...Clueless Americans American citizens have the responsibility of electing power within in the country. This varies from town mayor to the president of the United States. Ironically, Americans are given so much freedom to decide, but Americans know very little about politics. This is a problem because citizens are often unhappy with authoritative figures, but they do not even understand what is going on to know which candidates to elect. Matthew Robinson, the author of the Clued article “Party On, Dudes!” discusses how “ignorance is the curse of the information age” and how Americans know more about television than a single thing that goes on in Congress. Furthermore, Robinson focused on polls and how they are influenced, shaped, and dominated by voter ignorance. Media also plays a role in voter opinion because of the main focus points and and people’s attraction to media (Robinson, Clues). With that being said Americans know very little about politics, which brings up problems with polls, media, and the electoral college. Robinson describes what Americans know about politics as discouraging. For example, the constitution serves as the supreme law of the land that was...
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...PGR Pre-Sessional Programme Survey Report of Working class people are more likely to believe that the news on TV is unbiased. July, 2015 Table of Contents Order List of Contents Page No. 1. 1 2. Methodology 1 3. Results 2 4. Discussion 6 5. Conclusion and Recommendation 9 6. Reference 10 7. Introduction Appendix 12 1. Introduction With the development of media and technology, the mass media has an increasingly profound impact on the lives of people in modern society. In the fields of economy, politics and society, the mass media is playing a more and more important role. Today's media perspective has been stretched into every facet of social life. At the same time, the mass media have also accelerated the process of globalization, promoting economic and social development. In different areas, the mass media has different responsibilities and roles. Furthermore, the mass media influence people's cognition of the society. TV is the most important platform for news (Plunkett, 2013). More than half of the respondents in Ofcom’s report think that the BBC was used as a primary source of information (Ofcom, 2013). Given the above, this project is aimed to look out the working class people’s attitude to the news on TV. To illustrate this, the hypothesis of this report is that Working class people are more likely to believe that the news on TV is unbiased. 2. Methodology ...
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...explores the question of what role the United States (U.S.) television media played in forming public opinion on the Vietnam War. The research, based on reviewing other primary and secondary sources, shows various opposing theories regarding this subject. Firstly, that television media was blamed for the U.S. loss in Vietnam. As Vietnam was the first televised war, it was argued that television swayed public support for the war by projecting the footage of conflict into the lounge rooms of Americans. One counter-theme showed that other factors such as opposition to the prolonged war and military policy were more likely to have changed public opinion. This report discusses how television media during the Vietnam war was just one aspect of how the public would have formed an opinion on such a complex issue, however concludes that further research is required to arrive at a definitive argument on such a controversial topic. Research Question This report explores what role the media played in forming public opinion within the U.S., regarding America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. The research is particularly focused on the level of influence the introduction of television journalism had on forming public opinion during the war efforts. Escalation of U.S. involvement from aid to major deployment within Vietnam began after the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964 (Gifford 2007, p. 18). This period also saw television established as a mass medium across homes in the U.S....
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...the Family” Archie Bunker, America’s favorite old school racist is standing in his kitchen star struck by the presence of Sammy Davis Jr. The musician agrees to pose for a picture with Archie and as soon as the countdown to snap it ended, Davis puckered up his lips and laid a kiss on Archie’s cheek (All in the Family S02E21)! The look Archie Bunker had on his face said it all, it was the kiss heard around the world and one of televisions funniest and most profound moments. The television sitcom “All in the Family” aired on prime time CBS from 1971 to 1979. The 1970s were a time of social unrest; a social war between the old school and the new schools of thought. This was a time where racism, homophobia, and gender were fiercely debated in every household across the country while they were ignored on television. Archie Bunker was played by Caroll O’Connor and he was the main character. “All in the Family” used the forever hot topics of racism, homosexuality, and gender inequality in America as an overarching theme, which taught to people just how ridiculous and baseless those beliefs were while keeping viewers of all backgrounds entertained. As the story goes, Archie Bunker is a working class family man with a very strong set of conservative and often unfair views of the world. Bunker clashes with just about every person he comes into contact with on the show including his wife, strangers, random people and most of all his son in law, Mike Stivic or “Meathead” as Archie refers...
