Merchants of Cool

This is one of my favorite documentaries from the PBS show Frontline.  It's about how MTV and other corporations obsessively market themselves to teens consumers.  When the teens find out that they are being manipulated into buying something they usually shun the product and call it "uncool".  Corporations then go back and re-brand themselves into something else trendy and re-market their products until once again teens uncover their strategy.  Branding and marketing gets more and more subversive with each cycle.
I think that this technique works well will the Frankfurt school's theory of media manipulation of culture  to fuel capitalism.  It also fits well with the Cultural Studies approach of media encoding/decoding.  In this case the process is dynamic: producers encode a marketable commodity, teens decode the commodity by consuming it, and then producers recode the same commodity to make it look fresh and appetizing after it has gone out of style.

Female Genital Mutilation

Though we have not discussed this in class, female genital mutilation (FGM) is a huge global issue. The article I have attached from CNN Health goes into detail the battle native African and Middle Eastern parents, particularly mothers, now living in the US go through in deciding whether to circumcise their daughters and how they should go about doing so. The circumcision procedure is very dangerous to a woman's health as well as extremely painful. In villages such as in Africa many times the procedure is done with a shard of glass or a crude knife making the patient very susceptible to infection and even HIV, not to mention depriving them from most sexual sensation. The article proposes that perhaps to find a common ground for immigrants in America is to just "nick" the girl's genital that causes minimal health risks and still satisfies the cultural requirements. This raises the issue that the US would then be condoning this act. Also, as one mother put it, "By offering to a person to do it, it undermines the education and advocacy work being done to stop it."

Some of the question that rise from this are:

Should "nicking" be legalized in America?

Do Western or more developed nations have a right to go into practicing villages and impose their ideas and beliefs on these women when this has been a tradition and rite of passage in their culture for centuries?

What laws should be imposed in nations like the US who are making a stride to ban FGM among their country and others?

There is also a second article I attached from the New York Times explaining the Girls Protection Act which would make it illegal for parents practicing FGM to send their daughters to their native countries overseas to have the procedure done. This could create many more controversies.

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-05-21/health/america.female.genital.cutting_1_female-circumcision-cultural-beliefs-somali-immigrant/3?_s=PM:HEALTH

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/opinion/01thu4.html?_r=1&ref=femalegenitalmutilation

Hackers as Activists

In the article "Oppositional Politics and the Internet" Kahn and Kellner remind us of the historical view of hackers as nerds online who can crack code. In recent years the view of hackers by the corporate media has become one of people who crack code to steel software --i.e. hackers partake in illegal activities that go against corporate interest. Kahn and Kellner also speak extensively of online activism. Hackers are activists posting evidence what our global corporate media would not want or allow coverage on.

This article is another example of reframing hackers as activists. The staff of wiki leaks has been successful in publishing evidence on the site that has everyone in the US government disturbed, including our current president.

The writer cites Steven levy who researched hackers in the 1980s and found two values hackers believe in:
(1) all information should be free;
(2) mistrust authority and promote decentralization

what I find interesting is the mainstream framing of wiki leaks. In the mainstream media wikileaks is framed as threatening our national security. My questions would be:

Do you agree that asking/demanding transparency of the government is a threat to our national security?
Do you personally share any of these values with the hackers? Should all information be free?
If not, how do we measure what is free and open to the public and what is not?

Also, the internet clearly has the potential for decentralization. Why would people ask for decentralization? And would that desire arise in response to global media control? Is that a reasonable response?

Enjoy the link!

http://www.thenation.com/article/154780/wikileaks-and-hacktivist-culture

5 years later...the Mohammad cartoons

Five years later there is still fury over the Muhammad cartoons conflict. Three men suspected to be linked to Al Qaeda were arrested in Norway in July. Authorities are now saying that they believe the men were planning an attack on the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, the first to print the Mohammad cartoons. This article also notes that the conflict escalated after the cartoons were reprinted in newspapers in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and Hungary .

