I can remember reading the first book of this series and wanting Gale and Katniss to be together so bad (although after reading the entire series, I am team Peeta)! I also remember staying up late for the midnight showing with my roommates and wondering how the film was going to portray this idea that pre-teens and older teens fight one another to the death. Although a creative and moral building plot, should we pay money to go see so much violence in our younger generation? I mean, if you take a step back...would we have ever agreed to see this movie 10 years ago? Does the overarching moral of the film outweigh the violence we witness in it? What do you think? On another note, the first part of the last movie came out today--yeah! ...right? Actually, for the first time with these series, I'm not really that excited to see it. If it's like the first part of the book, it will be slow and repeatedly show Katniss suffering from PTSD and losing her mind!
It's interesting that I don't want to see that (which I believe most movies cut out the consquence of violence), but isn't it kind of cool that the writers of the book and movie include this to show a more realistic view of the effects of violence and war? Just a thought :)
Anyway, I haven't seen it yet, but if you have...please give me a review! I would love to hear what you think!
P.S. I just watched this video with Sofia Vergara (Modern Family) for Hunger Games and couldn't stop laughing! Enjoy!
This is the first semester I haven't been able to fall asleep easily! After a week of observing my bedtime habits, I realized I was on my iPhone or computer until I went to bed. So I searched online and found this article called, "7 Tips For Better Sleep." This article shares some great tips and research on varying factors that can help aid or keep us away from sleeping.
Cellphones and other screen time forms are definitely on the top of the list:
"A National Sleep Foundation poll found that 95 percent of Americans use electronic devices within an hour of going to sleep at least a few nights a week." "Artificial light exposure between dusk and the time we go to bed at night
suppresses release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, enhances alertness
and shifts circadian rhythms to a later hour, making it more difficult to fall
asleep," Charles
Czeisler,
Ph.D., M.D.
So my husband and I made it a goal this past week to stop using our cellphones at least an hour and half before bedtime. It was amazing how much faster and better we fell asleep. It was also nice to use our paper-scriptures and read non-screen books before bed. Lastly, we found that we were able to have better conversations together during those hours before bed--instead of sitting in bed together on our devices, we read books or talked about cool things we learned that day.
Overall, if you're having a hard time falling asleep or having quality sleep, you should try these tips out (I know it worked for my family):
1. SET AN ELECTRONIC CURFEW
Make a rule to keep technology out of your bed, and turn off all devices at least an hour before bedtime.
2. KEEP A WORRY JOURNAL
Set aside time during the evening to create a to-do list, fill in your calendar with upcoming events, or write down any thoughts.
3. SET AN ALARM (reminder for BEDTIME)
Decide on and stick to a regular bedtime.
4. LEAVE WORK AT THE OFFICE (or school)
Set a time in the evening to power off--and leave your H.W./emails/texts for the next morning.
5. EXERCISE EARLIER IN THE DAY
Working out at least 4 hours before you go to bed can help you feel naturally tired at the end of the day and sleep faster.
6. START A ROUTINE
Get ready for bed earlier in the evening.
7. GO TO BED WHEN YOU'RE TIRED
"Do not push through and catch your second wind -- it will keep you up for three hours"
Phew...we just finished our Media Mock Trial! I feel so relaxed and relieved to have that finished! I do want to write about the actual case that did occur years ago (it's super interesting to listen to the differing points of view and see how research can be used to make policy changes), but for now I want to take a moment to relax and think positively.
I am very grateful that I have the opportunity to attend Brigham Young University and to take important classes like Family Media-- which has been life changing for me! I am grateful for a wonderful professor who feels passionately about what she studies, what she is becoming as a person and shares her gifts with all of us. I don't think I've ever left her class feeling like a failure or that I learned nothing. I always go away feeling empowered to change the way I live and how I can help teach others (particularly my own children).
