Watching the news

I watched the news on the Internet on a channel called “Nyhetskanalen”. They showed 2 minutes and 40 seconds of news. They started off with abroad news which had a connection to Sweden – for example they talked about people in Malaysia who were burning the Swedish flag as a protest against the Swedish government. They spent 55 seconds talking about new from other countries.

Then they talked about Europe and the European parliament for about 37 seconds before they went on with talking about Swedish news and then more local news talking about Stockholm for 68 seconds.

Freedom of the press or protect personal integrity?

“In accordance with the principles (…), and to secure the free exchange of opinion and availability of comprehensive information, every Swedish citizen shall be free, subject to the rules contained in this Act for the protection of private rights and public safety, to express his thoughts and opinions in print, to publish official documents and to communicate information and intelligence on any subject whatsoever.”1

The freedom of the press and the freedom of speech are two of the most important laws in Sweden to keep the modern society democratic. Especially today when all you write can be publicized within minutes by using the Internet to publish your text. The freedom of the press together with Internet creates the most powerful democratic tool there has ever been. Our ancestors have fought for this for generations and generations of slaves, farmers and other suppressed people in society.

With freedom of the press you are allowed to write down whatever opinion you have about a matter and Internet completes this law with speed. Your debating article about a politician matter can be reached by millions of people only seconds after you’ve published your text on a blog or something similar. It is easy, it is fast and most of all it is freedom.

Then, should this amazing tool of freedom be considered due to the problems it can cause by not protecting the personal integrity? Personally I believe that it is up to every person by themselves to consider their own personal moral and ethical standards when they are writing a text. If they feel that they have to put someone out there, they sure do have to have a good reason for this.

I would like to use Dawit Isaak as an example. As a Swedish citizen working and living in Eritrea, should he really have taking the regimes personal integrity in consideration when writing for freedom? What if he wrote about a country (which he couldn’t tell the name of) who was heading from democracy towards a dictatorship by someone he can’t mention the name of? Would he’s article really have made a difference?

Of course, the regime is already public persons, however, no matter who you are you have a personal life which no one but yourself really has anything to do with. Or do they? Well, if you’re the ruler of a country and planning to make a democratic society in to a dictatorship, then your personal business is a matter of everyone living in that country and in that society. In this case, your personal integrity means nothing.

Therefore I believe that freedom of press is more important than the protection of someone’s privacy. As has been said before, though, it is up to the writer to choose whether to respect the person’s integrity or not. Most of us are being raised with some sense of ethics and moral in our body and hearts – this is what you need to use when considering what is right or wrong - should I protect this person or not? The answer lies within you.

- Rebecca Tyrstrup, MP07

1. http://www.riksdagen.se/templates/R_PageExtended____6314.aspx

Sex in advertisement nr 3

This is an advertisment for D&G clothing.

I think that the target group are men in their 20's. Because the guys in the advertisement looks like the ideal man in his 20's. That is how society think you should look when you're around 25.

The message might be that if you wear D&G's clothing you will look like this. I mean, they all look hot, and so will you, if you buy Dolce and Gabbana.

I disagree with this. Of course you won't suddenly be tanned, muscular and hot just because you have Dolce and Gabbana clothes...

This is a pure physical image if you think of the sexpart. It doesn't look like the guys like her as a person, they're just after her body. She doesn't look to satisfied with the guys either... The people on the image doesn't have a relationship on an emotional level.

I think that sex is portrayed very negativly in this picture. It looks like the guys are going to rape her and she doesn't want to be there at all.

The woman is just lying their, it looks like she is giving up. I get the feeling that she is thinking "Alright then... let's get this overwith."

One of the older guys is holding her arms, like he is holding her down which indicates of what I mentioned before - they're probably going to rape her.

The girl is in the front of the picture, for us to see her clearly. She is sourrounded by guys, they are both in the foreground as well as in the background. All one them, waiting for their turn. All the guys are active in this picture - they are about to rape her. The woman is just lying there... as I said - she's giving up.

This is a very negativ depiction of relationships and sexuality. The woman is an offer and the men are the preditors.

Sex in advertising nr: 2

This is an ad who's trying to sell English lessons.

The target group is really everyone; you have the old couple in the front seat but also the children in the backseat. Which indicates on the fact that everyone should be able to understand English.

The obvious message in this commercial is that if you don't know how to speak English, you will end up in embarresing situations just like the grandparents playing this very sexist song for their grandchildren.

I agree with the message completely. Because this could actually happen, and it happens more often than you know. I've been in a simular situation myself...

The sex in this advertisement is totaly based on the physical sex... obviously...

They portray sex in a very brutal way I think. They use words which has a very brutal feeling... But the sex in it's conent is hilarious if you ask me! The grandparents really like this music and are really in to the song. Because they can't understand what the song is about.

Sex in advertising nr 1

1st ad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuiBxtiC-d0&feature=related

The product being sold by the ad is Levi's jeans.

