Reply to (Advertising really works)
This is a reply to Alyssha Flores post “Advertising really works”
http://floresali.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/18/
Advertising might be the biggest part of our culture. Alyssha admitted that she has bought so many things just because of the face time she has had with the product. Takes a realist to actually say that they are swayed by mainstream media. I admit it more than anyone. I use Axe deoderant as opposed to the just as good right guard. I eat cheese-its as opposed to the just as good cheese nips. I wear Skull-candy headphones when I could have gotten the same quality pair of Bose headphones for fifteen dollars less. We all are swayed by advertising no matter how many people say they are non-conformists. Men and women alike are targeted in different ways, but its pretty apparent that women are targeted at most just the same as men.
I will agree that if your looking at a chart of how much advertisements were targeted at these specific groups through time, women would be a more steep increase. In today’s world, just like 20 years ago, men are the focus. For every carton of pink cigarettes that would match so match that Dooney and Bourke purse, there is an entire forest of breasts next to products that wouldn’t normally be next to breasts. Boobs sell. Boobs do not sell to women. Boobs sell to men and they are everywhere. Beautiful women holding things gives men this certain correlation that maybe if they go and get that, maybe the woman will come shortly after.
I may be biased because I don’t really pay attention on advertisements focused on women. Simply because I am a male and the advertisement companies don’t care if I do. Men and women may be equal in just about every way, but not really. Men get much more focus in everything. Sports, entertainment, and in this case consumerism. Please do not call me a chauvinist because of this but thats the way I feel. Sorry ladies.
If you missed the hyperlink scroll up and see some examples of commercials targeted towards men.
An era of masculinity in golf
Looking back at golf greats in the past, some familiar names pop up. Jack Nicholas, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player are just a few.(Vozza, 2008) All of these men dominated the golf course more than anyone of their times. They showed great competitiveness, great mental stature, and are just simply champions. The only reason that people do not think of them as the Joe Namaths of this world, was because of the sport. Golf has never been thought of as the sport where the supreme athletes of this world call to. The main reason why golf is thought of that way, is because its true. You put Jack Nicholas in some football pads, its game over. Though he is arguably the most accomplished athlete in the history of our nation, nobody thinks of him as the example of a masculine man. Only because he swings a club as opposed to hitting home runs.
We have entered a new era in golf. The year of the Tiger. Tiger Woods may have the position of greatest athlete in America. Nobody on any team, in any sport, is more dominant. He has been on the tour for only twelve years and is about to shatter every life time record in PGA history. 95 percent of the tournaments that he plays in he finishes in the top 10. When the pressure is on, he is the one who can make the 60 foot put to win the match. No one has ever played the way Tiger has in their first twelve years, but what really separates Tiger from Jack?
Tiger is not only a good golfer, but a physical marvel. He is so aggressive in a non aggressive sport. He is a prime example of hegemonic masculinity in this nation because he is the one. The one who will see the challenge, tell everyone to step back because he knows he can handle it. This is all due to his competitiveness, determination, and the mental discipline of a ninja. When looking at tiger all the pieces of the puzzle fit. He is without a doubt a man of exception. Men can look up to him because he follows all the aspects of a true man.(Trujillo, 1991) He is physically head and shoulders above anyone on the golf tour. He is the most winningest golfer for his age. He has a wife and a child. He has basically reinvented the game with his new style. Finally he is a straight. Woods may be the greatest golfer to live. Like I said its the year of the Tiger.
References:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/82036-ranking-the-greatest-golfers-of-all-time-harry-vardon-to-tiger-woods
Trujillo, Nick. “Hegemonic Masculinity on the mound: Media representaions of nolan ryanand American sports cultureresenta.” Critical Studies in Media and Communication (1991): 290-308. Print.
RE: Why do people feel the need to watch youtube?
This is a comment on Erin’s post, Why do people feel the need to watch youtube?
The main point that I got out of Erin’s post was that people only watch youtube in order to find funny videos and that they could really be more constructive with their time. This is true in a sense, that most people searching Youtube are just wasting their time watching funny videos. Personally I do think that Youtube can be used in a constructive way. During the Presidential campaign this past year I would miss every presidential debate on television. I really was interested in seeing these but was much too busy with wrestling. So what I did as soon as I got home was search it on Youtube. I have found some great new artists just emerging on the scene. Just recently I watched reviews on a movie that I had to write a paper on. The number of constructive things I have done on Youtube are countless and I really do appreciate that it is so readily available.
