...Turn of the Century: Homosexuality Acceptance Marjorie A. Webster Ashford University Cultural Awareness in the Human Services HHS 320 Professor Andrea Shenkman July 25, 2012 Turn of the Century: Homosexuality Acceptance Our society and our sitcoms have evolved from what it used to be in the 1950s, during the time of Ricky Ricardo and Lucy Ball in the “I Love Lucy” show. Fast forward to the 21st century, television shows such as, “Glee”, “Will and Grace”, and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” carry different themes than those of Ricky’s and Lucy’s silly innocent antics. When in time did our society get over the initial shock of an interracial Ricky and Lucy laying in one bed, to accepting homosexual couples on television? Our society expands further than Hollywood antics, especially with sensitive issues dealing with our individual beliefs, traditions, and customs. In this paper, I will cover the media effect of sexual orientation exposure, the brief history and repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, and the acceptance of same-sex marriages in the United States. It goes without saying that the United States is the salad bowl of the world; socially accepting of all races, gender, religion, and now sexual orientation. America is moving forward and embracing a more diverse culture and practices and it is backing it up with concrete legal and political significance. Due to the imminent and overwhelming media exposure of homosexuality, it is evident, be it...
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...TELEVISION PORTRAYALS OF HOUSEWIVES IN THE 1950s VERSUS TODAY: I Love Lucy vs. Desperate Housewives The 1950s housewife was the epitome of a woman. She had poise and grace and cared for her family more than having a career. She had a smile on her face, dinner on the table, and her child always used please and thank you. At least on TV. Fast forward 50 years and much has changed in our history and the way that women are portrayed on television. With women no longer expected to give up their careers in order to raise a family, working moms are represented more with each passing decade. Two television shows that can be examined to explore the difference in television’s portrayal of housewives are I Love Lucy from the 1950s and Desperate Housewives from the 2000s. While the shows premiered more than a half a century apart, there are many similarities in the shows. And that’s not on accident. After World War II ended, men came home and families started growing and prospering, able to buy things they had to go without during the rough wartimes. With servicemen home and the baby boom well underway, women were expected to reclaim their dominance over the home, while their husband’s reclaimed dominance over them.1 Housewives were to be seen more than heard, all while keeping a smiling on their face. No one talked about their problems, because they didn’t really have any. The white picket fence was always perfect and no one ever raised their voice or drank too much, at least on the...
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...television shows just could not contend with the ones that had emerged previously in history. This is because in the early years of production were the television shows that set the precedents for what television is today. One of the most well-known shows that changed the future of television for centuries to come happened to be one of the very first’s sitcoms to air on television, “I Love Lucy”. This popular television show emerged in the fifties and set the stone for what comedy should be. This show was clever and original at the same time for all of the ridiculousness that took place. Many shows that have followed were surprisingly big hits but none could leave an impact like “I Love Lucy”. This is because it “is legitimately the most influential in TV history, pioneering so many innovations and normalizing so many others that it would be easy to write an appreciation of simply, say, the show’s accidental invention of the TV rerun.”(VanDerWerff) Audiences of all ages are attracted to humorous shows and like Will Rogers said, “We are all here for a spell, get all the good laughs you can.”(BrainyQuote) I Love Lucy planted the seed for future television sitcoms by being the first show to show women as scatter-brains yet extremely clever, men as loud and confused characters, and friends that were dupes and accomplices which was captured and used by many television...
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...When people try to think of all the media moguls in our history, almost all of the names that come up belong to men. However, I would like to take the time to discuss some of the female moguls. Lucille Ball changed television forever, with both her portrayal of characters on screen and her work of television production behind the screen. For over three decades, Lucille Ball was the most highly recognized and adored entertainer in the world, although many addressed her simply as Lucy. This of course was due to her portrayal of a certain clumsy housewife of the same name who managed to turn everyday activities into unparalleled hijinks and adventure. Lucy won the hearts of nearly every American, regardless of social or cultural stature. Ball’s expertise was wide and diverse, which led to the success of her notable role. After dropping out of high school at age fifteen, Lucille Ball picked up and relocated to New York City to pursue her dream of acting. Finally, in 1927, Ball got cast in her first show as a chorus girl. This job then led her to her big break, the Chesterfield Cigarettes poster girl. After that, her career skyrocketed. She began getting cast in major films like Eddie Cantor’s Roman Candles (1933). Soon after, it became nearly impossible to go to...
