the media and the “truth”
Lately I have been thinking about what influences teenagers. Parents and friends play a big role but I believe that the media is a big part as well. Everyday the media tells us what to wear, how to act, and what to believe. The media often pushes you to believe certain things like “I’m not pretty enough” or “I need to act like that for guys to like me.” They create a world that draws you in and holds on to you. A voice is in your head telling you to believe it but why should you? You may doubt yourself, but why? Why do you have to accept what they tell you as true? I think that as we watch our shows like Gossip Girl we have to remember that its not real. You have to be able to take what you watch and think about it but not accept it as true. By thinking about things and making your own opinions you can learn about the world around you instead of accepting things as the truth because someone told you to.
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Great questions raised here, Laura! This reminds me a lot of the shaper in Grendel and his effect on Grendel and the men. In the case of the men, who know the truth but believe what the shaper tells them, I wonder if Gardner is making social commentary by saying we all fall into that trap. Mark Twain once asserted that people use information (specifically statistics) like a drunk uses a lamppost–for support rather than for illumination. The more we “learn” from the internet and from the media, I wonder if we’re substantiating Twain’s claim. Do we simply look for information that supports an idea we want to have or to reinforce something we already believe? These are some interesting topics, and I’m excited to hear more about them!
Posted September 28, 2009, 12:23 pm #Great post, Laura! You are obviously a strong, independent young woman…good for you! How do you think you can help girls who do not have such strength? Do you think it’s possible? I’m curious…
Posted September 28, 2009, 8:49 pm #I think that it is really important to encourage independent thinking and encourage other girls my age to think about the things we see around us and form opinions on them. While it will be difficult I am sure that it is possible.
Posted September 29, 2009, 12:26 pm #I agree with the Mark Twain idea. I know that I am drawn towards things that support was I believe and sometimes I look for things to justify my beliefs. The hard part is making yourself look for things that challenge your beliefs and accepting them as other opinions instead of deeming them as wrong.
Posted September 29, 2009, 12:33 pm #I think that you raise a very interesting point. I believe that the media tries to portray teenage life a lot differently then it really is. It gives younger kids a false hope of what their teenage years are going to be like. What most people don’t seem to realize is that the false hope the media gives out really wouldn’t be as great as the media makes it seem
Posted September 30, 2009, 12:14 pm #Hey Laura, I was really interested in what you said about how the Media pushes teenagers to believe in something that is portrayed very differently than in real life. I agree that it can also affect the way we learn and see the world around us. I hope you don’t mind if I refer to this blog tomorrow durning our ‘open workshop’.
Posted October 15, 2009, 6:44 pm #