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/29/world/europe/29norway.html?_r=1&ref=world

The Mohammed cartoon and Park 51 debates in connection with agenda setting and media manipulation

I want to add this article from the New Yorker a couple weeks ago to our ongoing discussion of global Muslim issues. Lawrence Wright has an interesting perspective on on the Mohammed cartoons, Park 51 and America's Muslim population. He highlights the way in which both the cartoon phenomenon and the Park 51 debate developed as situations in which one politically motivated person used certain--otherwise relatively innocuous occurrences--to draw media attention to themselves and their issues. Essentially, Wright argues that neither of these conflicts would have had the social magnitude that they did had not "fearmongering and slander serve[d] as the basis of an argument that cannot rely on facts to make its case." This article portrays both phenomena as extreme examples of agenda setting by people whose opinions were originally in a minority and who managed, through manipulation of different media outlets and group leaders, to make their issues the concern of an outspoken majority.

Another example of this technique that is salient to the discussion is in the Packer article about social scientists and the war on terror. Packer points out that Bin Laden's inclusion of global warming in a list of complaints against America, was a ploy to align his cause with that of the Democratic Party in America in order to assist in getting Bush re-elected, because Bin Laden felt that "Bush's strategy in the war on terror was sustaining his own global importance." These examples illustrate the manner in which people use sensationalism and fear in order to simply stay in the media spotlight, an important strategy in the struggle to appropriate and maintain social power. They also show how the material media consumers are asked to interpret as current affairs presented at face value is often blatant manipulation of public opinion by someone with a personal political agenda.

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2010/09/20/100920taco_talk_wright

This is a great piece on India's surveillance policies. The government is trying to gain access (and will probably succeed) to messages exchanged on messenger services like Blackberry and Skype and is also demanding access to mail servers like Gmail. Experts say this will hit businesses trying to come up in India and impact India's dream of becoming a technology hub. They are doing this for 'security reasons' - an oft-used reason for doing pretty much anything in India these days.
To tie this to some of the topics we studied in class, I would say this closely relates to the power struggles that corporations and nation states show from time to time. By implementing this 'Big Brother' policy, the government is essentially showing the citizens of India who's boss.
Is this really fair in an era of globalisation where the focus should be on eliminating any remaining barriers between a country and the rest of the world? Interestingly, the article also mentions that countries like United Arab Emirates and Indonesia are also trying to implement similar measures.
I believe this reinforces the belief that a local idea is no longer local because there is a framework for it to go global - even if the idea does little for a society or countryhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/business/global/28secure.html?_r=2&hpw.

I found these interesting articles on Bloomberg Businessweek. One of which is a story about how Netflix is giving premium cable channels, like HBO, sleepless nights. I thought it was very relevant when we speak of media TNC's. Ironically, the article says that up until now, Netflix was more a friend than a foe to HBO but that has clearly changed.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_39/b4196021822248.htm

The other piece is a cover story called 'How Facebook sells you' - it starts off with a story about Nike and how advertisers used Facebook as a medium to 'Write the Future.' (You'll see the context when you read the article - the numbers in the article are mind-boggling.) This article is a great education on how social media has kind of pervaded our lives to such an extent that now advertisers and marketers have access to our personal preferences. It's astonishing at how extremely 'user-specific' and targeted the advertising is.
Again, if a media TNC manages to buy Facebook in the future, how powerful would it become seeing as Facebook is probably getting bigger as we speak? The article also mentions a movie called the 'The Social Network' which is about Mark Zuckerberg and the rise of Facebook. It opens in theatres this week - October 1.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_40/b4197064860826.htm?chan=magazine+channel_top+stories

The Solvable Problem of Energy Poverty

Wow, this is inspiring! It's a National Geographic article addressing a major but rarely talked-about sustainable development issue: energy poverty. Innovative ideas for solutions will be discussed at this week's UN Summit, and it looks like the US may substantially contribute. Given the Bush administrator's dismal environmental track-record, this could be a step in the right direction, both in terms of supporting sustainable development and in terms of working to undo the damage done by decades of hard-line "economy first, environment second" US policies.

It'll be interesting to see what actually happens and if this improves Global North-South relations or turns out to be merely a publicity stunt on the behalf of the North.

Here's hoping... http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/100921-energy-poverty-cookstoves/ ... It would be excellent if the mass media started covering sustainable development again.

Leaving Water for Immigrants

Immigration is a pretty hotly debated topic. This article talks about volunteer and aid groups that leave water bottles in the desert for immigrants crossing the border. One volunteer received a ticket for littering when he left some water jugs in the middle of the desert. It has been argued that by leaving these water jugs in the desert, these organizations are encouraging people to immigrate. However, the reality is that people are going to continue crossing the border and no matter where people stand on immigration, isn't this more of a matter of respect for human life?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/us/27water.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

China Imposes Tariff on US Chicken

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39378377/ns/world_news-asiapacific

Summary: China is imposing a tariff on imported US chicken because the low prices are undermining the local market. It reminds me of the documentary about Jamaica, and is a great example of globalization.

