Hip Hop [...] By: Jared A Ball

Somethings that I understood is that Hip Hop like any form of media creates ideologies and world views. According to Ball, it is fraudulent and a constructed fabrication.In this case, directors, advertisor, stockholders among others are responsible for dissiminating conciousness they authorize and mass produce. Ball believes that Black America has been colonized. Hip Hop also helps keep them colonized and is a result from that colonization. He provides three examples of this.For example, Black people live in places like projects(these places are usually distinct, perform cheap labor and create raw materials such as Hip Hop. As a result we see violence, negative portrayal of women, and lack of creativity. For example, when someone signs a contract into a label, they can determine the content or direction of Hip Hop. But it is up to the CEO,administrators, commercial spokes people and etc, who determine what musics should be used. One example that was provided was Young Buck's song called Fuck Tha Police( I have posted the video below). They concluded that it would not be added to his album because of the violent content. According to Ball the administrators" keep people from stepping – intellectually or literally – beyond acceptable parameters. In this case these administrators become the intellectual equivalent of the guard at the gate telling you beyond this line you may not cross, that is, not without serious repercussion". Ball futher states that even though Hip Hop has been used to glofy the living condtions of those in poverty, little has been done to change it or the lives of Black America in general.

The first reading was a little difficult for me because of the way it was written. But I think I grasp what was being said and its main point.The second reading was pretty short and understandable. I don't know if anyone felt the same way as I did.

This reading can connect with one of our conceptual framework; media matters. These readings show that hip hop like any other form of media, is shaped. According to Ball, what is produced in Hip Hop is created because that is what people want to see. He provides examples of artist who we dont see because they speak more about the colonial status of Black America such as police brutality, impoverished schools among other things. Below I also attached a video by Dead Prez which is a song about Hop Hop. They express the need for change and how hip hop should be more than what it is today; such as what we see artist like Jay-Z, 50 cent or Lil Wayne producing. These are people that little boys in middle school and high school idolize and listen to. It shows that media matters because it teaches children things about what to wear, how to wear it, how to think, how to see the world among many other things.



"Together the ants will conquer the elephant"- Dead Prez


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Coming of Age with the Internet- McMillian & Morrison

Somethings that I understood was that the "internet and related technologies has influenced [...] young people's lives"(McMillan & Morrison 73). The authors also wanted to create an understanding on how the internet is integrated into the daily lives and social interactions of young people. Parents were usually the first to buy a family computer and this provided them with a new form of communication with their children who went away for college. According to the Pew Internet & AmericanLife Project, college students were the heaviest users of the internet. Some things that college students use the internet for is checking and writing emails, shopping, downloading music, staying in touch with professors, instant messaging among many other thing. The internet was also used to "help define themselves as individuals with unique identities within the context of family and social structures. Others also used it to help build their character. Interenet and new technology can be viewed as both positive and negative. One postive aspect of the internet is that international students can use technology to enable them to communicate with people as they study abroad and more resources and information. Something that made technology negative is that itr can create social isolation. The authors provide a solution to the negative aspect of the internet and technology, they inform us that "students need to be counseled that the internet does not replace the need for traditional forms of research and should instead be viewed as a supplemental to the learning process"(91).

There wasn't anything I did not understand about this reading. Although, I did want to know more about how it affected teens specifically, especially with the new networking sites and upgrades in technology. This reading does show that media matters and can shape our daily lives. According to Kathy (someonethe authors interviewed), she stated that she uses thew internet all the time and believes her life would be different with out it."I would not be able to look up things that I wanted without calling to get a brochure, going to the library or ordering a book or a catalog[...]"(87). Something that I found quite interesting if that the first world wide web browser began in 1993. This form of technology is fairly new and recent.