I am grateful for a husband that chooses every day to love me and help me develop my own gifts and talents. I can be stubborn, a poor communicator and passive aggressive...and not only does he understand that about me, but accepts me for everything that I am (weaknesses and all). I love him and I hope I can remember that it's a choice to love and give of yourself.
Wow, that moment felt great. I didn't really know what I was going to say...but I'm glad that I took a moment to write about things I don't talk about or sometimes fail to see every day. I hope I can learn to take some time every day to appreciate the influences in my life that at times, I put on the back-burner.
Take time today to feel at peace and think of the good influences in your life :)
For Halloween this year my husband and a few friends and family got together at my parent's house to have a fun party. We carved pumpkins, played Mario Chase on Wii-U and watched a scary movie. Not to mention, we had delicious hot apple cider, cinnamon cake donuts (my absolute favorite!), pumpkin seeds, sloppy joes and of course, candy. It was one of the best nights I've had this last year!
One of the best parts was playing on the Wii-U (Mario Chase, Sweet Day and Luigi's Haunted Mansion)-- we had about 7 people playing, screaming, cheering and creating strategies to beat one another. I am usually critical about newer game systems, but this one was amazing as it brought us all together! It was so fun :)
Lastly, another fun part of the night was watching a scary movie! We finally decided on "When A Stranger Calls," the newer version. I hadn't seen it since I was in middle school and so all of us got pretty scared! After we watched the movie and talking about how the stranger got into the house, how dumb the teenagers were, etc.. we all talked about how less thrilling it would have been if the music hadn't been there. It turned into a great discussion as we talked about other factors that increased our fear, such as the fact that most of the girls in the room had had experiences babysitting at night time. Also, we all wanted to be scared, so we were more open to the emotions and plot in the movie.
All in all it was a great night and I'm grateful for good media activities that can help bring people together---In fact, I saw some snuggling from my sister-in-law and her date...so literally, it can bring people together ;)
P.S. Enjoy this funny Halloween commercial that makes fun of the stupidity in scary movies :)
Anita Sarkeesian is a feminist speaker that has become well known by her blog videos: "Feminist Frequency." In her videos (I've personally only seen one), she discusses how women are portrayed in video games. I believe she had really good points that showed that women are highly sexualized and that they usually play the damsel in distress. In fact, this video made me think of the one we watched in class about the portrayal of women in movies.
This past fall she was invited by Utah State University to be speak on her thoughts, research, blogs, etc... on women in video games. However, the week before she was to speak she received messages from a USU student saying that he would kill her if she spoke on campus. I read through the article and he has many more explicit, gross and violent things to say to her. In response, the university added more security, but after more and more threats came in Anita cancelled.
I looked her up online and she is the target of much hate mail, memes, youtube videos, etc...
In fact, it's really the only thing that pops up when you search her name. It's crazy how hateful people can be towards anyone sharing their observations of video games. Does she make a great point? Yes! Do I agree in every example she brought up? Not necessarily (which I've discovered is how I feel about a lot of radical feminist ideas). Nonetheless, no one should ever have to experience such backlash! People need to be respectful, even when they disagree with an opinion.
With the increase of video games and their popularity, I hope that more research on how women are portrayed in them stems from this woman's ideas. I hope that in the future we can make changes that will influence how we see women.
#3 Product Placement (Funny!)
This isn't necessarily an Ad...but when I took a Marketing class we discussed how several businesses' including grocery stores use product placement to increase their sales. Also, someone in our class wrote a great blog post on this topic from the Man of Steel Superman movie. I agree with her in that it's crazy how the internet and even movies today target us to buy products. Although it's helpful to find running shoes I'm searching for on Google when I log in, I don't like the thought that people know what I like and don't like from what search for online. I think that type of product placement has gone too far! How about our movies? Man of Steel has over 100 product placements within the movie including IHOP, Sears, Carl's Jr., etc...