Treating of Islamic People in Other Countries

In lieu of our discussions of Islamophobia in the US, here is a great write up from the conversation between NPR's reporter Rachel Martin and Dutch representatives on the topic of the Dutch banning traditional Islamic dress such as the burqa.

It is in great connection to the Dutch attempt to make one national culture.

"We want the Islamic community in the Netherlands to fully integrate in our society, and if you go walking down the streets and you cannot really show yourself, it's a big no to Dutch society."

However, not all believe that this is necessary.

"The idea that there is only one culture is silly. There is not just one culture in the Netherlands. I mean multi-culturist elements are part and parcel of Dutch society. So, and that's why I think it doesn't make sense to say, well, we don't like it and we're going to stop it."

In other words, though there is a great stride to assimilate Dutch society, others argue that these multi-culturist elements are what help define it.

This controversy has been going on for years and clearly stems from negative prejudices of Muslims dating all the way back to the 80's but even more so from the 9/11 attacks on the US. Discrimination against muslims and attempts to keep the excluded from a nation's social and public life is a problem in many more countries than just the US.

Take a little look...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5181079

What is FREE trade?

After talking about the Tiananmen Square massacre in China, I thought about another protest led by many students and intellectuals in Seattle, Washington. Protestors were not brutally killed, as in Tiananmen, but the protestors were treated quite inhumanly and met with much resistance by police and other government officials. The World Trade Organization (WTO) met in Seattle in 1999 to discuss rules about trading. Thousands of people met in the street to protest what this 'free' trade really meant and how it affected the world and developing countries. The protests were non-violent until a small group started violent acts which later brought on "issuing of curfews, arresting, tear-gassing, pepper spraying and even shooting rubber bullets at innocent protestors." I have attached a video, part of a series, which documents what happened. I was outraged at the injustice that occured.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JUZOGkw6tQ

Mass Rapes in DR Congo - Peacekeepers did NOT do enough to keep victims safe

There has been mass rapes in villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo with approximately 300 victims including 235 women, 52 girls, 13 men, and 3 young boys. It was rebel army groups that did the attack/rapings called the Mai-Mai Cheka, the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (DLFR), and elements close to Colonel Emmanuel Nsengiyumva. The reasoning behind the attacks? The proposed reason was to intimidate the local people seen by the rebel groups as government supporters. So the 55 children who were raped... they were government supporters?Where were the victims' protection? What is the UN going to do now to keep them protected?

There are more potential attacks to come and attacks could be occuring as you read this. In 2009 alone there were over 8,300 rapes and many rapes go unreported. Will there ever be justice for the victims? Will their stories ever get enough attention to provoke change? Why is this getting so little coverage?

The UN released a statement saying that the UN peacekeeping forces in the DR Congo did not receive any training as to how to help or protect victims in a situation such as this one and suffered from 'operational constraints.' I'm wondering if this is statement is sufficient to keep the victims, victims' friends and family, and potential future victims from worrying about tomorrow...

I THINK NOT.

Mass Rapes DR Congo

Access to Life

The recent MDG summit reminded me of "Access to Life", a multimedia project conducted by Magnum Photos and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria that sent eight noted photojournalists (including Steve McCurry, whom I deeply admire) to nine countries to document the effects of free antiretroviral treatment on over 30 individuals with HIV/AIDS. Goal 6 of the MDGs (set forth a decade ago) is to "combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases", which includes providing universal access to ARV treatment by 2010.

What strikes me about the "Access to Life" project is 1) the respect shown for personal narratives and the honesty with which these stories are portrayed, and 2) how the integrated use of images/audio shared through a variety of different channels can effectively raise awareness worldwide. The website is great in allowing easy access to these narratives: http://www.theglobalfund.org/html/accesstolife/en/

A look into the future, from the US government.