I think they have chosen men and women in their 20s for their target group. It surely is a commercial for the westworld - two white people having sex. Our culture accepts this type of commercial while I don't think it would be as popular in iran or china... if it even would be shown. I strongly believe it wouldn't.

The message of this ad is Levi's thorough all times. At first your just confused - you think you're about to see some skin and then he has a pair of jeans under his jeans... And then, suddenly it strikes you. You realize that it is Levi's showing their jeans thorough time and taht they have gone from 1930s till 1980s. That's when I realized the point of this commercial, when she wore 1980s clothing.

I agree with the message, I mean, Levi's has been here for a while and will still be here for a while ahead I think.

I think that the woman and the man in this commercial both have an emmotional and physical attraction to each other. They look like they have a teenage crush on each other. Which I believe is a positive way to portray sexuality. They are really inlove and they look like they both want it badly. It doesn't feel like the man wants it more than her like it usually is when sex is shown in commercials.

That 70s show

That 70's show, 15:55 - 16:55 on channel 4

There's is a man named Red, he's father of one of the teenage boys on the show, Eric. Red is a sarcastic man who quite frequently uses the expression "my foot up your ass". Red is very determined man when it comes to raising his son Eric and Erics friends. 

Since the group of teenagers always get in trouble they equally often have to face Reds rage as he is trying to tell the kids to stop it before his foot ends up in someone's ass.

This is of course a problem for the teenagers. Unfortunately for them this is a problem that never gets resolved because the teens can't stay out of trouble for long. 

I believe that this is something that can be recognized in every teenagers life - we all have or have had problems and fights with our parents. 

A conflict with a parent is often resolved with the parents being patient and the teenagers giving up, realizing that they have been quite stupid. Then the teen pretends that he or she will behave next time. 

The main characters in the show is:

- Eric Forman, a skinny guy who tries really hard to be cool. 

- Donna is Erics girlfriend and neighbour, a strong readhed who is sort of like a tomboy. 

- Red Forman is Erics cranky father.

- Mrs. Forman is obviously Erics mother - a really sweet lady who laughs when she gets nervous.

- Hyde, the Formans intrinsic. He is the shows 'bad boy'.

- Kelso, a dumb narcissistic guy who thinks he's the most good looking guy in the world.

- Jackie, Kelsos girlfriend. Jackie is the stereotype of the popular high school cheerleader. 

- Fez, the horny foreign guy.

The teenagers in this show are all stereotypes... we have every type of typical teenagers. Of course they'r all a bit exaggerated...

All of the teenagers a portrayed quite positively, except for the foreign guy... he is actually the only one who doesn't ever get girls or every does something that is referred to as 'cool'.

You do look down on him a bit as a stupid guy who always fails with everything. He doesn't even speak good English, of course he has an accent and says weird words that doesn't mean what he thinks it means. 

I would not like to be like anyone in the show, because they're all too goofy sometimes. Well, that's what the show is all about, however I wouldn't want to be like that in real life. They're all too extreme stereotypes. 

However, if I had to choose I would be Hyde. He's the cool guy with brains.

Summary. A different world: Children's Perceptions of Race and Class in Media.

1200 children took part in a survey to explore how media effect childrens opinion towards race and diversity. The survey included four races: African-American, Asian, Latino and White.

One question the children had to deal with was what the "perfect" TV show would have in it, and they answered: "different cultures, different religions, different races, different everything. That would be really smart.".

Okey, but what do children watch today then? Studies has shown that latinos are most likely to watch music videos while white children most frequently watch sitcoms.

There is a lot of people shown on TV, and of course the children had their favorites. Actually, all four races had one thing common when the survey got to this point. There were two people, two rolemodels, that were listed as favorites by children of all races - Mike Tyson and Will Smith. A famous boxer and one fantastic actor and rap artist.

Sadly, no latino or asian characters were named as favorites... one reason for that might be because these two races are least shown on TV.

It has been shown that different races are presented in different ways on TV. For example Latinos and African-Americans are most likely to be presented in a negative way on television while white people most often are presented in a positive way.

The stereotype white character was descirbed as:

- Having lots of money.
- Being well-educated.
- Being a leader.
- Doing well in school.
- Being intelligent.

The stereotype of a minority character was described as:

- Breaking the law or the rules.
- Having a hard time financially.
- Being lazy.
- Acting goofy.

Children agreed that even on the TV news are African-Americans and Latinos most often portrayed doing 'bad things'.

What about the newscasters then? How did the children feel about that? Well White children feel there are enough white people as newscasters on TV, while African-Americans are the most dissatisfied with the lack of their own race as newcasters.

This article, this study has shown that the majority of children, no matter what race feels that there are enough white people shown on TV and that there should be a lot more minority races shown in a positive, feel-good, "I-can-do-it" type of way.

Rebecca Tyrstrup