...a great song? Well, depending on the genre, audiences usually listen to the beat of the song and the voice of the singer, however the meaning behind the song is the most important. Barbie Girl is a song by a band called Aqua and it meritoriously demonstrates human foolishness within society through the use of textual elements such as tone, diction, repetition, as well as visual features. This song is a feminist satire cunningly disguised in a childish, friendly pop hit targeted to young adults and teenagers as it mocks the way a majority of them may think and act as she ridicules how they are desperately trying to resemble Barbie. Aqua uses a sarcastic tone to help send across the purpose of the text. Moreover, the tone throughout the song is understood through Aqua’s use of diction, repetition and visual features. The purpose of the song is to reveal messages of sex and the roles that men and women play in a sexual relationship. Since most listeners of this song do not cautiously pay attention to the lyrics, the sarcastic tone, mixed with the childish, high pitched voice of the lead singer would give the impression that this is fun and cheerful record, exposing the mood. The fake cheeriness and high-pitched voice is used to support audiences understand the mockery that links to the message which is human recklessness within society. The strong use of wording throughout the text demonstrates the superiority of men over women and develops the tone of the song. Confirmations...
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...Evaluation Essay on Gender in Advertising Gender differences and biases have been a part of the normal lives of humans ever since anyone can remember. Anthropological evidence has revealed that even the humans and the hominids of ancient times had separate roles for men and women in their societies, and this relates to the concepts of epistemology. There were certain things that women were forbidden to do and similarly men could not partake in some of the activities that were traditionally reserved for women. This has given birth to the gender role stereotypes that we find today. These differences have been passed on to our current times; although many differences occur now that have caused a lot of debate amongst the people as to their appropriateness and have made it possible for us to have a stereotyping threat by which we sometimes assign certain qualities to certain people without thinking. For example, many men are blamed for undermining women and stereotyping them for traditional roles, and this could be said to be the same for men; men are also stereotyped in many of their roles. This leads to social constructionism since the reality is not always depicted by what we see by our eyes. These ideas have also carried on in the world of advertising and the differences shown between the males and the females are apparent in many advertisements we see today. This can have some serious impacts on the society as people begin to stereotype the gender roles in reality. There has...
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...strong, I am invincible, I am woman.” Though simple, these lyrics from the song “I am a Woman” contain a powerful message of female empowerment. Songs like this challenge the traditional devaluation of women as incapable and weak. With the rise of feminism, many more female artists have started to include feminist ideas in their songs. Thus, the topic on how popular music has helped bring forth the idea of feminism is of great relevance to our world today. Literature Review The personal struggles and triumphs that female artists portray in their songs and lives, relates to and in turn empowers females in patriarchal societies. Nelson (1993, p. 77), a rap music journalist, commented that female rap artists in the 1980s had to fight harder than their male counterparts in the industry and yet never replicated the male artists’ success. (As cited in Keyes, 2000, p. 265) Similarly, Madonna worked hard to prove her worth as a female artist in the male dominated pop music industry. (Lugo-Lugo, 2001) The struggles of these two female artists in their respective male dominated trades are parallel to the struggles of females in patriarchal societies. These females desire gender equality and look to female artists and their songs as a source of hope. Female rap artists use rap as a medium to advocate gender equality and in turn created spaces for themselves and other ‘sistas’ as well. (Keyes, 2000, p. 274) In the song lyrics of "The Intelligent Black Women Coalition National Anthem" and...
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...Historical books often criticize a society’s zeitgeist to display the harmful impacts they may have on one’s identity. This is true of Paradise of the Blind (Paradise) by Duong Thu Huong and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (Fan) by Lisa See, which explore the demeaning impact of their respective societies’ standards upon love in female relationships and gender subjugation. See examines the impact upon women in a 19th century Chinese perspective, whereas Huong delves into a 20th century Vietnamese. The historical settings coerce women to experience interpersonal relationships without consent, due to the emphasis placed on Confucian ideals. Moreover, these ideals harm the protagonists as they suffer through common gender disparity. Hence, both...