So, when I orginally stumbled upon this I wasn't sure if it was even real. It was produced by the United States National Intelligence Agency and it outlines very specifically what the government imagines the globalizing world to look like in the year 2025. In addition to discussing issues such as global population growth, the changing balance of power, and "state capitalism," it discusses the new transnational agenda of the government. I highly encourage you to check it out if you have the time.


http://www.dni.gov/nic/PDF_2025/2025_Global_Trends_Final_Report.pdf

The Story of Stuff

This 20-minute video is primarily about consumerism; however, it nicely demonstrates globalization and the Dependency Theory that was discussed in class on Wednesday, September 22nd. The goal of The Story of Stuff is to "amplify public discourse on a series of environmental, social and economic concerns and facilitate the growing Story of Stuff community's involvement in strategic efforts to build a more sustainable and just world."

I know you are all busy and 20 minutes feels like a lot of time, but this is worth it!

http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.php

Google's crime against human culture

This is a fantastic article about the history of net neutrality dating back to a librarian revolution, and Google's resistance to this concept.
https://www.adbusters.org/blogs/blackspot-blog/googles-flaw.html

The Agronomist Documentary - Jean Dominique

A great documentary about Jean Dominique's struggle - a Haitian agronomist turned civil rights activist and radio broadcaster of Haiti's first independent radio station. He was highly critical of the Haitian government (at the time) but he also delivered global news to the Haitian people as well. He typically spoke on behalf of the poor and dispossessed of Haiti. Jean was shot dead due to his unwavering dedication to the ideals of democracy, free speech and an open and uncensored press

Here is the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlB7Y7xDB6U&feature=related
You can definitely rent this from the library and should be able to find on Netflix as well.

chinas leaders harness folk religion for their aims

I thought this was an interesting example of how media, culture and politics intersect. With the ban on religion by the Chinese government in the past, it is surprising to see it embrace the celebration of a folk goddess, Mazu. Not only was it promoted on a large scale, but certain officials are quoted as personal proponents, in a celebration/political rally. The government has promoted Mazu as it serves to improve ties with Taiwan and fosters some economic gain through tourism.
The authority of religious institutions was previously seen by the government as a possible threat to the authority of the communist regime, but now the powers that be are making use of cultural traditions for their own promotion and agendas.





http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128672542

How important are communication and media for development?

This is the website for the Media Map Project, which is designed to explore the relationship between media and development.  Research has generally shown that press freedom is related to higher levels of democratic governance, as well as development indicators related to health, education and the economy.  But research needs to go beyond press freedom to look at media and technology access, independence, and audience empowerment. This project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and also involved are the World Bank and Brookings Institution.
Website:
http://mediamapresource.wordpress.com/about-media-map/

Haitians given voice--and little else

This article is about the recent installation of suggestion boxes in Haitian refugee camps in which they have no social services and little food availability or contact with the outside world. Suggestion boxes are being used by residents of the camp to voice their misery, make requests or demands and in some cases just to vent. On one hand this seems like a helpful outlet, introducing a kind of alternative media to allow these disenfranchised people to express themselves. On the other hand, though, it also comes across as a misdirected kind of outreach that ties into the Mody and Lee article we are reading for tomorrow which details some theorists' argument that introducing forms of media into the Third World would necessarily result in development. Mody and Lee point out that "Western innovations selected for diffusion did not address the reason why up to one third of the people in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America did not have basic levels of food clothing and shelter" (pp 95-96). Similarly, in this article about Haitians' use of suggestion boxes and what happens to the letters after they are submitted--they are all read, some aloud on the radio station that is part of the International Organization for Migration communication program--the results seem quite discouraging, especially at the end of the article when the reporter explains that "the $400,000 program was intended to give voice to the voiceless and not food to the hungry or money to the destitute." Perhaps the program will raise awareness and ultimately be helpful in raising funds for these refugees, but it does seem a bit cruel that they are invited to express their plight and make pleas for assistance with the caveat that it is unlikely that anyone will respond.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/20/world/americas/20haiti.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th

Disney, Chevron and Monsanto Contracted with Blackwater for Intelligence, Training and Security Services

We were just talking about Disney on Monday and controversy over the conglomerate, cartoons, etc..  This story which was published in the Nation (an alternative progressive weekly) reveals that Disney hired Blackwater (the controversial security firm that ran into legal troubles in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past few years) for security services to check out potential film sites.  Another corporation, Monsanto, is also controversial for its aggressive development and global promotion of GM seeds and products, also contracted Blackwater.  Let's see if any of the large mainstream media pick up this story... See the article at: .Disney, Monsanto & Blackwater