As for myself, I think it crosses the line. Ads should be left for television and highway billboards. However, others have expressed to me that it is sort of cool to see products we use everyday in movies---it can give a realistic feel to the movie. Despite the coolness, however, I don't think movies are showing products for a realistic world in their movie...Superman earned $160 million for placing those products. Is that fair? Are our movies becoming selling mediums? What do you think?
#2 Liberty Mutual Commercial
Another touching ad that plays to my emotions and beliefs is this random acts of kindness commercial. I remember watching on T.V. for the first time and being surprised that such a good-loving commercial existed!
I absolutely loved our lesson on advertising as it is so pertinent to our lives. We are faced with some form or type of advertising every day. As a result of that class I searched for ads that have changed my perspective or rather "sold me" to their message.
#1 BEAUTY PRESSURE
DOVE started a self-esteem campaign for women and this was one of the ads for it.
From this ad I not only felt ashamed of certain aspects of our unrealistic beauty industry (for men as well as women), but also realized the need our society has for better and healthy fashion examples. Most importantly (especially for DOVE), I took my thoughts and feelings and made an association between DOVE and moral values. This type of ad showed me that DOVE cares for women, cares about our true beauty and wants to make a BIG change on how we view women and ourselves.
In the end, I may not buy their products, but I know if I was faced between two different brands of soap at the store, DOVE would definitely have a leaning vote from me. Or else, I would only have great things to say about the company itself and their values.
Not only did this ad win me over with the Facets Model, but it also is a great example of how the media or rather beauty advertising can be harmful. I don't want to get into this debate, but I'll just leave my opinion that we mean so much more than how we look. We don't need to have the perfect, toned body to feel good about ourselves. If we are choosing to love ourselves as God does and we focus on good things, we don't need that "perfect body" to be happy. Yes, working out and being healthy are good-- and at times I'm really glad that is a consequence. However, it is the times that I focus or put all of my energy into that one consequence that makes me feel like I'm a slave to my body/mind and most importantly, it makes me feel that love is conditional. To think that loving myself or that others will love me based on my appearance is false. It's the biggest lie Satan could tell us to use our bodies against us. It defeats the whole idea of self-love and self-worth.
Learning to love myself and ourselves with whatever we are is a long process. There are times when we will become worried and care too much. In fact, God loves us and He cares about what we care about. He will comfort us and help us with our goals, however, He expects us to try to see ourselves the way He does. We are here to change and to become more like God and to let go of our wants, obsessions and desires. I struggle with this, but hope that I can learn it now and save myself pain and anxiety over something that in the end is of no eternal significance. I hope that I can be a good example to my children and to never make them feel ashamed for not fitting an unrealistic image. It all starts with me and how I choose to see and judge myself.
Lastly, I found this amazing quote from Elder Holland on the topic:
Frankly, the world has been brutal with you in this regard. You are bombarded in movies, television, fashion magazines, and advertisements with the message that looks are everything! The pitch is, “If your looks are good enough, your life will be glamorous and you will be happy and popular.” That kind of pressure is immense in the teenage years, to say nothing of later womanhood. In too many cases too much is being done to the human body to meet just such a fictional (to say nothing of superficial) standard. As one Hollywood actress is reported to have said recently: “We’ve become obsessed with beauty and the fountain of youth. … I’m really saddened by the way women mutilate [themselves] in search of that. I see women [including young women] … pulling this up and tucking that back. It’s like a slippery slope. [You can’t get off of it.] … It’s really insane … what society is doing to women.”
In terms of preoccupation with self and a fixation on the physical, this is more than social insanity; it is spiritually destructive, and it accounts for much of the unhappiness women, including young women, face in the modern world. And if adults are preoccupied with appearance—tucking and nipping and implanting and remodeling everything that can be remodeled—those pressures and anxieties will certainly seep through to children. At some point the problem becomes what the Book of Mormon called “vain imaginations.”And in secular society both vanity andimagination run wild. One would truly need a great and spacious makeup kit to compete with beauty as portrayed in media all around us. Yet at the end of the day there would still be those “in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers” as Lehi saw,because however much one tries in the world of glamour and fashion, it will never be glamorous enough.
