Hannah's Media Blog

Mac Miller's 2018 album "Swimming" was beautiful. This was his final album before he died of an overdose in September of last year. I know most of the posts I've written on this blog have been about certain albums or artists, and that's only because I feel that the media that truly influences youth and relates to teenagers most is music. This album especially has a tone and mood throughout it that appeals to newer techniques and feelings while also capturing a timeless emotion that many can relate to. Mac being only twenty-six when he died, he still had the youthfulness that teens have, and the angst of our generation and time period. First, I wanted to point out the cover art. Malcolm is sitting in a upright coffin in a pink suit barefoot. at first thought, I wanted to believe that it was a representation of his escape from the suicidal thoughts and mental health issues he had struggled with throughout his life. His actions in September said otherwise. I be...

I did not have any particular objections to this film, other than that the narrator's voice sounded like one of the tethered from the movie "Us", but it left me feeling like I should. I feel like I should have. I feel like there should be an objection, to a fact they said, or something they left out. Because the thing is, while I don't think that documentary was inaccurate, I feel like there are parts of women's stories that were  minimized to make the hardships seem even more harrowing than reality. For example, the film spent very little time talking about what the media got right, and was much more keen to point out the shortcomings of television vs. the strengths. They mention successful women and have them comment and narrate, but don't go into depth on the specific accomplishments of "the 1st woman anchor" or "1st African American host", etc. They just state the title, the name- here, look, it's the person who broke the gla...

Mooks- incompetent, stupid, crude- the ideal male figure according to the media. Midriff- the ideal woman. Sexy, objectified, simple, and dumb. I have seen both these stereotypes in the media, but displayed in more tasteful ways than when this documentary was filmed. I feel like the media hasn't cleaned up these characters really, just given them more depth and personality vs. the surface level characters portrayed before. The first example of a midriff that comes to mind is not a traditional one. In a previous post I talked about Burn Notice. The female lead, Gabrielle Anwar playing Fiona Glenanne, uses her sex appeal to help her with her job. She is trained in guerrilla warfare and works in Miami with her boyfriend as "people who solve problems". This often involves being held at gunpoint or holding someone at gunpoint, blowing things up, or engaging in hand to hand combat. She has a strong work ethic and personality. To approach a male target, she uses her fe...

Something I have been somewhat forced to watch since I was old enough to understand English has been political satire. It started with Jon Stewart and Colbert, then evolved to Saturday Night Live, and now my YouTube just feeds me Stand-Up comedy commenting on political issues, clips from late night shows, and Randy Rainbow videos. I was thinking about how people often vote as their parents do. Growing up in a liberal household watching these democrats rail on the republicans, I tend to have a more liberal view on the world. Makes sense, as we are a product of our experiences. I think political commentary in a humorous context is an effective way for people to be aware of what's going on around them. It also influences people's views on the current political climate. As a student, I don't often have time to read all the political articles in the New York Times or catch up on whatever dumb thing trump tweeted Saturday Night Live is a great way for me to stay aware of t...

In at least one class every day, some video or documentary is shown. Did students ever stop to think what messages are present in the shows that the teachers provide for us? Under the pretext of educational context, underlying messages that are unintentional could be influencing student's thinking long term. Media can also be having an effect on the school system in general that people are not noticing. Starting with zero period, both creative writing and critical thinking, numerous videos have been played for our class this year. Last semester, Mr. Perry made us watch "Sleepless in Seattle" and analyze it for examples of modern day love as it was shown in the movie. That exposed us to all the ad placements in the movie and added to preconceived expectations and anxiety students could have about love. It only showed straight couples and white people, which limits the perspective of the world our teachers are showing us. In Critical Thinking, we watch documentaries tha...

The Black and White album (actually titled #000000 & #FFFFFF, the compute code for those colors) was a mix tape released by the alternative band "The Neighbourhood" in 2014. Unlike their other albums, it's not all about relationships and existentialism. Okay, maybe it is a little, but when has any music escaped that? In addition to these themes, the life of the rich and famous is talked about. Jesse Ruthford, the lead singer of the band, and the rest of the band members originate in LA. The land of Hollywood, and so many famous singers, dancers, actors, actresses, etc. This album talks about that life a little, and going from obscurity to fame. It also talks about some stereotypes of California and the lifestyle that goes hand in hand with growing up in this state.  The third track, called "warm", opens with Jesse singing "you need to get off my mind". The song is a story about a long term relationship where at least one party is extremel...

Hobo Johnson, a rather obscure rapper/musician, covers so many different but equally important topics in his music. Politics, love, social standards, rough childhoods. He makes unknown references that engage a listener. His music is raw and emotional, but also humorous and easy to relate to. This makes Frank (the lead singer and writer) the perfect example how media can effect my view of the world. Sending political messages through music has been going on for a long time. Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" to the Beatles' "Revolution" or even the Cranberry's "Zombie". Music is used to process life. The more authentically an artist can do that, the more the message comes through. The only reason I give these examples is to show how these messages can vary, but how all music has on thing in common- trying to get a message across. I believe Frank and his band do that extraordinarily well. Their debut album  "The Rise of Hobo Johnson" ...