Censorship Project

The first Website I've posted below relates well to our class discussion today concerning censorship and consumer responsibility. As we are often deceived by corporations and their media strongarms, I feel we are responsible to research what we consume should we have the privilege and means to perform said research. This Website is a great resource for exactly that.
I've also attached an intriguing YouTube video that supports these topics, and centers on two Fox News journalists who were stiffled and eventually fired by Fox when they tried to report on the MNC Monsanto's use of Bovine Growth Hormone. Fox asserted (as did a Florida court) that the First Amendment enables the media to lie if they want to. This story has many implications concerning the all-too-prevalent power of MNCs to intimidate the media, as well as the media's ability to conceal the truth from viewers/consumers should they deem it necessary for the maintenance of their financial bottom line.
Both are interesting - I hope you enjoy!

www.projectcensored.org
www.youtube.com/watch?v=axU9ngbTxKw

Indonesian Islamists Fear 'Christianization'

Whoah sorry to post again back to back, but I just found this:

"Indonesian Islamists Fear 'Christianization.'"

It's the flip side of our Ground Zero mosque controversy! Interesting that I haven't read about this anywhere else...? Maybe I'm just behind the times, but it seems interesting there haven't been mass Christian protests or shows of solidarity yet. We'll see how this develops...

English Soccer Hooligans Protest Mosque at Ground Zero

Hi everyone. This blog article is a few days old, but I thought it was still highly pertinent: http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/english-soccer-hooligans-at-ground-zero/?ref=world

In a nutshell it's about the troubling emergence of anti-Muslim/foreigner hate groups in Britain, specifically among die hard football (soccer) fans. The main group covered here, the English Defense League, takes the inherent nationalism of football fandom way too far... To quote the article, "The fact that the E.D.L. channels the rage of hardcore soccer fans into racist demonstrations against foreigners and Muslims in England is no secret."

Scary stuff, eh? It's amazing (and worrying) to hear that some of the members actually traveled to New York to help protest the proposed mosque on Ground Zero. It reminds us that the impacts of 9/11 (and the mass ignorance/equation of an entire culture with a single violent group) reverberated around the world, and provides an interesting look at the dark underbelly of nationalism. We hear so much about soccer uniting us (the World Cup and so on) that it's sobering to learn about the way it is being used to divide us... it will be interesting to see that the British government does about this.

- Anna M.

The Right to Remain Silent

Last week's This American Life radio show featured a story about how someone's Facebook status update about the Apple Store became a matter of Homeland Security.  The Internet has really knocked down the barriers to how far an individual's voice can travel.  This story shows how easily the original message can be misinterpreted by the wrong people.

Here's the link to the episode's webpage: http://tinyurl.com/32hc79s 
or you can listen below. 

Island of Flowers

This was a video that was shown to me during the summer before my senior year of high school while I attended a summer program at Hendrix College. Its use of satire throughout the beginning of the video catches the viewers attention in a light way which I feel makes the impact of the final message so powerful. It is about capitalism in Brazil. Its use of imagery, repetition, and music makes it one of the most compelling videos I've ever seen. It is a short video that leaves a lasting feeling of concern with the effects of capitalism on human rights.


Island of Flowers

NYT Article- Press Freedom

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/20/business/media/20sources.html?_r=1&ref=world

I thought this article could tie in well with our article "Communicating Rights: Media, Rights Organizations, Education, And the Arts." This article discusses E.U. shield laws.

A shield law provides news reporters with the right to refuse to testify to information/sources of information used while gathering news. Basically, a reporter cannot be forced to reveal a source "a safeguard that many journalists say is necessary for free media to thrive." Europe has relatively strong laws; and, while the U.S. is yet to set any at the national level, many states have such protection for journalists.

France & the evictions of the Roma

The controversy over the evictions by France are getting more heated:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11332189

French President Sarkovy is reacting angrily to comments by an EU commissioner that were highly critical of the recent evictions of Roma by French authorities. 

Do you think that given the tensions regarding immigration throughout many European countries (although the Roma generally aren't immigrants per se), that there is more support for these actions from the public in France and other countries?

How should France handle this controversy?  Is Pres. Sarkovy's response the best strategy?

Welcome to our class blog

This blog is designed to serve as platform for dialogue and debate about issues related to the class.  Feel free to post news articles, videos, images, etc., along with your commentary about the blog posts.  Enjoy!