Thursday, December 13, 2007

How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Never Gave it Back

The illustration's point is that our society has turned Christmas into cheap gimmicks and sales pitches. No one--- not even stories that teach the "true" meaning of Christmas--- is safe from the hustle and bustle of the economic profit and cheesy lines. I agree with this because it seems that the media makes millions of dollars off of toys from films that give examples of the "true" meaning of Christmas. This type of marketing is contradictory to what these movies claim to teach about the "spirit of giving".
The visual tools in this article are very effective because it presents the reader with the stereo-typical view of Americans today's society; the large shopper filled with "Christmas cheer" and enchanted by the number of items. The surrounding shelves filled with items on sale show how materialistic our society has become, and the Visa card is the like the key to the gates of paradise for the bright and bushy-eyed customer.
The shopper's overall appearance can be compared to a "Who"(a what?) from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The depiction characterizes Americans as obsessed with buying the true meaning of Christmas. The shopper is not necessarily male or female, is dressed in bright "holiday" clothing and has the empty expression of a dumb oaf. This image is necessary for showing that Americans are the same when it comes to Christmas.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Taylor's death a grim reminder for us all.

1.) In this article, Whitlock confronts the tradgedy of NFL player Sean Taylor' death. Whitock says the cause of death can be attributed to Taylor's sketchy past involving black violence. Whitock refers to those responsible for this violence as the "Black KKK," and explains that they are just as bad as the older generation's KKK. The most lethal thing about this group is that it is defended by some black journalists and most of the media, so the rest of the world has to either ignore the issue or go along with it, lest they be labeled racist. The fact is, Whitlock explains, that the statistics don't lie. Our culture ignoring or accepting the violence in our system will only make things worse. The Black KKK has maintained the "soulja boy" theme, which supports the same crippling mentality of the original KKK; it's about keeping black men "uneducated, outside the mainstream and six feet deep."

2.) Whitock's main point is that if blacks ever want to overcome the statistics of death in their own race, they need to first overcome the cultural views placed on them by the Black KKK. These views are destructive because they discourage education and other opportunities that could potentially lead to success.

3.) I agree with Whitoc's article. Sadly, our society has given the "Black KKK" immunity by endorsing its standards through violent Hip Hop music. It's ridiculous that in today's society, if you are a sucessful black man who has embraced education, the "Black KKK" says you are less of a man because of it.

4.) Whitock uses parellelism when he writes, "The Black KKK claimed another victim, a high-profile professional football player with a checkered past this time." This is significant because Whitock shows that Taylor was not just an innocent victim of white racism, as the black media would have us believe.