Miriam's Mysterious Media

"Well-intention," Yet Ignorant? Week 3      I sat in a very compelling lecture about racism and discrimination this past week. I was very shocked by how awful I can be unintentionally. I recall many times walking up to a person who appeared Asian and asking them where they are from, followed by "Where are you  really  from?" I even said once flat out "What Asian are you?" It never occurred to me how insensitive it was. My purpose behind the question was to discover what language they might speak, because I assumed that they would speak the language of their heritage. I have three brothers who together speak Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. I wanted the answer so I could know which brother I needed to get to speak with them.       With that background in mind you might see how I was trying to be well-intentioned, but the way I went about it was completely ignorant, and quite rude! In the lecture there were many video clips shown that really helped

Not Just Music? Week 2      Monday and Tuesday were pretty normal days. I had music in my dance classes and while I was at work. Then Wednesday arrived and my husband in great shock discovered that I had never seen the movie "The Music Man." He promptly turned it on beside me.       It had not occurred to me that media wasn't just music. I was impressed by the movie for one big reason, it was old. Normally people don't think of  old movies as being very engaging. I absolutely loved it! I could recognize the change that form of media had undergone throughout the past 50 years. The actors in the show knew how to sing, dance, and act! Movies now days people don't even have to really act or become the part. We can make so much fake with computers and such. I found it rather refreshing to see something real. Every dance had to be learned and practiced. All the songs had to be rehearsed and sung. Without the advances technology has made, people had to be good! I

Daisies are quite a fragile type of flower. The petals can curl and fall out with just the slightest abuse. I love daisies. In many ways they are like us, our spirits. The media we are exposed to has just as subtle effects on us, as the wind and rain do on this delicate flower.      Earlier this day, I was exposed to some different types of music. The contrasting messages in the songs set a very different mood in my mind. The first, an upbeat Cha-Cha, which I used to dance with my little brother. However, the lyrics were not at all upbeat. The tone was dark because of the story told by the words about someone wasting their life. It left me feeling a bit down, despite the peppy beat.     Alternatively, I heard a spunky song my husband turned on, that made me feel light and happy. The content of the lyrics was about singing and dancing. The message matched the tune. I was astonished by how two "happy" sounding songs could have such a gap in the feelings they produced.