A woman not of our faith once wrote something to the effect that in her years of working with beautiful women she had seen several things they all had in common, and not one of them had anything to do with sizes and shapes. She said the loveliest women she had known had a glow of health, a warm personality, a love of learning, stability of character, and integrity. If we may add the sweet and gentle Spirit of the Lord carried by such a woman, then this describes the loveliness of women in any age or time, every element of which is emphasized in and attainable through the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Don't forget to watch "Meet the Mormons"-- which comes out in theaters OCTOBER 10th (this FRIDAY!) *If you're a member of the LDS Church, a past member or in you're just interested or curious to know more about the LDS Church, this is a great opportunity to learn or better understand my faith's teachings and beliefs. It's a great example of how the Gospel of Jesus Christ can work in our lives if we let it. PS. Here's a little sneak peek of the movie!
Today in class Dr. Coyne asked us to think about what our favorite song was and why. At first, it was hard for me to think of only ONE song that could describe myself. Instead of choosing one song, I'm going to choose a time in my life when music meant the most to me. It was the weird and odd stage of middle school when I first heard Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi." Since that moment I started listening to her first album, "Let Go." However, it wasn't until I experience depression for the first time as my dad lost his job, my brother came home early from his mission and it just seemed like my life was falling apart. To ease the pain and sadness I felt, my sister Megan bought me my first CD: Avril Lavigne's "New" album "Under My Skin."
I listened to it all the time and soon knew every song, lyric and order of the track list. Haha, I eventually dressed somewhat like Avril (capri cargo pants, black t-shirts, vans shoes, long/straight hair, some eye-makeup, etc...) Haha, everyone knew me at school as the Avril lookalike. I definitely didn't act like Avril (no swearing, etc...), but I felt that her music spoke my story...my pain. In fact, when I go back to listen to that album not only is it amazing that I still know every word to her songs, BUT I realize how dark a few of her songs are-- in that she gets into how it feels to be sad, angry or lonely. This personal experience from years ago has shown me that music can indeed give us an identity to fall under or help us see the likes and dislikes we have for the world around us. For me, I was a girl who had many guy friends (more than girls), I didn't care too much about how I looked, I searched to lift up those who were misunderstood (who outwardly didn't live the perfect Mormon life), I would strive to be a little out of the ordinary (a little rebellious), and I looked to my emotions to help me find meaning in my life. In many ways, I'm still that person-- and it made me happy and still makes me happy to say I can identify with some music, because I share the same perspectives---it speaks to me. Thank you to SKA, punk-rock and rock music for allowing me to experience those feelings that were at one time bottled up inside of me! Also, a shout out to my older sisters McCall and Megan for giving me opportunities to find myself through Avril concerts, albums and rock-out sessions :)
PS. I hope you enjoy some Avril music on the blog playlist!
Today's lesson on music has got to be one of my favorites-- it's definitely one I will remember when I reflect on my experiences at BYU. This was especially true when we Dr. Coyne showed us a study on tone vs lyrics. I absolutely thought that a song's tone would influence me a lot more than lyrics. Especially, when at times I love songs, but have no idea what the lyrics are or what they mean. However, a study with Professor Warburton proved me wroooooonnng. He found through an interesting experiment in which he created happy toned- songs with dark lyrics and vice-versa to his experimental group. In the end, the results showed that lyrics attributed more to an individual's aggressive behavior towards others when compared with the tone of the music. As I pondered on the surprising results, I realized that it would make sense for humans to understand and be influenced more by what people are trying to say or the content of communication, rather than the form or appearance of the music or speaking. Obviously, that affects us too, especially our moods and emotions. However, even subconsciously we seem to be socialized or seek meaning through what messages the artists are conveying to us.
