Reflection Essay: Blogging and Me

Blogging and Me
Throughout the quarter, we were asked to regularly contribute to our own blogs. Our blog posts often covered an array of topics from deforestation to ethanol and corn production. For me, though, it is not so much the content of the numerous blog posts I’ve made over the course of this quarter; it is more about the experience. This was the first interaction I’ve had with blogging and I’ll admit that at first I was a bit intimidated by the whole idea. I know that in today’s age almost everybody has a blog about one thing or another, but I have not been one of those people (bloggers) until I took this class.
The first blog post I made was titled “about the author,” and I’ll admit, this being my first time ever blogging, I was at a bit of a loss for what to say. Even though the content was only about myself, I remember thinking about how this post would be immediately public to anyone who might stumble across it. I recall thinking a lot about HOW I wrote about myself and less about the content itself. I’ve read blogs before and I feel like it’s not always the content that makes a blog good, sometimes it is more about the way that content is presented. My favorite blogs all allow a good amount of personality to come through their writing so I knew I sort of wanted to emulate that style. Especially with my first post, I wanted people to understand who I was not just from the content I chose to include, but also from the personality that I hope came through in the ways I presented it.
After that first post, nearly all of the content I posted was a required post outlining some required content that we went over in class. I have a couple of thoughts about this. First, I feel like being assigned subjects to post about almost takes away from the authentic blog experience. Blogging, to me, is sharing your personal thoughts, opinions, and insights with anyone willing to read, and I feel like posting on assigned things sort of detracts from the overall aesthetic of blogging. We could just as easily have turned in those assignments. That said, though the content was assigned, the responses are very much individualized and genuine. In that way, I feel like this was a good exercise in blogging because it exposed us to this media form. Another thing I quite liked about this blogging adventure was that it became extremely easy and convenient to navigate to and from various classmates work. It is almost like we had a personal forum for our class and it was a cool way to share thoughts and ideas.
Blogs are also much different than writing a paper to turn in. For one thing, I felt like there was much more freedom in the writing I submitted. When I write for a paper, my insights and opinions are always well thought out, well organized, and hopefully well articulated. When writing for the blog, I pretty much became accustomed to writing exactly what was on my mind and it became much more of a free-flowing experience than a structured paper. Also, blogs are handy because they allow you to instantly ad to the content of your post. For instance, in my second blog about clean coal, I experimented with including links to the two websites directly pertaining to my post. To me, this is one of the best features of a good blog. When an author can include relevant links, it really does contribute a quality to the reader’s experience that can’t occur in traditional writing.
Another important element of the blogosphere is the ability of readers to comment on posts. This is something that, as a class, we had a lot of interaction with. We were constantly commenting on each other’s blogs and I feel like this really added to the blog experience. A lot of times in my personal experience, I was able to generate a sort of conversation either with the author or another commenter. Sometimes comments would highlight something found directly in the blog and others, conversation would come that had no obvious connection to the topics discussed in the blog. Comments and commenting has an ability to cover a vast variation of content and it all depends on the reader and what he or she got out of the post. It’s that range that really makes commenting special and unique in my opinion.
Now that the quarter has come to an end, I look back and consider this experience with blogging to be a valuable one. I learned first-hand a lot of blogging skills that, otherwise, I may never have encountered. I became familiar with a truly unique form of media that had often times intimidated me in the past. I can say with sincerity that I have a new appreciation for blogs and the elements that they bring to the table; an appreciation that I’ll take with me on the rest of my ventures through the blogosphere.

Argument thesis & Outline

Introduction

Thesis: The power of environmental themes in film often goes unrecognized. The feelings and attitudes expressed through cinematic themes have measurable effects on society, and in-turn, the environment.

(Intro to Section 1)

Section One: The Films we watch

1)Environmental Themes in the Film Bambi

Children are brought up on Disney Movies - it is impossible to ignore the effect of Disney on the early perceptions and beliefs of young children. So, What is Bambi saying to our youth?

What affects do these themes have on the environment?

2)Environmental Themes in the film Erin Brokovich

What does the true story of Erin Brokovich tell us about society at the time of it's release?

What are the moral messages behind the film?

3)Environmental Themes in Avatar

What does a science fiction film say about the environment?

Are the messages blunt or subtle? Are they concrete or open for interpretation?

Section Two: Why does it all matter?