I will admit that I have spent a minute here and there looking for the new funny video to show to my friends, but so be it. My favorites being the unforgivables. Thats the beauty in Youtube though. One minute you can be looking a newly found species of shark and the next listening to a suburban black man make up the most vulgar stories you have ever heard in your life. The category involving the vulgar guy has more view but thats only because kids are watching them over and over again. Thats not a fair showing of the type of demographic on Youtube. My father goes on Youtube to watch that Mad Money show. My 8 year old niece goes on Youtube to sing Taylor Swift karaoke. My 27 year old brother goes on youtube to watch interviews with great writers and film makers. As much as people think it is just teenagers, spending their life away on Youtube, its everyone of us. We are finally united in some way.
Here is a chart from the statistics gathers by Nielson/NetRatings concerning the type of age demographic that uses Youtube.
Is the Shamwow guy the next Billy Mays?
When Billy Mays died, I pondered existence for awhile. Okay, I am just kidding but in all honesty I will truly miss seeing him in the comfort of my home. He had no artistic talent, yet was a huge part of the American culture. To the point where if I see a simple cleaning product in someone’s home, I crack up. Oxiclean is that product and it is magnificent. Billy was the frontiersmen of the informercial world. He alone paved the way for other informercial spokesmen. We have all heard of QVC. QVC is a channel devoted to selling products on the air. QVC initiated the idea of a timer that would pressure indecisive people to buy the product before it was too late. I myself never come along the QVC channel but I do watch television. Billy Mays along with his marketing company maybe responsible for the merger between the modern television and selling products to indecisive people. There will be many people in my life that do the exact same thing as Billy, maybe even do it better but they all need to give Billy thanks. He is the pioneer and the true explorer of the media frontier. The media frontier, which in the decade of the 2000′s is as untapped as the old west of early America. The media frontier is brutal and full of change. The old west was a mile stone in American culture and will be remembered as the exploratory mission of the new country.(turner, 1996) Railroad men, gold diggers, and oil men all made themselves pioneers of this land. In the world of technology Billy Mays made his mark as a trendsetter in this constantly evolving world.
Who is the Billy Mays of the nest generation? To be honest I have no idea. The only person that comes to mind is the “Shamwow” guy. I would be more than glad forfeiting him to the next generation. I will not judge because he is young, but i am going to anyway. He wears an unnecessary headset and starts talking about how Germans make the best stuff on the Earth. I would let those slide just because he is probably doing something much better than I. His spare time probably consists of adopting babies from Tibet. I was a little off with the adoption thing though. Instead he beats up prostitutes that he stiffed in the first place.(the smoking gun, 2009) Come to think of it the Shamwow commercials are getting more and more scarce. For his sake I hope he can get his act together because he has some big shoes to fill. Millions of kids out there need a salesmen icon to think back on someday. He might be the Billy Mays of the next generation. Just take the damn headset off.
As for Billy Mays… Rest in Peace. You were a heck of salesman and a true frontiersman
refrences
- Turner, F.J. (1996). The frontier in American history. New York: Dover Publications
- “Shamwow guy in slap, chop bust.” The Smoking Gun. Turner Sports & Emtertainment, 27 Mar. 2009. Web. 26 Oct. 2009. <http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0327092sham1.html
Where did movie montages go?
Everyone loves a feel good movie here and there, no matter who you are. A feel good movie has a pretty generic set of common themes. My favorite and probably the most common theme used is good triumphing over evil. It starts with an underdog with a kind soul who makes a goal they want to achieve. This goal involves beating the person who cannot be beat because they are really good and really evil. They start off slow but about halfway through the film they are doing very well. When it comes to the point where they are closest to their goal, an obstacle suddenly presents itself. They consider quitting for a bit but after something inspiring they get it together and finally beat the evil opponent. Movies with that particular theme are both countless and timeless.
My question is where did the montages in those type films go? If you ask me it is the best way to cover long periods of time and the same time pump you up. If I told you that I have never dreamed of myself having a montage, it would be a flat out lie.
For the cavemen who do not know what a montage is, it is a short scene in a movie about 3 to 5 minutes in length and has short cuts of the protagonist doing beneficially things with an inspirational song playing over it. The cuts show different types of training that the person or a team is doing.
Its a pretty easy assumption that if you have seen a montage recently it was from an 80′s movie. Some of the great examples include the Rocky series, Scarface, Dirty Dancing, and the Karate Kid. My personal favorite is in the original Rocky. Every athlete on this earth has dreamed of running up a large set of stairs blaring “Gonna fly now”.
I am not saying that the era of the montage is over. Some recent greats such as Hot Rod, Wet hot american summer, and Team America have took the risk. These recent movies have made the montage more of something to laugh at. They use the technique to make fun of the 80′s movies. As a lover of all movies I will say it first. I dont care, just keep using them.
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