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...FCC put a "freeze" on granting TV licenses. How long did this freeze last and why? The freeze lasted 4 years because the FCC wanted to rethink their whole television system 6. What's a "kinescope" recording? Kinescope is a form a recording where you are filming the picture off a TV set during the live broadcast 7. Early TV specialized in the "dramatic anthology." What is this. Give an example of this TV genre. programs featured original screenplays by theater trained authors with cast and staff drawn from the world of new york theater. Philco Televison Playhouse, Studio ONe, Theatrical , Hollywood 8. Why was Lucille Ball such an important figure in the early days of TV? Lucile Ball is a flim comedinnie that created I Love Lucy television series 9. What does "syndication" mean?? means the practice of selling directly to stations without going through a network , programs that each station can air whatever time and frequency...
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...Alexus Fuller CRN: 21556 English 1101 March 6, 2016 Women Then and Now “Lucy I’m home,” the famous saying from the famous 1950s sitcom, “I Love Lucy” fully distinguished a vast difference between women in sitcoms then and now. Women in the 1950s held on to the traditional, stereotypical housewife title, one who only tended to their husband children and household duties. Women in contemporary sitcoms, however, did not hold on to those traditional values that were viewed in the 1950s. For example Being Mary Jane is about a hard working single black women going through everyday life, without those traditional values. Status, parenting, and conservativeness are the foremost leading differences from women in the 1950s and women in contemporary sitcoms. Status is the position somebody holds in society. Women in the 1950s held a lower more respectable status than women in today’s sitcoms. For example, Lucy was very respectful of her husband, and his wishes. Women then did not typically talk back, became physical, or dressed inappropriately. Women in today’s sitcoms, however, were the exact opposites. In today’s sitcoms, women were drug addicts, exotic dancers or workaholics. Women also tend to be very emotionally abusive to their families. For example, a powerful African-American woman on Mary Jane in chastised her sister about having two kids and having another. Women in the 1950s sitcom were typically stay-at- home moms who did not work. Their parenting skills differed from...
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...Reflection As I have gotten older I have rebelled against popular culture, people change but the situations remain the same. The way the media has portrayed family throughout the years has changed drastically. A family without a father would not have been allowed on television in the 1950’s. In 1951 Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz a married couple in real life developed a Sitcom called ‘I Love Lucy’; they were not allowed to sleep in the same bed but you could smoke on television something the network censors frown upon in this day and age. Another Television land couple Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke were featured in 1961 the Dick Van Dyke show aired on CBS and the married couple had twin beds, the network did not want a man and women in the same bed due to censor concern. If we fast forward to 2014, how things have changed. Men and women can now sleep in the same bed but television censorship has become very lax. Primetime TV will air men in the bed nude or topless with 2 women. Illegal drugs are accepted and treated as if it is a rite of passage for the teenagers and young adults. Censorship may be harder on obscene behaviors on television but that leaves in door open for information that children don’t need to be exposed to. Children are no difference from the 1950 then they are today, why should they be subjected to all the garbage of the world before they are ready. Having young children has really opened my eyes to Social Media and how young people are influenced...
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...The play Cosi is a comic play written by Australian playwright, Louis Nowra and is set in the early seventies in the midst of the Vietnam War era. The play focuses on the amateur production of the Mozart’s Opera Cosi Van Tutte. The protagonist, Lewis is a young inexeperienced university student who is given the task of directing the play as a part of a therapy program for the partients at the local insane asylum. Dramatic techniques are used constantly throughout the play to create re-occurring motifs impacting significantly on the themes of enlightenment, love and fidelity and madness, which are shown strongly throughout. In Act One, scene one responders are introduced to the “burnt out theatre” where two unlikely worlds merge. The theater metaphorically represents the world outside; it reflects all the drama-taking place outside the asylum. This burnt out theater merges these two unlikely worlds together. The first, the outside world which Is set in the Vietnam War era, and then the patients world inside the asylum indicating madness. The use of these dramatic techniques creates re-occurring motifs playing a major role in the meaning and message that Louis Nowra is trying to portray. In Act One, scene three the play begins in the darkness as Lewis shows his journey to enlightenment. Responders are shown “Lewis’ lack of control over the patients and his inability to fit in” he questions the “madness” he finds himself in. The re-occurring motif of darkness is shown in...