Examine the number of viewers that films reach. Objective is to highlight the power and reach of the motion picture industry

Film contributes to changes in opinion and thus changes in society and therefore indirectly has an impact on how we look at and treat our environment

Is this all a form of greenwashing, or do films mean what they say?

Conclusion.

Bibliography:

Grant, Charles. "Winner Takes it All." Sight & Sound 20.2 (2010): 13-13. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Grover, Ronald. "Box Office Supercharger." Businessweek 4163 (2010): 30-31. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Hattam, Jennifer. "Pop Corner." Sierra 92.2 (2007): 30-30. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Holman, Curt. "Environmental Films: It's Not Easy Being Green." Creative Loafing. 16 Apr. 2008. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. .

James, Nick. "Come the Revolutions." Sight & Sound 20.2 (2010): 5-5. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Lutts, Ralph H. "The Trouble with Bambi: Walt Disney's Bambi and the American Vision of Nature." Forest and Conservation History Oct. 1992: 160-71. Print.

Meisner, Mark. "Filmography of Nature and Environmental Movies." Environmental Communication Network. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. .

Schueller, Gretel. "Can Hollywood Save the World?" Sierra 86.4 (2001): 68-70. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Schultz, Karen B. "Jack Johnson's Low Impact Tour." Scientific American 18.4 (2009): 14-15. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Svetkey, Benjamin. "New Face of Movies." Entertainment Weekly 1086 (2010): 26-32. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Yuankai, Tang. "Cinema's Golden Age." Beijing Review 53.2 (2010): 22-23. Academic

Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Food Inc. pt 2

There is a whole lot of substance in this topic and almost everything I learn makes me want to help the situation out. The biggest way I think I could help is probably to purchase my food smarter. My girlfriend always wants to go to the farmers market...any farmers market anywhere, she'll go and after learning what I have about our processed grocery store food, I respect her a lot for doing so; In fact I wish that I shopped that way.

Im also a big meat eater, and it makes up such a big chunk of my diet that I'm not sure that I could change that or give it up. What I think I can do though, is to be more cautious of the meat I eat. I want to start to go to the farmers market and buy there first. I'll also make a conscious effort to go organic in the stores that I shop at, hoping that those purchases will be better.

In terms of the ethanol that is talked about in this section, people probably aren't going to side with me here but I don't hate ethanol that much. I met a guy once who was working on ethanol as a fuel source and he was so up beat and excited about it. This wasn't the kind of profit hoarding guy who got excited because he wanted to rip people off, this was genuine excitement at the prospect of doing something that helped the world out. When I think about this, I tend to lean a little bit towards this man's side. I know that ethanol research has largely stopped, but while it was happening, what was so bad about taking a crop that we have an excess of and trying to use that excess as a fuel source? In my opinion, if it could be done right, it seems sort of brilliant.

My Position for the Research Argument Paper

For my research argument paper, I intend to take the position that films, especially environmental films, often affect the people who watch them. I want to present the argument that these films have power and their messages can and do influence the viewers who receive them. My topic really doesn't have a clear cut left side or right side to take, so this is what I think would be the easiest distinction, and I also think this would be the most fun to do. I'm looking forward to asserting (and supporting) my own thoughts and opinions on this topic so I hope it will work out nicely.

Food Inc.

Admittedly, I was skeptical of this book and this movie before we started looking at it. I was dreading the day we started looking at this stuff. What could we possible talk about that would be interesting at all? I thought it would be the typical animal cruelty discussion and that would be how we spend the majority of our classes with this topic. Needless to say, I was wrong. After watching the film, I was more than impressed with the information they discussed. I had no idea about the overall structure of our food industry not to mention the affects of that structure. I'm not however, completely naive, I did know that most of the food we consume is processed in factories, but after watching Food Inc, I realized that I had no real idea to the extent which that processing occurs. I didn't know that the meatpacking and production industries are controlled by 3 or 4 GIGANTIC corporations. I didn't know that those corporations pay farmers (poorly) to generate mass amounts of food to be processed. I thought it was gross that the Chickens are fed to get so unnaturally large that they can't walk but more than a few steps. I thought it was crazy that feeding cows corn instead of grass has a huge effect on their health and the health value of the meat we consume. Deadly E. Coli coming from corn fed cows was an issue that I had really no knowledge of. My mom always looks for grass fed beef, and I've never really asked or wondered why...I simply thought it was a weird phase she was in, but now I understand the reasons behind her motivation (Thanks Mom).