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...Assignment 2 1. The American mass culture was primarily dominated by movies, radio and television. As technology advanced we saw a decline in one of the above categories and an explosion in the other. As they replaced each other in the role of providing americans entertainment, each left behind a legacy that is important to the history of America. In the early 1940's radio was considered vital to the every day life of an American. The radio provided entertainment as well as news to the broad audience that listened. Due to the inexpensive nature of the radio, it quickly became a very popular and common thing for people to have and use. While the radio is commonly known for broadcasting news and music, it also broadcasted shows that resembled soap operas. This shows would go on everyday at a set time frame and would engage the listener and cause them to imagine the scene that was acted over the radio. Some of the more popular radio broadcasts such as Abbott and Costello eventually transitioned to the television when it went mainstream. (Cross and Szostak 263) For the government, the radio in the 1940's was an outlet for propaganda. Countless advertisements where broadcasted about the war. Since the radio had a good deal of the population listening, it allowed for government to make mass speeches to people and for those people to receive it in almost real time. Radio in prime had successfully grabbed the attention of the American Mass Culture and allowed for our culture...
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...Bill of Rights Professor Maria Toy, J.D. LEG107 The amendments to the United States Constitution play an important role in the history, politics and law of our country. When the Bill of Rights was originally proposed to the First Federal Congress in 1789 by James Madison, the intent was for the amendments to be integrated into the original text of the Constitution. As we now know, Madison’s idea did not prevail and Congress decided the first ten amendments and the subsequent seventeen be appended (BYU Journal of Public Law [Volume 25], January 1, 2011). The amendments are an integral part of the Constitution, the framework of the incomparable American justice system that has great impact on the legal system and political climate of the United States. Each of the amendments was written either to overrule a Supreme Court decision, to force societal change, or to revise details of the existing Constitution. The Constitution is an evolving document that some believe is “a living constitution that was written so it could adapt to a changing nation” (Huey-Burns, 2010). Additionally, many of the modern day issues we face such as same-sex marriage, healthcare and insurance policy, and immigration reform, have deep constitutional roots. Amendments are crucial because they give us a mechanism to update and reflect changes in time and public opinion. The process of amending the Constitution fulfills a crucial part of the checks and balance system of our government. In...
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...Cultural Moves AMERICAN CROSSROADS Edited by Earl Lewis, George Lipsitz, Peggy Pascoe, George Sánchez, and Dana Takagi 1. Border Matters: Remapping American Cultural Studies, by José David Saldívar 2. The White Scourge: Mexicans, Blacks, and Poor Whites in Texas Cotton Culture, by Neil Foley 3. Indians in the Making: Ethnic Relations and Indian Identities around Puget Sound, by Alexandra Harmon 4. Aztlán and Viet Nam: Chicano and Chicana Experiences of the War, edited by George Mariscal 5. Immigration and the Political Economy of Home: West Indian Brooklyn and American Indian Minneapolis, by Rachel Buff 6. Epic Encounters: Culture, Media, and U.S. Interests in the Middle East,1945–2000, by Melani McAlister 7. Contagious Divides: Epidemics and Race in San Francisco’s Chinatown, by Nayan Shah 8. Japanese American Celebration and Conflict: A History of Ethnic Identity and Festival, 1934–1990, by Lon Kurashige 9. American Sensations: Class, Empire, and the Production of Popular Culture, by Shelley Streeby 10. Colored White: Transcending the Racial Past, by David R. Roediger 11. Reproducing Empire: Race, Sex, Science, and U.S. Imperialism in Puerto Rico, by Laura Briggs 12. meXicana Encounters: The Making of Social Identities on the Borderlands, by Rosa Linda Fregoso 13. Popular Culture in the Age of White Flight, by Eric Avila 14. Ties That Bind: The Story of an Afro-Cherokee Family in Slavery and Freedom, by Tiya Miles 15. Cultural Moves: African Americans and the Politics of Representation...