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...edu/women-in-martial-arts-cinema/. This article offers a critique of the tropes still plaguing women in martial arts movies, using Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero as specific examples. Louie, Kam. “Hero: The Return of a Traditional Masculine Ideal in China.” In Chinese Films in Focus II, edited by Chris Berry, 137-143. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. Compiled and edited by Chris Berry, Chinese Films in Focus II contains a compendium of critical analyses centered around various popular and significant Chinese films. In the essay “Hero: The Return of a Traditional Masculine Ideal in China”, Kam Louie outlines the Chinese concept of wen-wu and its influence on the development of gender roles and cultural perceptions of masculinity present within the film. —. Theorising Chinese Masculinity: Society and Gender in China. China: Everbest Printing Co, 2002. In this novel, Louie elaborates on the wen-wu concept and its relevance to conceptions of masculinity within Chinese culture. Theorising Chinese Masculinity provides valuable insight into the origins of Chinese masculinity ideals and the information provided is crucial for a complete understanding of the culture behind the creation of Nameless in Hero as well as a better understanding of Chinese culture as a...
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...The results can be interpreted by following a branch through to the final node where the resulting prediction for the percentage of people singing along is presented. For example, if you were at a small venue, the song being played has been in the UK Chart for 1-3 weeks and it is a weekend then the model predicts that 11% of the audience will be singning along. This model explained about 40% of the variability when used to predict against a holdout test set. More importantly it identifies the key contextual factors to be venue size, age of crowd, day of week, relative position of song in set and length of time in UK...
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...Personal Reflection Essay Music and language are related in so many ways that it is necessary to categorize some of those relationships. The belief that music possesses, in some measure, characteristics of language leads people to attempt to apply linguistic theories to the understanding of music. Regardless of whether music actually is a language, our experience of music is evidently so subjective as to cause people not to be satisfied that their perception of it is shared by others. I think that music is the universal language of mankind is symbolic of the expansive quality of music, and at the same time is revealing of the mysterious and confusing nature of whatever it is that music communicates. Music expresses, at different moments, serenity or exuberance, regret or triumph, fury or delight. It expresses each of these moods, and many others, in a numberless variety of subtle shadings and differences. It may even express a state of meaning for which there exists no adequate word in any language. In that case, musicians often like to say that it has only a purely musical meaning. They sometimes go farther and say that all music has only a purely musical meaning. What they really mean is that no appropriate word can be found to express the music's meaning and that, even if it could, they do not feel the need of finding it. My own belief is that all music has an expressive power, some more and some less, but that all music has a certain meaning behind the notes and that that...
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...Discrimination The term discrimination refers to a distinct treatment of something or someone, based on a predisposed judgment. Discrimination is the act of being bias or in favor of something based on factors which make up the persons social and physical being, for example someone’s class, job, appearance, race, age or sex. Why does discrimination exist? Discrimination occurs because individuals or groups feel they are superior to others; therefore try to create prejudices and stereotypes which bring another group down. An example of this would be a case of racism in the 1800’s where white boys would not let black children join in with their games such as football due to the fact they were of different ethnicity. This could be because they were raised by racist parents who do not want their own children mixing with other races, or simply because they feel threatened by the black children’s talent and athleticism so do not let them join in at all. I believe that as long as there are negative human qualities such as hate, anger, jealousy and envy in the world, discrimination will always exist as people judge their own opinions to be more accurate and do not accept the views of others. This is also caused by ignorance and naivety with the common “I am superior to you” attitude that a small percentage of the human race still holds. There is such competition in the world today that discrimination has come to surface because people are always looking for a step up, or a platform...