This finding has a great meaning or importance to my life as I find myself relating to music today. Today's lesson taught me that I want to be seeking "healthy" or elevating music that can help me move forward. There are great songs in today's music that help me do this like "Gone, Gone, Gone" by Phillip Phillips or "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift (she has overall great music). On the other hand, there's music that contains high sexual content ("Talk Dirty" by Jason Derulo) and violence. However, I think there's also another genre of music that keeps me from being proactive: Random songs. For the most part, these types of songs don't have an overall meaning or anything--- they have a great beat and are there just for you to listen to.
Such songs are like "I Love It" by Icona Pop or "This Is How We Do" by Katy Perry. I like those songs too, but I find that it's almost as bad, because I'm wasting TOO much time. I'm not saying these songs are necessarily bad or "evil" (I need to "turn my brain off" for a bit), but I think we should be just as cautious about what mindless random junk we listen to as well as violence, drugs and sex. This especially rang true to me after we had peaceful two minutes in class when Hailey (our TA) played a song for us on her violin. In those two minutes I felt entirely at peace, clear and not anxious. It was AMAZING. I reflected on my own music habits and asked myself how many times a day or even a week I had a moment like the one I had in class today. It's a sweet reminder that although I'm more often than not listening to uplifting music with good lyrics, I could also be doing better at making more time for truly peaceful moments with music. I am grateful for this reminder and hope that this next week I can take the time to relax, listen and allow myself to be filled with the power of music.
Today I would like to briefly talk about how television can change or alter your mood!
Something I seem to re-learn over and over again is how too much T.V. can make create feelings of restlessness, irritation and short-tempered.
It seems after a binge of Netflix shows (currently I'm into Ugly Betty) I am prone to feelings of apathy as I put off my homework for that day, view my husband's actions as annoying and that the consequences of tomorrow won't come. I experienced this last weekend after I watched a few too many episodes of "Ugly Betty," and when my husband asked me if I had done my homework I immediately answered angrily and acted annoyed. I couldn't believe what I had done and realized how much of addiction the television was becoming for me. I got these off of a website for addiction: Behavioral signs of addiction:
Drop in attendance and performance at work or school
Unexplained need for money or financial problems. May borrow or steal to get it.
Engaging in secretive or suspicious behaviors
Sudden change in friends, favorite hangouts, and hobbies
Psychological warning signs:
Unexplained change in personality or attitude
Sudden mood swings, irritability, or angry outbursts
Periods of unusual hyperactivity, agitation, or giddiness
Lack of motivation; appears lethargic or “spaced out”
Appears fearful, anxious, or paranoid, with no reason
Now I know I don't have quite a few of these, but some of them sound like me after I repeatedly watch Netflix-- especially the psychological symptoms. This reminded me of a study Dr. Coyne talked about in which a group of students in a classroom hear a researcher-stimulated fight outside the classroom (one person gets "injured"). For the group having watched violent video games minutes before the fight, it took them longer twice as long to respond to the injured person compared to the college students who had played family-friendly video games.
Overall, maybe there's a deal of aggression that comes from watching television and movies as well as video games. Especially, when we have watched the media source for an extended period of time and if T.V. is being used as a coping mechanism. Addictions can take us on a violent path and I believe that T.V. can be a tool of destruction if we allow ourselves to become slaves to it.
Wow, it's amazing how fast we recognize the double-edged sword...
So you know that show I talking about? The one that I love? Yep, that's it...Parks and Recreation...
Well, I've been watching it A LOT lately as I'm getting ready for the last season to air in October, but as I watched an episode yesterday, I realized that there were some things I don't like about it and think may have a profound effect on those who watch it.
