Occupy Movement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLm3Yna30ms

Everybody Hands to Themselves

I'm sure by now that everyone has heard at least one detail about the situation that has unfolded this past week at Penn State University. For a short recap: a former defensive coordinator is being accused of molesting 9 young boys over a span of 15 years on the campus of Penn State through a charity he had set up for underprivileged children. It's sick, it's disgusting, it's horrible, all of those. Everything I keep hearing is that Penn State football has produced an almost cult-like atmosphere by only hiring in house and bringing coaches up through their own system. I have my own suspicions about why this was brought to light right after Joe Paterno broke the record for most Division I wins by a head coach. Now, to make matters even worse, more allegations have surfaced but at a different institution. A Syracuse University associate head basketball coach has now been accused of molesting two of the teams former ball boys in the late 1970s through the early 1990s. Unlike the Penn State situation, this coach is still with the University at this time. These accusations just surfaced last night so I suspect there are more speculations that actual facts known at this point. However, this information puts a dark mark on the Syracuse program that had high hopes for the young season at hand. Both of these instances make me question what has happened to college sports? In these universities with elite sports programs, the coaches are treated with such respect and awe that we don't keep them honest about what goes on when the game is over. Obviously the first are foremost victims are those boys being violated, but I also feel disappointment for the student athletes at Syracuse and Penn State. They had no part in the scandal at their respective schools, yet their seasons are now tainted and they must find a way to continue to play at the highest level with all of the uncertainty surrounding them. No matter how popular sports can become at a university, the coach and their staff must remain accountable and for the protection of everyone, should not be allowed to operate in the dark.

The Popularity of South Park

South Park has been on the air since the late 1990s and is watched by millions of people. It also runs syndicated on multiple different networks. But what is the secret behind the successful show? A few weeks ago Comedy Central ran a special that showed how Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, are able to put out an episode every six days. They begin Thursday morning and work all the way to Wednesday afternoon, even sleeping in the studio if needed. By working this way, they are able to stay current on all of the issues in popular culture. Take the episode last night. During the episode, the characters were repeatedly making jokes about the current Penn State allegations. While they may not be in the best taste, it is a very trending topic at the moment. This situation at Penn State has just developed in the past week and they were already able to joke about the situation in their latest episode. The other example that I found very impressive was from an episode a few weeks ago. On Sunday, Tim Tebow for the Denver Broncos led his team to a come from behind win in his first start of the season. On Wednesday, three days later, South Park's episode had jokes and even a side story about Tebow and the Broncos. I've never seen another show that can keep up with current events so well. I think this is how South Park has kept up in popularity over the years.

The Wonderful World of Disney...still

The other day in class we seemed to be bashing Disney movies, especially the princess Disney movies, for establishing a certain culture for young girls. I was thinking back and I don't ever remember thinking that those movies enhanced a princess culture in our society. As a kid, they were great stories and I enjoyed them for those stories that they told and of course the songs that I could sing along with. In a complete coincidence, I watched a few Disney movies this past weekend. After watching them and being in class for the princess discussion, I still didn't feel like the Disney movies promoted a princess culture. And the situation wasn't that during the movies I thought about the issue and then dismissed it, but didn't think about it at all. Just like when I was a kid, I was only concerned with the story and the songs. I forget who it was in class but someone brought up that the movies weren't the problem but all the extra things such as dolls, clothes, etc. I completely agree with them, I don't think that the movies themselves promote the princess culture. With all of extra things outside of the movies, I believe that's where the culture comes from. I think that to look at the movies as the cause of the princess culture is to over analyze the films rather than just enjoying the films for the stories that they are. And of course, singing along, even at this age, with those songs.

Military Sports

This past Friday I watched the collegiate basketball game between North Carolina and Michigan State that was played aboard the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson, which was
harbored just off the coast of San Diego. This is the same vessel that conducted Osama Bin Laden’s burial at sea. President Obama was in attendance for the entire game. He entered to
applause and was seated in the front row. In recognition of Veterans Day, the Tar Heels and Spartans had U.S.A. rather than their names on the back of their jerseys, which had a camouflage
design. At dusk, the game was paused for the lowering of the American flag. When the game ended, the players gave their jerseys to servicemen. North Carolina’s coach Roy Williams and his
staff dressed in combat boots and cargo pants in a salute to the troops.
We discussed the military in sports and watched a video in class that extensively
highlighted the negative effects of sporting events being paired with the military. As I watched the basketball game, I couldn’t help but think about how the narrator from that video would be
absolutely furious. This wasn’t marines being sworn in at a baseball game, the basketball game was actually played on an aircraft carrier. The whole night was half basketball game, half salute to the troops, and the video we watched probably would have argued even less in favor of the game. I found the timing amusing as well as how I enjoyed the game for exact reasons the video would condone. I felt like it was freaking sweet they were playing on an aircraft carrier.

Advertising to Children

I know this is a few weeks old but when we were talking about advertising to kids we watched a short clip that was about two minutes long. In my Social Ethics class we just watched that entire film which happens to be a lot longer than two minutes. After seeing it, it got me thinking again about our class opinion on the film. The general consensus at the time seemed to be that the fault needed to be laid at the feet of the parents. It is their kid, they need to be responsible for them. In the full-length version of the film, they bring up some points I felt were valid. One of them was that a parent can't control what advertising their child is exposed at school anymore. I think about this and I feel the video is right, I mean, we're a long way from just having the "Got Milk?" posters. And once they get older, the child will spend less time with their parents. Out with friends on a Friday or Saturday night, advertising can bombard them without the parents present to shield them. While I don't think you can take all responsibility away from parents, (they need to be able to say no) if kids are away from them and with their own money advertising can influence them in a negative way. But I think the most important thing to take away from the video is that Pop Culture is awesome because we only had to watch two minutes of the film rather than take a whole class period for it.