This past week we have been talking about how the media shapes both young men and women. We looked at examples from movies, t.v. ads and magazine ads. I learned that the media uses women to sell sex and uses men to promote masculinity. At first i didn't agree that the media has a big influence on our every day lives but then i realized that we are exposed to around 3000 ads per day and most of them are some sexual reference. When we looked at the ads from the website i had seen some of those ads/commercials and never really thought about how they use women to sell their products. I like how dove is going about their advertising. I think that by showing young teen girls that its alright to be imperfect that its leading to higher self esteem. If i was a girl i would definitely invest in dove products. On a different note while i was watching t.v. tonight over an hour span i saw more than 50 commercials suggesting sex. I only counted the obvious ones and i'm sure i missed a couple as well. I also believe that the media promotes masculinity in guys. Every commercial you see its all about being big and tough and putting on his mask that nothing can bother you. In reality thats not how anyone should act. In every ad there promoting masculine products there is always a guy who is ripped with his shirt off and seems to have flawless muscles. In reality this image is almost impossible to achieve. I think its ridiculous how much sex is a part of the media these days.

This week we read about groups that had an influence on you. I would agree with the reading that family has the biggest impact on my life. The lessons that they teach me are both manifest and latent lessons. The manifest lessons are one that are taught directly. Some of these lessons include table manners, how to drive a car and be a good student. I never thought about these lessons but as i was reading the article i immediately thought of the table manners. my parents in particular have taught me to always be polite at the dinner table. They told me never reach for something rather t ask in a polite way. Lessons such as this one are only taught through perseverance. The other type of lesson is one that goes under the radar a little. These lessons are ones like political affiliation and how brand names. For example today in class we talked about how we use brand names to classify certain products. My favorite example was calling a bandage a band-aid. I have grown up for years thinking it was always called a band-aid never realizing its technically called a bandage. These are only a few examples but my family has had many positive impacts on my life.

Earlier this week we talked about the man who completely removed himself from society and lives in the national park living off the environment. I found this really interesting that a man even in today's society which is focused on materialism and wealth can withdrawal completely. Its amazing what a trip to a third world country can do for you. He went to work at an impoverished Latin American country which had not much going for them. But as he studied he realized that as they became wealthier their happiness decreased. I find it amazing that someone can be happy living off nothing and barely has a place to live. Im not saying that the life of the ultra-rich is practical either. I think we need to find a healthy balance between the two in order to live in the society we do today.

The past couple days we have been watching the movie Tuesday's with Morrie. Through out the movie Morrie seems to be very wise and full of knowledge. In one scene he talks about dependency. Morrie with his disease is complete dependent on other people. He can hardly do anything without the help of someone else. I am dependent on many other people. Since i play a sport i rely on my team on a day-to-day basis. As a team we reply on each other to be somewhere or help one another out. I do not think it is a bad thing to be dependent. I think it builds trust and can help one form a better relationship with others. Morrie is complete at the mercy of Mitch and his other helpers. He forms strong bonds with each person through the experiences together. Though out society today people criticize those who are dependent on one another as being lazy or incompetent. I think this is wrong because trust is formed when one is dependent on another person.

Yesterday in class we had the class discussion. I went a different route with the assignment. i chose to analyze America through the ideals that were most important to American's instead of saying what we focus most on. I think that the idea of opportunity is one of the leading values of America. America is the place where anyone can be anything they want to. this holds true to the social ladder that anyone has the opportunity to climb. Most of the class went on the route of saying what is wrong with American culture. I agree with what most people said how American's are ignorant, impatient and materialistic. I would agree with these assumptions because i feel that i fit into some of the categories as well.