What do you think about...

At the beginning of this class I thought that I just was going to learn something new about the different races in the world at the media. Nothing further from the truth. I have really enjoyed this course because my meaning of race and gender has changed. The main reason of this change is my experience here in Oklahoma. As you know, I am an exchange student from Spain. When I arrived here five months ago I came with a very different idea about race and ethnicity. In Spain, white people are the 80% of the population, while here that's not like that. And that means that in the media we just see a race.

Here I have learnt that the media is full of stereotypes against all the races and ethnicities. Also against male and female. My stay here like an exchange student is making me live and share my live with people from a lot of different countries, from Chile to Korea or Senegal. That involves learning from a lot of cultures. My concept of race has also changed because of what I have learnt on this class. I have read a lot of lectures about the different problems with all the races and gender on the media and after that I am able to realize when an advert is using stereotypes.

Now that I have studied what is the history of the different ethnicities that are living here in the US I do not think the same about the meaning of race. For me, a race is not a color or a language. Race is culture. I think that the race is in your “blood”, on your roots, in the people who you have grown up. So it's very sad seeing how the media use the stereotypes to differentiate the races and ethnicities, while its main goal should be make them as close as is possible. Obviously, I don't mean that all of us should be the same.

That is why I think that this class will help me to work in the media as a professional. May be my work in the future is not going to be so focus on journalism, because my Spanish major is Advertising and Public Relations. And inside the Advertising I like the creativity. Nowadays a lot of people think that they are creative when actually they are being ignorant. I mean that you can make an advert using a race or a specific gender which can look funny and creative, but actually you are using a lot of stereotypes and, surely, you are hurting anybody. I think that my goal after I have taken this class is focusing all that I have learned to avoid this kind of problems in the media.

Probably I won't be who achieve the peace on the world nor the understanding between all the different cultures with my work, but I think that I can contribute to that.

In short, I have really enjoyed these five months learning about the race, gender, and ethnicities on media. But I would like that in the future the students could learn about this situation on the rest of the world. I mean, in Spain we learn about the advertising on Spain, Argentina, US, France, Japan... and I think that it's better for us because we can compare our advertising culture with the other. I also know that the US is like a different world – believe me, I am an exchange student – and only with its culture it has enough. But I think that learn about more cultures is more enriching.

Thanks all you people for these fantastic five months learning from you. I only expect that you have learnt something from me.

Today's adverts...I can't believe it...

Mercedes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haxdcuU8uGc

This is a Spanish advert seen in every TV stations. On this advert we can see a boy saying: “Daddy,do you know that my friend Nerea is black?”. The father answer to him: “Of course, I knew”, and the child says: “I didn't”. Then, a voice over says: “New Clase B blue EFFICIENCY eddition for 22.500 €. Every day can be special”.

After we see this advert we can understand that the boy has learnt to differenciate people once their father has this car.

Heineken

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPiZM-VhUqI&feature=related

With this advert we can depict the stereotypes between women and men. Women are only interested in the home at clothig, while men are only interested by the beer. They both feel the same when the closet is opened.

Carrefour:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E30adwPYTbw

This is other Spanish advert. A.M.T.E.T.C.Q.C.R.M.N.S.V.E.S.G. means women association that with this crisis they just want to take care of their clothes to can continue wearing stylish clothes and feel wonderful. The brand knows that the woman is usually who are in charge of buying the groceries. The stereotype about the wom

an is who spends a lot of money is present on this advert.

Subaru

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvPglbxbcOQ

In this advert we can see race and gender stereotypes. The gender stereotype is broken because we are used to see wonderful girls cleaning the cars wearing just a bikini. On the other hand, the advert uses a race stereotype. They use the Asian male figure as a non-sexual powerful figure. Personally, I think this adver is perfect.

Cheetos

http://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=UgoDcCQZzIg

The latin woman can be portrayed in two ways. Like an innocent and desirable woman or like a hot, aggressive and frivolous woman. On this advert we can see the second way. Every woman could play this rol, but th

e advertisers chose the latin woman.

Chloe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbKkwyjz0fg&feature=related

This advert just shows the white female figure as the beauty example.

Puntomatic

Gentleman: It is a washing machine. They also can.

Trigon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5DwIcnpBCA&NR=1

CSL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3lovMPYzfk

Any body has seen a non-white couple? Maybe they can not buy it?

Crystal Geiser:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nAUD1dUv30

Axe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGPlA2YNS9A

The beauty's canon? I don't think so.

Reflection: Stereotyped Media

02-23-2009, 1:15 pm.

Book

The Lord of the Rings.

The author compares the geography of The Middle Earth -where the story is developed- like as if it were the “real world”. He says that civilized people live at the middle and West on the map, while strange people and enemies live in the South or East, always ready to fight.

http://www.artbyforster.com/ebay-map/800ebay2750x2150.jpg

Racial stereotypes

02-23-2009, 11:40 pm.

Internet: www.wordreference.com

Advertising about weight lose.

In this kind of adverts, always appears a woman like the example of the treatment's result.

If you click on this web, probably you will see this kind of advert. The most interesant is that this webpage also adverts a lot of ads about fast food.

