Blog Task #1

Saturday, August 22, 2015

MASS MEDIA IS A CULTURAL STORYTELLER

Mass media is definitely a cultural storyteller. Since its existence, it has shaped the way we think, feel and act. It has greatly influenced our lifestyle and perspectives through different platforms, be it on paper, TV shows or virtually.

A prime example would be portrayal of sexuality in media. Back then, shows consisting of non-straight characters are frowned upon. Fortunately, with characters such as Glee’s Kurt Hummel and Sense8’s Nomi Marks, people’s perception on sexuality has slowly changed. Struggling audiences are now able to relate to these characters and come in terms with their identities. Mass media has such a strong influence over the subject that it has helped legalised same-sex marriage in the United States.

However, they do have bad values, such as stereotyping. One example is the stereotype of white straight American males being ‘good’ while foreigners, especially Middle Easterners, are not. Most notably is the Oscar-nominated American Sniper, where the protagonist, a white American soldier, slaughters many Middle Easterners, including innocents and children, without remorse.

In conclusion, mass media is a powerful platform of cultural storytelling. They truly shape us, as consumers. Nonetheless, we always have a choice to make the values portrayed our influences or not.

 1.    What do you understand by ‘The media is a cultural storyteller’?

 There is no doubt mass media influenced us as they shaped the way we think, feel and act. It has also affect our decisions. It regales us with stories, conjures perfect images and it is up to us, as audiences to decide, analyses and choose to make them an influence in our lives. For example, we watch movies and not only to be entertained but also to analyse the undertones, meaning and questions it provides.

2. Three beliefs, values or attitude from the movies that has influenced the audience's perception of culture. 
The two movies that have been chosen to be examined are:



Throughout the two movies, there are many scenes that portray various values and themes. One prominent theme is revenge, In The Incredibles, the antagonist, Buddy Pine/Syndrome, is driven by revenge after being constantly rejected by Bob Parr/Mr Incredible’s to be his sidekick, even to go so far as to destroy the city of Metroville but pretends to genuinely tries to save the city and tries to kidnap one of Parr’s children, Jack Jack. But like in most movies, he fails at achieving his goal. This provides a cautionary tale to viewers, especially the youngsters to never resort to revenge, no matter how you are wrought.


In Monsters, Inc., the theme of trust and naivety is portrayed by one of the protagonists, James P. "Sulley" Sullivan. Being on good terms with his superior, Henry J.Waternoose III, Sulley does not have any reason to be cautionary with the man, and even confides with him of Boo’s existence. However, this ends up in betrayal by him as Waternoose takes Boo away from Sulley and Mike and exiles them to the Himalayas. This teaches the audience on how the people they have known for a long time and wholeheartedly trust feels differently to them.


Moreover, the idiom ‘never judge a book by its cover’ is evident in both movies. For example, in The Incredibles, one of the characters, Jack Jack Parr, who possesses various abilities, uses them against the antagonist, Buddy Pine/Syndrome. At a glance, viewers would perceive that Jack Jack is misbehaving and showing bad qualities for using his powers against the villain. However, if the matter is delved deeper, Jack Jack is actually just trying to protect himself and his family.


As for Monsters, Inc., a character from the movie, James P. "Sulley" Sullivan, might look scary in appearance, with a broad and hairy built, curved horns propped on his head and sharp claws and teeth, he is actually a good-natured and hardworking person. 


Conclusively, people should not be judged by first impressions, looks or even by their actions without understanding why they look and act like so in the first place.

3.   Mass media’s influence in shaping our perceptions about reality through its role as a ''cultural storyteller''.

In a nutshell, mass media has a great influence over society. It sends powerful messages and also false information and lies to the masses. Besides that, it has shaped our thoughts and opinions on certain matters, constantly providing society with facts and rumours can affect the opinions of the public. On one hand, people do learn and discover new information thanks to mass media, such as the different cultures painted in TV shows, films, music and video games in different places and to paint our own ideas and perspectives on a certain subject. This helps to increase our imagination and creativity at the same time. However, on the other hand, our self-esteem might be affected by mass media due to unrealistic expectation and standards. For example, the traits that must be possessed to be the 'ideal' woman in advertisements are skinny, fair and having spotless skin. This makes women, especially the younger ones, strive to be somebody they are not, be unhappy in their own skin.
Writers: Jasmine, Yin Wei, Sara
Researchers: Daphne, Jia Chie
Editor: Jasmine

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