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...sides benefit from the other Roone Arledge, Jr. - American sports and news broadcasting pioneer - President of ABC sports from 1968 to 1986 - President of ABC news from 1977 to 1998. - Key part of the company's (ABC) rise to competition with two other main television networks (NBC and CBS) in the '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s. - Created many programs still airing tonight such as Monday Night Football, ABC World News Tonight, Primetime, Nightline and 20/20 Jim McKay An American tv sports journalist. Is best known for hosting ABC's Wide World of Sports Billie Jean King An american former World No. 1 professional tennis player. In 1973, at the age of 29, she won the s0-called Battle of the Sexes match against the 55-year-old Bobby Riggs Bobby Riggs An american tennis player who lost to Billie Jean King in the Battle of the Sexes Match What is meant by the relationship between sports and tv being a symbiotic relationship? - Both have derived enormous benefits from the other. - Both have been around for most of the last 100 years. - The world of sports has helped to grow the business of tv, while tv has enable sports ventures, worldwide, to become high-end family entertainment. By the end of the '50s, what happened to sports programming and where during the weekly programming schedule did they find their place? What were the factors mentioned in the text that contributed to this change in programming? Other genres began to mature and develop...
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...will identify major historical turning points during War World II and through the 1970’s while analyzing the impact the war had on America’s current society, economy, politics and culture. I will also discuss why America in the late 1930’s wanted to stay out of the European conflict that became WWII, which is one of the greatest debates of all time. We examine the important role that women played in winning the war and what outcomes came from their hard work that impacted women today. Many civil rights movements developed during this time also, and we discuss many breakthroughs that moved African Americans forward because of the war. I will describe ways in which the Vietnam War brought political awareness to a new generation of young Americans and to conclude I talk about President’s Johnson’s “Great Society” agenda that are still in place today that we benefit from if it had not been for the war. All these things are what make WWII known for the Greatest War of all time even after World War I. The war prompted a tremendous mobilization of American resources, at a level unseen since the Civil War. Long-quiet industries were revitalized, the agricultural sector started to grow again, and the American economy ramped up from that of the low production of the Great Depression years to the most powerful economy in the world. The economy showed the most remarkable improvement. World War II initiated the most significant federal management of the economy in American History. When...
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...events in the 20th century, the two world wars, the cold war and Vietnam, space exploration and the dramatic impacts of automation and technology on everyday life, culminating with the popularity of personal computers and the birth of the internet towards the end of the millennium, arguably no other decade had as significant an impact on popular culture as did the 1960’s. What we witness is a transition from a conformist society at the start of the decade to a counter-culture of anti-war protests, pushes towards racial and sexual equality, free love and drug influences like never before. As...
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...Leadership and the use of Power to Achieve Social Change Daniel William Chappell Dallas Baptist University Leadership and the Use of Power to Achieve Social Change Introduction The United States changed forever on November 4, 2008. Anyone watching a television on this important evening knew that everything had changed. Barak Hussein Obama had just been elected the 45th President of the United States of America, and he represented the first African American to ever win this office. To many the election was a fulfillment of Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream for social and political equality for African Americans. Still others, including the newly elected President, reached back to Lincoln. President Obama would also, invoke the founding fathers, giving credit to the social experiment that democracy is and thus hinting to the efforts of Washington and others. The days that followed the Obama election would be filled with symbolism leading to the concert on the steps of the Lincoln memorial, and the day of service, called by the President, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the day before inauguration. The election of President Obama seemed to have brought full circle the experiment of democracy. The dreams of the founding fathers were present, the echo of Lincoln’s consequential Presidency were present, and certainly the dreams and speeches of Dr. King were front and center in this cultural moment. Yet the cultural moment represented so much more than a continuum...