Gender stereotypes

02-24-2009, 11:00 am.

Personal conversation with Anthony Carvello. Class friend

He said me that he likes to met new people and cultures. That's why he is enrolled in different student associations from another countries and cultures. He thinks that the American people shloud know more about another countries outside America.

Racial stereotypes

02-24-2009, 8:30 pm.

Classroom experience while I was doing the exam.

Analizing the advert that I had to talk about, I saw one more time the figure of a young and pretty woman promoting beauty products.

Gender stereotypes.

02-25-2009, 2:50 pm.

Watching an Anime Serie.

Bleach is an Anime serie that I watch in Japanesse subtitled in English. But is interesting the fact of the villains – the main enemies -, they speak in Spanish and use the Spanish culture like music or utensils as something evil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl5EC3bY5sE&feature=related

Race Stereotypes

02-25-2009, 5:35 pm.

Film

Torrente, el brazo tonto de la ley (Spanish film)

At the beginning of this movie, the main actor (a fascist police) finds an arab inmigrant looking for something to eat on a bin. The police arrests him citing that he is doing something bad like illegal business.

You can see this extract of the movie clicking on this link. Sorry but it's not subtitled to English, but I think it's understandable enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ILmcWynzLw

(3'10'' to 4'00'')

Race stereotypes.

2-26-2009, 07:30 am.

MERCATOR insurance and banking commercial.

Commercial sent by a friend on a e-mail.

I was checking my e-mail account when I saw this commercial. It's a clear women stereotype.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvMvIVd3S7A

2-26-2009, 9:45 pm

Film

Mission: Impossible 2.

On this movie there exists a scene placed in Sevilla (Spain). Supposedly Sevilla's people is celebrating their own festivity. The director made a mix between different festivities in Spain and that's that you can see on the movie. The film stereotypes at the Spanish people in a way we don't identify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOICPnAae2s

Race stereotypes

2-27-2009, 10:20

El Mundo.es (Spanish newspaper on-line)

Three men are arrested for batter their couples.

I know it's not a real stereotype, but in Spain this fact has become in something as common that doesn't affect at many people.

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2009/02/27/paisvasco/1235743758.html

Gender stereotypes.

I'm not surpresed about the use of stereotype on the media because I think that it always has used stereotypes. Media shouldn't do it, but productors think that stereotypes are the best way to arrive to their public. In my opinion, stereotypes aren't evil, only when they don't offend some culture, race, or gender.

When I watch my own country in the movie I have before explained, I felt offended. However, I didn't feel offended because it appeared a stereotype, but because it was a wrong stereotype.

I hope media target changes and it demands for reality representation and not a stereotyped representation.

WET PAPERS

Papeles Mojados is a Spanish song which talks about illegal immigration in Spain. The music group is Chambao, they are used to play flamenco music with arabians roots. At first, I like this song because I like the singing way of the artist and the music too. Moreover the song discuss a very important theme in Spain. Since ten years ago, illegal immigration in Spain has grown a lot, people from South America, Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa has arrived to Spain illegaly and it has caused a lot of problems like their respective repatriation, poverty, rising crime, minors without education and people working illegaly.

Specifically, this song talks about the illegal immigration from Africa. People from Morocco, Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Ghana, Cameroon, Gambia and Mauritania tries to arrive to Spain by a kind of boats called “pateras” or “cayukos”. They pay a lot of money (money they have been saving all their life) to a person who promise them a job and a Spanish Visa. Obviously, that is a lie and

they take the boat in Morocco to cross the Strait of Gibraltar.

These boats are fully overpacked with men, pregnant women and children who have been betrayed by these human dealers. Usually these boats never arrive to the Spanish coasts because a lot of people drowns or starves to death.

Papeles Mojados appeals to fake Visas they bought before they enter in Spain.

Here goes the youtube link to you can hear the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItV4u2gMUvw&feature=related

CHAMBAO - PAPELES MOJADOS

Miles de sombras cada noche trae la marea,
navegan cargaos de ilusiones que en la orilla se quedan.
Historias del día día, historias de buena gente.
Se juegan la vida cansaos, con hambre y un frío que pela.
Ahogan sus penas con una candela,ponte tu en su lugar,
el miedo que en sus ojos reflejan,la mar se echo a llorar.

Muchos no llegan, se hunden sus sueños papeles mojaos, papeles sin dueño.
Muchos no llegan, se hunden sus sueños papeles mojaos, papales sin dueño.

Frágiles recuerdos a la deriva desgarran el alma,
calaos to los huesos el agua los arrastra sin esperanza.
La impotencia en su garganta con sabor a sal,
una bocanada de aire le da otra oportunidad.
Tanta injusticia me desespera, ponte tu en su lugar,
el miedo que en sus ojos reflejan, la mar se echo a llorar.

Muchos no llegan, se hunden sus sueños papeles mojaos, papeles sin dueño.
Muchos no llegan, se hunden sus sueños papeles mojaos, papeles sin dueño.