I also found it very very interesting how the film highlighted ways in which it's cheaper to eat unhealthy in this country. That's something that I've noticed in my first few years at college, living on my own, buying groceries out of my own pocket...it's much cheaper, and often times easier, to buy bad food than it is to purchase the healthier items. Thats a dynamic that is so backwards it boggles my mind a bit. All in all, I think that this book will highlight a lot of important issues that will be beneficial to talk about. I'm looking forward to the rest of what's coming.

unofficial bibliography

Works Cited

Grant, Charles. "Winner Takes it All." Sight & Sound 20.2 (2010): 13-13. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Grover, Ronald. "Box Office Supercharger." Businessweek 4163 (2010): 30-31. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Hattam, Jennifer. "Pop Corner." Sierra 92.2 (2007): 30-30. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

James, Nick. "Come the Revolutions." Sight & Sound 20.2 (2010): 5-5. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Schueller, Gretel. "Can Hollywood Save the World?" Sierra 86.4 (2001): 68-70. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Schultz, Karen B. "Jack Johnson's Low Impact Tour." Scientific American 18.4 (2009): 14-15. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Svetkey, Benjamin. "New Face of Movies." Entertainment Weekly 1086 (2010): 26-32. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Yuankai, Tang. "Cinema's Golden Age." Beijing Review 53.2 (2010): 22-23. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.

Research Prospectus

Mitch Barley

English 308J

Research Prospectus

Film and the Environment

In today’s society, media plays an extremely important role in the lives of millions of Americans. First, the Internet could provide an entire world of information at the touch of a button. With the revolution of the Smartphone, people now hold those connections in the palms of their hands. Literally. According to research conducted by Liliana Escobar-Chaves and her partner Craig Anderson, the average American youngster now spends one third of their day with some form of electronic media. With such an impressive outreach, it’s important to look at what messages the American media is sending. Perhaps more important, though, is to examine how we’re responding.

In the modern age of high technology and instant gratification, it seems as though we’re always being told that the film industry is weak and cinema is dying. In fact, however, quite the contrary is true.

Two thousand and nine marked a banner year for the film industry and the cinematic experience. The American Motion Picture Industry raked in a record 10.6 billion dollars. The Chinese film industry brought in 6 billion Yuan, or 882 million dollars, and Great Britain posted its most successful year at the box office since 2002. This past year also marked the evolution of the 3D Imax experience and it’s assault on Hollywood and cinema. In 2009, Imax theaters generated about 15% of the total profit accrued by American theaters yet they make up only less than 3% of totals theaters in the states.

Also in the past few years, America (and really the entire global culture) has experienced an innovative and intensive movement for the betterment of the environment. As businesses and individuals continue to “go green,” further spreads the reach of this concentrated campaign for environmental health. But where did these “green” attitudes come from? How did these ideas become such a global phenomenon? The answer likely contains two parts: 1) Environmentalists have been preaching for years many of the green tactics utilized today; and 2) It was media that finally got people to listen.

In an article published in Sierra Magazine in 2001, author Gretel Schuler explores the question “Can Hollywood Save the World?”. In the article, she examines the efforts of the Environmental Media Association (EMA) to utilize the influence of motion pictures and television broadcasting to promote environmental protection and management. Martin Kaplan, associate dean of the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Southern California, says that it makes perfect sense to reach people through these media. According to Kaplan, using fictional vehicles tends to be extremely effective because viewers directly connect to the characters and stories. “When people are caught up in a story, they tend to pay more attention to messages like that,” Kaplan says (Schueller).

Now, nearly a decade after that article was published, is Hollywood still involved in the green movement to better our environment? Have the efforts by the EMA to reach people through media paid off or backfired? And, does “going green” really mean anything? Or is it a just catchy phrase being thrown to the public as a pawn in a game where profit is the true king?

It’s important to understand the role of media in our daily lives and to dissect and interpret the messages we receive. What is Hollywood saying to us? What is their motivation? How are we responding? In December of 2009, James Cameron and 20^th Century Fox released the highest grossing film of all time. Bringing in nearly 2 billion dollars at the box office, Avatar has made more money in the theaters than any film previously, and, not to mention, is packed with environmental themes and “green” undertones. It has the potential to reach more people than any movie ever made and it’s important to look at what’s being communicated between the lines and through the cinematic experience that has captivated a generation.