The cloud surrounding Hilary Clinton is the exact opposite of the President, the shift in entertainment like coverage into politics is safely specific to the President. The constant breaking tabloid style of media surrounding the President simply wouldn’t fit with Clinton. The ‘boredom’ that would come with Clinton is considered the redundant presidential coverage consistent with pre-Trump  Presidents. Which from media outlets would mean a cut in the revenue gained from the constant coverage in a Trump centric news. 

During the 2020 election, there was a breadth of examples of the attempt to align social sensations with political activism. As influencers took to their social media followings to promote voting, and political activism. Some influencers applied incentive through things like lunch with Leonardo DiCappiro. Some influencers even offered explicit pictures of themselves in exchanged for proof of voting. In other examples, sports teams and organizations align activism in the community, doing meet and greets at social events in the community. Furthermore, in the example of activism through Black lives Matter the National Football League took great strides to align themselves and there following with social issues. Including putting names of victims on their helmets and boycotting practices and functions in the name of social equality.

In this example the primary signifier is the dress, and the primary signified would be a clothing garment. The primary denotation is the dress and the secondary signified is the engagement or the prospect of a wedding, which is the purpose of the advertisement. Secondary level signified is the proponent of eternal love and connection with your soulmate, as well as other material things including looking attractive and the appearance of wealth. 

Myth in this example is the cultural expectations and status of a wedding. Including the advancement of maturity, and social economics. Married individuals are perceived as more mature and advanced in life then their unmarried peers. 

Its important to understand these ideologies of gender in media culture because modern media culture helps define the social constructs that act in the cultural premise of gender.  Today media consumption sits near the top  influence for society. The popularity and rise of the implications of social media and media consumption effecting the social stratosphere means theres a direct cause and effect between media trends revolving around gender and the social constructs we chose to align and define ourselves by. 

The most compelling to me was the depiction of Trans people as comedic and how unaware I was to consuming this content, In reflection, however inadvertently I glossed over the portrayal of Trans people as comedic, and in fact the LGBTQ+ community as such. I think it goes hand in hand with the general idea that not many people know trans people. The stat that 80% of Americans don’t know somebody that is trans is alarming, but I fall into that 80%. In doing so the realization of marginalization through media is somewhat glossed over, or has been, somewhat in regards to the lack of personal connection I feel towards the community due to the lack of involvement I have. 

The most obvious course concept is the premise surrounding the “other”. Disclosure explores the early depiction of Transgendered peoples in media, and the comedic underlies with this depiction. They discuss the “humour” around cross dressing, how it was illegal and often mocked. Furthermore they discuss the parallels of mental health and depiction of transgenderd peoples in media. In terms of being “othered” these all take shape through these depictions. As if your idols, your representation or true self is depicted as comedic, mentally unstable and illegal. Instantly trans peoples are being othered in these depictions. Not  only are they minimalised but also looked down on with negative context in early media. 

Eating the other is the theory surrounding the ability of a dominant culture continuing to promote the status behind the other, due to the fear of uninterest if these foreign  depictions are true to the reality of whom they really are. Therefore the dominant culture will continue to control the narrative of the subculture or the “other” in a way that is historically submissive, eccentric and follows the patterns of portrayal up to this point. 

The quote that stood out to me in aspects such as cultural appropriation “Is this not imperialist nostalgia at its best-potent expression of longing for the “primitive”? (Hook 29) One desires “a bit of the other” to enhance the blank landscape of whiteness.”  to this, and the relation and relevance to this quote not only in the reference of the other but also with the cultural implications surrounding cultural appropriation.

This week I learned the struggles and obstacles that come with attempting to run a protest mainly through social media. Mainly the systemic obstacles handed down by Facebook. The irony is that a company that is attempting to eradicate social change and systemic oppression is  faced with it even on socials.   

To continue the previous point, the history of Trans people or cross dressers was rather surprising. I would have bet that prior to the 20th century they were simply just not involved in media or classical media depictions. The fact they were, despite being aggressively oppressed was rather alarming and challenged a preconceived notion of disinclusion.

The reading that was the most important is “Eating the Other” the tone, and power of the chapter was by far the most alarming and powerful excerpt of the semester. Not only this, but the chapter captured the issue in a very rare academic tone that is unique in the field of study.

The alter in approach to media consumption, is simply the self awareness that this course had brought to my attention regarding my media consumption. We discussed active audiences earlier in the course, and I believe throughout this course I became one, being able to dissect and understand media in better context. In my career, throughout the term my career goals have shifted previously from a communications professional to  a high school teacher so I think again that its just becoming self aware of my diction and content that I produce for my class.