Muchos no llegan, se hunden sus sueños papeles mojaos, papeles sin dueño
Muchos no llegan, se hunden sus sueños papeles mojaos, papeles sin dueño

CHAMBAO – WET PAPERS

Everynight thousands of shadows are brought by the tide,

they navigate with a lot of hopes which die in the sand.

Stories about day by day, stories about good people.

They risk his life tired, hungry and freezing.

Put yourself in their place, their eyes show the fear, the sea begins to cry.

They don't arrive, their dreams drown, wet papers, papers without own.

They don't arrive, their dreams drown, wet papers, papers without own.

Fragile regards break the soul,
their bones are drenched and water drag them with no hope.

Powerlessness on their throat salt flavoured,

a gust of air gives them one more chance.

So many injustice makes me despair, put yourself in their place,

their eyes show the fear, the sea begins to cry.

They don't arrive, their dreams drown, wet papers, papers without own.

They don't arrive, their dreams drown, wet papers, papers without own

They don't arrive, their dreams drown, wet papers, papers without own.

They don't arrive, their dreams drown, wet papers, papers without own.

I hope you enjoy it.

Jaime O.

We are...the same

Play it again, Sam. I should accept I have never seen the full movie, but this phrase is in the memory of the whole Western World. This sentence's history is very interesting. First of all, this popular phrase isn't said on the movie although people atributtes this sentence to Rick (Humphrey Bogart). Dooley Wilson (Sam) was one of the first black people who appears in a film playing an important role. Direrctors used to hire white people where they used to perform as a black person.

On this blog I want to talk about the songs that are connected with race and gender. I think it's a good and different way to show how these topics are dealed in the music's world. My goal is to show you in each post a different song and the way that I understand it.

This first song I'm posting is one of my favourite songs. I have pick up it because it talks about we, the world, everybody, without distinguishish between gender, race, religion or country. The group who sings it is called “Los Delinquentes”, and they play a mix of the tipically spanish music (flamenco) and rock. And the song's name is “Somos”, that translated to Spanish is “We are”. I like this song because of its lyric and its music. If you hear it and read its lyrics, you can see how they talk about our virtues and shortcomings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvXLTm3DB7c

Los Delinquentes - Somos (Laboratorio de ritmo)

Nacimos, crecimos, y los huevos pusimos,
en la cesta de mimbre nos reproducimos
por ser vividores por muchas razones .
Animales, humanos, se ve que cantamos,
personas que nacen con piernas y manos.
Llegamos, tocamos y después miramos.
Somos caraduras vestimos con pluma,
somos raíces que sueñan, somos de papel.
Somos laboratorios de ritmo,
fresquitos sin accesorios,
somos el cable que enciende tu luz.
Somos todo lo que quieras tú.
Somos coyote y avestruz.
Somos el viento, somos calor, somos boquete der pantalón.
Somos pequeños y salvajes.
Somos valientes, lo digo yo, todos tenemos la solución.
Somos más listos que los propios animales.
Encierro tu rabia redonda, la lío, la estiro y la pongo de alfombra
y me muerdo los dientes.
Volar es mi reto, me aprieto y lo intento.
Queremos nadar en el agua que hay en el aire que todo lo envuelve,
somos serpentina que al viento se escurre.
Somos energía, la noche y el día, somos berberechos sin rumbo, sin techo.
Ganamos para perder.
Somos un diccionario con nuevas canciones en tu calendario,
somos marionetas que quieren saber.
Somos tú y lo que quieran todos, somos mas feos que los monos.
Somos el viento, somos calor, somos boquete der pantalón.
Somos pequeños y salvajes.
Somos valientes, lo digo yo, todos tenemos la solución.
Somos más listos que los propios animales.

Los Delinquentes - We are (Rhythm laboratory)

We bore, we grew, and we layed the eggs,
in the wicker basket we breed
because we are pleasure seekers because of a lot of reasons.
Animals, humans, we sing,
People who bear with legs and hands.
We arrive, we touch and then we look (it refers to play hide-and-seek)
We are cheeky svaine and we dress with feathers,
we are roots that dream, we are made of paper.
We are rhythm laboratories,
we are nerve without accesories,
we are the cable that turn on your light.
We are all that you want,
we are coyote and road runner.
We are the wind, we are the warm, we are a hole in your trousers.
We are little and savage.
We are brave, because I say it, all of us have the reason,
we are cleverer than the animals.
I lock up your round anger, I bundle it up, I stretch it and I put it as a carpet,
and I beat the teeth myself.
To fly is my challenge, I gret myself and I try it.
We want swim in the cloud's water,
we are streamer that flyes with the wind.
We are energy, the night and the day, we are free birds.
We win to lose.
We are a dictionary with new songs in your calendar,
we are puppets that want to learn.
We are you and all they want, we are uglier tan the monkeys.
We are the wind, we are the warm, we are a hole in your trousers.
We are little and savage.
We are brave, because I say it, all of us have the reason,
we are cleverer than the animals.

Probably, after you hear the song and read the lyrics translated to English, you have not understand nothing. That's because this group used to explain itself with a lot of Spanish set phrases, and it has been very difficult to me to translate the song.

In short, that te song wants to say is that all we are the same, we usually do and we like the same things, doesn't matter who we are, where we are from or if we are male or female.