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...circumstances created the rise of political hip-hop in the 1980’s. The first African American political hip-hop group was Public Enemy. The lyrics in Public Enemy’s music included criticism of bias in the American media and frustration over increasing problems in the African American community. Another famous example of messages conveyed in hip-hop music is the rap song called ‘The Message’ by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. This song spoke the truth about modern inner-city life in America especially in poor neighbourhoods such as the Bronx in New York or Compton in California, which are predominantly African communities. Other groups with out-spoken messages included N.W.A with songs such as ‘Straight Outta Compton’ and ‘F*** tha Police’. These songs protested against police brutality and racial profiling occurring in the African American community. Over the years, N.W.A have been described as notorious, advocates of violence and as controversial. In the eyes of N.W.A and its supporters, their music was ‘reality rap’ and gave an insight to the life African Americans endured. Another example of strong messages and lyrics conveyed in his music was Tupac Shakur (2pac). 2pac wrote lyrics with the aim of spreading the message of gender equality, eradicating poverty, racism and police brutality. These songs included ‘Keep Ya Head Up’, ‘Changes’, ‘Ghetto Gospel’ and ‘Trapped’. The album 2pacalypse was noted with controversy by then U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle in 1991. His...
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...& Scott, L. (2006). Transsexuals and workplace diversity. Personnel Review, 487- 502. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00483480610670625 Bhatia, M., & Rathi, A. (2014). Management challenges in a case of gender identity disorder. Industrial Psychiatry Journal Ind Psychiatry J, 23(2), 157-157. doi:10.4103/0972-6748.151696 Bridgeford, L. (2014). Sexual Orientation Attorney: EEOC Will Pursue Sexual-Orientation Bias Claims. HRFOCUS, 8-10. Retrieved July 8, 2015, from Ebsco Host. Brower, T. (2013). What's in the closet: Dress and appearance codes and lessons from sexual orientation. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal Equal Div and Incl: An Int J, 32(5), 491-502. doi:10.1108/EDI-02-2013-0006 Deitch, C., & Hegewisch, A. (2013). Title VII Sex and Race Discrimination Litigation Settlements as Opportunities for Organizational Change. J Bus Psychol Journal of Business and Psychology, 28, 425-438. doi:10.1007/s10869-013-9294-9 Ecker, K. (2008). Out in the Office: Employers grapple with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) workplace issues. Inside Counsel, 46-58. Retrieved July 10, 2015, from Ebsco Host. Gutman, A., & Dunleavy, E. (2013). Contemporary Title VII Enforcement: The Song Remains the Same? J Bus Psychol Journal of Business and Psychology, 28, 487-503. doi:10.1007/s10869-013-9295-8 Jacobs, R., Murphy, K., & Silva, J. (2012). Unintended Consequences of EEO Enforcement...
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...Perception is our sensory experience of the world around us and involves both the recognition of environmental stimuli and action in response to these stimuli. Through the perceptual process, we gain information about properties and elements of the environment that are critical to our survival. A number of factors operate to shape and sometimes distort perception These factors can reside: i) In the perceiver ii) In the Object or target being perceived or iii) In the context of the situation in which the perception is made. 1. Characteristics of the Perceiver: Several characteristics of the perceiver can affect perception. When an individual looks at a target and attempts to interpret what he or she stands for, that interpretation is heavily influenced by personal characteristics of the individual perceiver. The major characteristics of the perceiver influencing perception are: a) Attitudes: The perciver's attitudes affect perception. For example, Mr. X is interviewing candidates for a very important position in his organization - a position that requires negotiating contracts with suppliers, most of whom are male. Mr. X may feel that women are not capable of holding their own in tough negotiations. This attitude with doubtless affect his perceptions of the female candidates he interviews. b) Moods: Moods can have a strong influence on the way we perceive someone. We think differently when we are happy than we do when we are depressed. In addition, we remember information...