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...historical backdrop of America many events happened that are either disapproved of, or seen as the wonderfulness days. The occasions that are the magnificence days or the most astounding focuses in American life, for example, Independence from England served to make America what it is today. Those occasions that we think back on, that are not the best periods of time, for example, slavery and African Americans battle for Rights in the 1960's, likewise served to make the United States what it is today. Whether we agree it was right, it has had an effect. At the point when in the 1960's, pioneers, for example, Martin Luther King, Jr., and religious pioneers, for example, Malcolm X, remained forward to discuss the rights that were detracted from African Americans, they were look down upon. Even when society wanted to make it seems as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were battling one another rather than making a movement. In the book Martin & Malcolm & America, A Dream or A Nightmare, by James H. Cone, states “Although the media portrayed them as adversaries, Martin and Malcolm were actually fond of each other. There was no animosity between them. They saw each other as a fellow justice-fighter, struggling against the same evil- racism-and for the same goal- freedom for African Americans.” (Cone, pg 2) Today however, Martin & Malcolm are...
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...location. 4. wards 5. bipartisan 6. nominate 7. Liberals 8. resign CHAPTER 5 Section 1 Reading Comprehension 3 1. Answers for rankings will vary. Historical basis: The two-party system is rooted in the beginnings of the U.S., when the ratification of the Constitution gave rise to the first two parties. Tradition: Most Americans accept the idea of a two-party system simply because there has always been one. Electoral system: Since only one winner per office comes out of each election, voters have only two viable choices—the candidate of the party holding office or the candidate with the best chance of replacing the current officeholder. Voters tend to think of a vote for a minor party candidate as a wasted vote. Republicans and Democrats work together in a bipartisan way to write election laws to make it hard for a minor party or independent candidate to win elective office. Ideological consensus: Compared with other countries, the U.S. has been free of longstanding disputes based on economic class, social status, religious beliefs, or national origin. As a result, there is a lot of common ground between the two major parties, although they disagree on specific policies. 2....
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...IN THE MEDIA 2 Television and commercial advertising have been a dominating force for over sixty years, and people learn to specialize and are trained to create ads that entertain and provoke the viewer into buying certain products. The main purposes of commercials are to stand out from competitors, and to sell an idea or way of life for those who allow themselves to become influenced by the appeal. Women and young girls are often subjected and greatly influenced by these advertisements, and many from an adolescent age will alter and pattern their lives to partially adhere to this televised fantasy. Often, some young girls use these forms of advertisements to psychologically change their views about themselves, and thus, may have an unhealthy attitude towards their body type or status in society. I would hope to analyze the effect that commercials have upon society, and how it can create a prejudice frame of mind through subtitle symbols. Television commercials are an agent of socialization and have been used to persuade the viewer into voting for a certain president, stereotyping a certain ethnic group or race because of comical value, using sex to make a product look appealing, or learning what qualities in a beer is important. Yet, although such trivial information exists in commercials and would permeate the consciousness of Americans, certain girls and boys may see an advertisement that may cause harm and damage subconsciously. Television commercials can mold individuals...
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...tion-tragedy-world-archive Late in his brief term of a thousand days, Kennedy took up the civil rights issue because of the increased in violence in some of the southern states. He called for increased federal power so that voting rights could be enforced. The major civil rights acts included public accommodations opening and an end to job discrimination. (Salem, 2009) After the Bay of Pigs incident he became “hard line,” by appointing militant anticommunists such as John McCone as CIA director and General Curtis LeMay as commander of the Air Force. He also insisted that western powers remain in West Berlin. (Salem, 2009) The major event of Kennedy’s foreign policy arose in 1962, when Khrushchev tried to establish nuclear missiles in Cuba. Kennedy used information and ideas from his task force and his advisers and blockaded Cuba and to threaten Khrushchev, Khrushchev then withdrew the missiles. (Salem, 2009) He was interested in “peace as a process,” and in 1963, the United States and the Soviet Union ended the nuclear threat. Kennedy listened to advisers who insisted that the United States should send troops to Vietnam to show the South Vietnamese army how to fight, even though skeptical, Kennedy agreed. He did not live to follow the plan through. In Dallas on November 22, 1963, he was assassinated. (Salem, 2009) The Second item found in the 1960 time capsule was a letter from the Birmingham County Jail. http://learnfly.wordpress.com/2007/01/15/56/ SCLC allied with...
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