas of fights breaking out between women. We see women fighting over men, rumors, and objects. These scenarios are presented to our youth as being normal and real. But they are not reality. Someone should never be killed over talking to a boy. We need images of women building each other up not trying each other down. 

Trump: Tubman on the $20 bill is 'pure political correctness'

http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/21/politics/donald-trump-tubman-bill-political-correctness/

Donald Trump thinks anti-slavery icon Harriet Tubman is "fantastic" but he says the move to have her replace seventh president Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill is "pure political correctness." He said in an interview with NBC that, "Andrew Jackson had a great history, and I think it's very rough when you take somebody off the bill, I think Harriet Tubman is fantastic, but I would love to leave Andrew Jackson or see if we can maybe come up with another denomination."

Trump thinks that in doing this we are just trying to please the black community or that we are trying to make up for history. But it's time for a change. We are suppose to celebrate people who have made our country great and Tubman was one of those people. By putting her on the $20 and taking off Jackson we are making a statement. We are saying that we are not going to glorify and preserve a man that was a slave owner but hold a woman who saved many black lives to high esteem. We only recognize black accomplishments nationally in February but by doing this we can begin to recognize these people daily like Tubman.

Athletes and Rape

Over the past 10 years, we have seen various star athletes be charged with sexual assault and rape. Often majority of the community doesn't take the situation seriously or brushes the incident off as a miscommunication. Even though these cases may fade away, the stories linger around these athletes for years to come, given the media opportunities a chance to throw jab at them. Often the stories don't show up again until its time for these athletes to retire, and we question their legacy. This year is a prime example, with the retirement of both Kobe Bryant and Peyton Manning. Both All-Time greats and likely 1st ballot Hall of Famers, have had to face criticism of their possible actions when they were young men. The main question is should this be a blemish on their sports records even though they had nothing to do with their records, and neither was convicted of the crime. The public will decide with how we legacize these athletes over the next 5 years.

Andrew Shaw Suspension

 Andrew Shaw a forward for the Chicago Blackhawks, and NHL team, was suspended for game five of the playoff series against the St. Louis Blues yesterday after a video of him mouthing a gay slur hit the internet.  Although no one actually heard what he said the camera was on him as he sat in the penalty box in the words that he was mouthing were pretty obvious.  He apologize yesterday before the game and will be back again for game six in Chicago.  Interesting to see the NHL crack down on a pledge in a critical time in the NHL season  to make a point that discriminatory remarks will not be tolerated in the league.

Harriet Tubman on the 20 dollar bill

Earlier this week it was announced that Harriet Tubman would be the new face of the $20 bill in the United States,taking place of President Andrew Jackson.   Harriet Tubman was African-American woman who was born into slavery and escaped.  She is known for her several missions and saving over hundreds of  African-Americans from slavery through the use of what is famously known as the underground railroad, helping lead them to their freedom.  By putting her on the $20 bill she is the first African-American as well as the first female to be on the face of any form of United States currency. This is a major step in the right direction as white males have constantly been the face of money and wealth in the United States.

Birdman cusses out the Breakfast Club

This morning on the World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, Power 105.1 FM better known as the Breakfast club had a special guest, Birdman. For those who dont know who Birdman, he is the President of Cash Money Records. Birdman is the person who discovered Lil Wayne who is probably one of the best rappers ever. Before even putting on his headphones to start his interview, he yelled out "Stop playing with my f*cking name, when you say my name respect it." He was furious only interviewing for two minutes, where his past interviews have been up to forty minutes. Charlamagne replied with "Dont go off on the radio guys, say the same thing to Rick Ross and Trick Daddy." This shows masculinity and pride within males. The ideal man is strong, rich, aggressive, and powerful. Birdman felt offended by the rumors that has been revolving around his name. His name has been in fire since the breakup of him and Lil Wayne where Lil Wayne have been dissing him in multiple songs. We will see where this story ends.............

#RIPPRINCE

We lost one of the most genius musician of our time yesterday at the age of 57. Prince is known for his songs and the ability to play a wide range of instruments gracefully. Prince's music transcended genres and generations. He defined the sound of the 80's and defied the music industry in a fight for creative freedom. As stunned fans mourned legendary singer Prince, questions still remain on what killed him days after he performed last week in Atlanta. Thursday after he was found unresponsive in an elevator at his studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota, paramedics tried reviving him but was unable to. An autopsy is scheduled for Today where many believe that he had suffered from a drug overdose mixed with the flu that he already had. What can be drawn from the many true/false reports of the singer is framing which is what we discussed in class where some reporters and critics are trying to paint a false portrait on this musical genius. Instead of finding the negative, we should point out the positives and look at the ways he contributed to music.

 

Plus size model Tess Holiday has made waves in the modeling world as a confident, beautiful, size 22 model. She exudes body positivity and is constantly talking back to body shamers. Holiday has recently become pregnant and has been extremely open about the pressure she feels to live up to a standard held by our culture for many pregnant women. There is a constant expectation for pregnant women, especially famous pregnant women to have the perfect baby body and to remain put together and pretty throughout the pregnancy.

Holiday opened up on social media to encourage fans and other women dealing with the pressures of pregnancy and the expectations thrust upon pregnant women in out hyper critical culture. 

In her post she states, "I'm part of a small minority that’s telling you it’s okay to not have a perfect baby bump, or not show at all, to be plus size & have a healthy child, & most importantly to find a care provider that doesn’t shame you about your size.”

This past Wednesday the UK gave out a warning to its LGBT citizens who may be considering traveling to the US. The warning cautioned travelers against going to North Carolina and Mississippi because recent laws passed in the states may make it difficult or them to travel comfortably within those areas. Many believe those laws legalize discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

“The U.S. is an extremely diverse society and attitudes towards LGBT people differ hugely across the country,” the British government said on its travel advice website “LGBT travelers may be affected by legislation passed recently in the states of North Carolina and Mississippi.”

Big Change Big Deal?

Harriet Tubman will be the first African American on any U.S. currency. Big deal and excited that powerful people from the African American background are being recognized more. The question that I have though and I am sure that many people have is why the twenty dollar bill? and why remove Andrew Jackson. I think this adds controversy with race because if we were just changing from Andrew Jackson to another white president or white public activist no one would be making a big deal. I'm interested to see if more currency is changed in the years too come following this big change. Who could be next MLK? President Obama? interested to see what controversy and racial issues come along with any more changes.

Cultivation: Chinese Warned against Dating Foreigners

This is a classic product of cultivation. China's government workers are warning their citizens not to date foreigners because they may be the next "James Bond". They came up with a comic book with the premise of an attractive visiting scholar that manipulates a chinese local girl into giving him internal government propaganda work. The campaign associated with this comic is national security awareness. The Chinese are adopting a pillar of supremacy and deeming Americans/Westerners the "other" and a "threat". The public is now vigilant with newcomers and visitors; their foreign experience may be more alienating now than integrative. 

F*CK Donald Trump

With Donald Trump recent racial and hatred slurs, he being to claim the reputation as an inhumane person. Many racial groups are advocating for Trump to not be elected as the Republican Party candidate, even more the US President. Some people do this by poster, speeches and movement rallies, rapper YG did this by song. He created "Fu*k Donald Trump", the song has become an urban legend song. This is an example of representation where the community as a whole, hates Donald Trump. The setting of these bystanders, having to be apart of these movements, is to gradually switch to the likely hood of the popular sector. I hope Donald Trump doesn't get attacked on these streets in these urban communities.