The culture of dating is a big part of the show, and like most shows these days, there's one or two characters that are kind of sex-crazed, such as Meredith on "The Office" and Daniel from "Ugly Betty." In parks those characters are Tom and Donna, but recently it became a red flag to me when a relaxed attitude of sex was shown in an episode. It shouldn't bother me as it is probably normal for today's adults to have casual sex with a few different partners (or at least, that's what movies and T.V. have cultivated me to think anyway...), but there was a particular scene that blatantly put across the message: Sex means nothing but pleasure--so who cares! Sleep with anyone and everyone, as long as you're getting what you want. As long as it makes you feel better.
That strong dialogue and message really hit me and I realized that all the sexual references, although small, were really adding up to create the same meaning that strong sequence had. It made me think of the info processing theory (although they are plenty of theories that could be used to see this). As I watch this episode, I create a memory of this scene, I think about the message that casual sex is harmless especially as I continually watch the show, later I may see a similar situation which in turn activates my memories of the scene, and then I reflect on what I think of casual sex and then go ahead to agree it's harmless or continue to believe it can be harmful. It's almost as if it's excitation transfer theory too as the message throughout the show is portrayed when characters mislabel theirs feelings of friendship or love to mean that they should have sex with the person who may have helped them feel better for one moment. Getting back to the first theory, I have to interpret what this message means to me and if I believe that just because I have a nice moment with a stranger that it's okay to take things further with them. I'm very strong in my personal values and beliefs, but I've noticed that the more I engage in this show, they more I rationalize their behavior and reflect more on how it may be appropriate for young adults to do this today. However, like this blog, it has helped me reflect on the message, realize things similar to it may happen today and know so I can help others who may be experiencing it and guard myself from temptation.
For the next few months I'm going to blog about media I have been exposed to and the effects I see it has on myself. Please feel free to comment or share your opinion!
Firstly, I should have blogged last week, and so I'll start there...
Just a few weeks before school started my oldest brother introduced me to the world of "Parks & Recreation"-- an Amy Poehler's television series. Previously, I had always thought that it was a 2nd to the television series "The Office." However, after watching a few episodes I absolutely fell in love with Leslie Knope and her crew of friends and rec employees. In fact, I became so obsessed with that show that I watched all 5 seasons on Netflix within a matter of only a few weeks. It's my guilty pleasure, my comic relief and at times, I even feel that it's my best friend. I wasn't sure how to describe this phenomenon until my professor in my Media, Family, and Human Development course explained to us a thing called, "Parasocial Relationships," which is when we create an illusion that we are friends with a fictional character. It's also important to recognize that we more often than not create parasocial relationships in order to fulfill our need to belong, be accepted and identify with another person.
Once I learned about this, I realized that Leslie Knope was my parasocial friend. I enjoyed watching the T.V. show, because she inspired me to be positive and believe in myself. Like a friend, she was honest about my weaknesses and buoyed me up to have dreams and rise up to be a better version of myself. When I reflect on the feelings I'm experiencing as I write this, it's amazing how a fictional character could have such an effect on me. At first, it's silly that this could happen as the whole show is a mockumentary and the characters are over-simplified--it's not reality. However, then I think about Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series, Jane Eyre, Tris Prior from Divergent and other sources of media and realize that we create parasocial relationships with everything! It's not surprising that we would turn to fictional friends for strength, learning and understanding. In a way, our parasocial friend can be one of our best listeners. Also, because most characters are shown to have incredible characteristics like courage, strength, forgiveness, positivity, etc... we can also hear them speak to us and show us how we would like to be. They are our best outlets and voices of inspiration.
So for now, I would say this effect has been a positive one in my life, although all media can be a double-edge sword. I won't get into that today, but I guess I want to end with saying that I'm glad that I can always find the good in a world that is gradually becoming darker.
On another note, the first part of the last movie came out today--yeah! ...right? Actually, for the first time with these series, I'm not really that excited to see it. If it's like the first part of the book, it will be slow and repeatedly show Katniss suffering from PTSD and losing her mind!