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...Windward Commons: East side VS. West side Moving on from high school to college can be difficult for any teenager. College and high school are different for many reasons. College students are not only away from their parents but they are also able to make their own decisions and able to do what they want to do when they want to do it. The decisions they make in college usually have a bigger impact on their lives than the decisions they made in high school. Although, all these things are difficult for any new college student; being able to fit in socially is the hardest part of all according to many freshman. My job was to explore the freshman dorm at Armstrong, Windward Commons. Windward is split into two different sides, east and west. The reason for the observations is to see what side most people rather stay and visit. I decided to do this because many freshman claim that they are more social in the dorm than outside of it. Windward Commons is a beautifully designed building that houses around a thousand people. The co-ed dorm is for freshman only. The fact that it is co-ed may turn the heads of many parents. According to Sarah, “My parents didn’t like the fact that my next door neighbors on both sides are males. They thought the eastside was for males while the west side was for females until move in day. They claimed that if they didn’t already pay for me to live on campus then I wouldn’t because they are totally against co-ed dorms” (Sarah). After my interview with Sarah...
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...Everyone, I am sure, is familiar with gender bias. This is aimed at males and females alike. The women, in prehistoric time, were gathers while the men were hunters. In the middle ages, men were more likely to become knights than women. In more recent history, women are considered housewives and mothers while the men are considered the bread winners and career men. The women were often excited to see their husbands return after his day at a 9-5 job. The wife must make supper for the family, protect the children, instill them with values, sing good night to the baby, tuck the children in, vacuum the floors, chauffeur the children to school, wash the dog, clean the clothes, wash the floors, buy the groceries, clean the kitty litter, pack the kids lunches, and take the family to church on Sundays. This was the image of the '50s, but a very deprecating and biased image of women. The husband, on the other hand, apparently doesn't have time for this. His main priority is his job and nothing more, except continuing the traditional family name through procreation. The wife, on the other hand, is expected to obey her husband’s exact words and not disobey. She couldn't speak out, and the "be seen not heard" policy was evident. If he spoke to her, she had to say, "Yes, insert husband's name." Otherwise, if she refused to follow through, he had the right to beat or divorce or cheat on her, etc. because he's the man of the household. The wife is also expected...
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...immediately understood why it was so busy. The discovery of a delicious treat, while completely unintentional, altered my perspective on how my day was going and the ability to discover things without using the internet to locate the best new dessert place. This new knowledge was not what I set out to find. I originally wanted to find a greeting card shop, but I ended up with a different knowledge – the location of an amazing ice cream shop. I later shared this personal knowledge with friends and family to spread the news of this quaint shop, and it turned into shared knowledge as word spread not only from me and who I told, but as other people discovered it on their own. However, this makes me fallible to cognitive biases, like the confirmation bias. Ignoring anyone who says the ice cream shop I found was only “alright” or “not the best ice cream ever” and only listening to those who told me it was “outstanding” strengthens my preconceived notions about the store. My accidental discovery in the pursuit of a different knowledge highlights the importance of perspective in the quest for knowledge. Therefore, I agree that perspective of the knower is important to the pursuit of knowledge, which is most obviously shown in art, as perspective is very crucial in the creation and understanding of art and is also important in the pursuit of knowledge in the methodology and application of natural...
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...Education, Socialisation and Citizenship: Structuralists: Focus on purpose of education for wider society. Consensus Perspective: Functionalist- Emphasise positive effects Conflict Perspective: Marxist & Feminist- Critical Functionalist- Consensus Perspective Durkheim * Education important in preventing anomie * Being taught history important; teaches shared heritage, integration and solidarity. * Family based on affective (affectionate) relationships. Society is based on instrumental (mutual self- interest). School teaches instrumental relationships gradually- ‘easing’ them into it! Parsons * Education teaches the value of achieved status’ rather than ascribed. * Education teaches universalistic standards- rather than the particularistic standards seen in family * Competition, equality and individualism are taught within education. These are crucial to capitalism and cannot be taught in family due to its cooperative nature. Marxism- Conflict Perspective Schools make proletariat passive and resigned to their fate. Making sure they don’t rebel! Althusser * Education acts as an Ideological apparatus- ‘brainwashing’ Apply this to schools, it can be argued hidden curriculum teaches obedience etc. and punishes free thinking. Official Curriculum teaches that alternatives to capitalism as dangerous! Study: Bowles & Gintis (1976) Schools mirror workplace. This is the correspondence principle, and it prepares children...
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