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A Tangle of Discourse: Girls Negotiating Adolescence By: Raby

Some things that I understood is that adolescence is associated with five western discourses such as “the storm, becoming, at risk, social problem and pleasurable consumption” (Raby 425). Discourses according to Raby, “refers to a set of meanings, metaphors, representations, images, stories, statements and so on that in some way together produce a version of things or people”(430).The author further states that since adolescence is a discourse, it is constructed and reinforced by those with power. The western discourses can be viewed as stereotypes that are no different from the racial stereotypes. Adolescents are considered "others" in our society.Raby also adds that adolescence is also affected by gender, class and race but these topics are not really explored within her paper. Adolescence is a Western phenomenon that was created in the twentieth century. It is linked to consumer culture and capitalist imperatives.

Raby interviewed twelve girls and eleven grandmothers in order to find out what they thought about adolescence as they were experiencing it. The experience of these girls was compared to that of their peers and the western dominant discourses. Grandmothers were used to reflect on their own experiences as adolescents, their views on adolescents and what they thought of their grand children as adolescents. Their opinions all varied which proves that the five discourses are contradictory. One good is example is a grandmother Jan. When she was first asked how she see teenagers today, she first began by stating that different generations cannot be compared. But she compares generations by saying that teens today are more determined to get that they want.

One question I had was wheather adolescence is viewed as biological? I know that not many of the interviewees discussed adolescence in terms of biology. But how does society view or health specialist see adolescents?

Below is a video I found that relates to the reading. Its a poem about teens, rebellion and self identity among other things. Hope you enjoy!

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The reading connect to all of the conceptual frameworks that we will be discussing in class. For example "teenagers are not some alien life form" relates to the article because Raby uses grandmothers in order to compare their experiences as adolescence to that of their grandchildren and etc. Something I found interesting was that the author believes adolescent development is exaggerated. According to Raby, "teen years are stormier for parents than for teenagers"(431). This can be very true because when I was a teen, my mother seemed to have more of a problem that I was growing up. She didnt know how to handle every situation that she encountered with me because she didnt have her mother in her life as a child or a teen. The author also stated that how a child is raised also depends on how they turn out...wheather they are respectful, disrespectful and etc. I believe this is very true because I was raised to be respectful of adults among many other things. Even though I rebelled against my mother, individuals differ and I'm sure not every woman in the world was rebellious as teen.

When I was thirteen

This is really old and I apologize. I hate reading instructions...you would think that as an English major, I wouldnt mind reading anything. But anywho....when I was thirteen, I remember wanting to be an adult. My parents were strick and I found myself always rebelling. I loved school at the time, it was my source of entertainment. I was in the same school as many of my cousins and close friends. My cousin and I wanted to adults so bad, we decided that make up will help us look older. My mom didnt know how to deal with me, so I was usually my dad's responsibility lol. My mom was the soft spoken one in the family and hated confrontations. I used to watch certain channels like BET's 106 in park, so I could relate to the kids in my class. Thats where we heard the lastest music, was the lastest fashion styles and found out about the lives of celebrities we idolized. I remember watching all the movies where love always had a happy ending... I dreamt of what life would be like...when I met my prince charming.

Even as a thirteen year old, I held many responsibilites. I helped my mother cook and clean all the time. My brother was also born around that time, so my life changed dramatically. While my mom was working, I baby sat my little brother and sisters....among other things. My mother was raised among tradition people, so she raised me in a traditional manner as welll...meaning that I was taught how to do these womanly duties at an early age.

Media Literacy

Media is a powerful cultural force because children and adults both love and watch it. It is often a part of our daily lives because we watch and listen to it for hours a day. Even though media can be entertaining, the media raises a lot of concerns according to a site on media literacy. Some of the concerns that media raises includes:

• Its creation of stereotypes/bias



• Violence is taught through entertainment



• Children & teens are targeted through advertisement
  

According to google, media literacy can be defined as "the ability to act, analyze, evaluate and produce communication and information" on different forms of media. In order to be literate about the media, we must all think critically about the things that we see within the media. Being critical and analytical about the things that we see on TV, Magazines, films, billboards and etc, will enable us to make changes or positive decisions. It will also help us be wiser consumers.