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...But as I began writing this I realized that they are only outdated to an extent. Nowadays in this society women that wear revealing clothing and “get around” are seen to be bad if not gross people. But at the same time more conservative girls aren't exactly held on a pedestal like the book, they are mocked often for being so innocent and “prudent”. I believe the media has a big role in what people think of women , seeing all the naked women or overly sexualized women as actors creates an expectation for women that is surely to be let down in the actual world. I also notice that other women are more judgmental of women then you would think. If you’re gonna put that much effort into what you think of someone it should be empowering them not insulting them. We all need to work together to build one another up, and to overcome the typical stereotypes that society has gave us throughout our...
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...Women’s Changing Roles. The role of woman in vampire literature has changed significantly over the decades. Works expanding from the traditional Bram Stokers Dracula to more modern work as well-known as Twilight. Lucy in Dracula was portrayed as being “slender with large brown eyes and full lips”, she was considered a “damsel”. Her character became the stereotype for the females in novels that followed. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer the role of women changed. The female was no longer the “damsel” but now was the warrior. In the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, by Laurell K Hamilton, Anita is one thing the vampires fear most that is why she is called the “Executioner”. But there are many similarities in the women of classic and modern day literature and film as well. The role of women in the Victorian era were to be virginal and innocent, or else they were a mother and wife. If she was not either of these she was considered impure and dirty. Bram Stoker Dracula is a prime example of this system. In future writing women have gotten a chance at significant change. Now women can be the slayer, the persuader, and the enforcer. Women have grown in brains and brawn. The main female character in Dracula, found him in his sleep and during a period of time Dracula changes Lucy into an independent woman. According to one of the prevailing interpretations of the novel, Dracula acted as a catalyst for the female desire. Woman’s sex drive, as it was believed in the Victorian Era, could not exist...
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...Stay at Home Moms -Breaking the Stereotypes 9/13/2015 In today’s society, no longer is it common for a woman to make the decision to stay at home and school her children. There was a time when this was far from taboo, but in the year 2015, stay at home mothers have found themselves in situations where they have to prove their worth. Women in the SAHMs (Stay at home mothers) community are labeled as lazy, are said to have it easy, are dumb, moochers, and many other stereo types. In all actuality the life of a SAHM is quite the contraire. In the 20th century the term “house wife” was more so used than the term Stay at home mom. Now, in the 21st century we changed that term because it seemed as if we knew nothing but the walls inside our homes. We are married to our husbands, not our houses. Women in the 1950’s rose to the term house wife and wore it proudly. During this time, the women who worked outside of the home were looked at as some scientific phenomenon that we didn't understand. The role of women in the 1950’s was repressive and constrictive in many ways. Society placed high importance and many expectations on behavior at home as well as in public. Women were supposed to fulfill certain roles, such as a caring mother, a diligent homemaker, and an obedient wife. The perfect mother was supposed to stay home and nurture so society would accept them. (R.C.2005) “Most of the time, when people ask, I tell them that I work from home. Technically this is true, because...
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...The early 20th century was a time of rapid change, increased responsibility and polarized views about women. For years, women had provided stable and comforting homes for their husbands and children. The influence of women during this period expanded outside the home and into the workplace, society and politics. This expansion forever changed United States. The Progressive Era was the time for women to push the traditional boundaries of their spheres. They worked outside the home in record numbers, in factories and other business that allowed them to get organized and expand labor laws. In 1903 the Women’s Trade Union League was formed, which focused on unionizing women workers and supporting women’s strikes. One such famous strike was the...
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...“The role of women in the gothic genre is as victims, always subject to male authority.” Compare and contrast the extent to which this interpretation is relevant to your three chosen texts. “The wolf consumes red riding hood – what else can you expect if you talk to strange men, comments Perrault briskly. Let’s not bother our heads with the mysteries of sadomasochistic attraction” Angela Carter; Foreword to Perrault’s Short Stories. In much of today’s feminist writings, the Gothic era is frequently defined as a period in which the oppression of females was at its most intense. In response to fin de siècle anxieties of a social revolution in which gender stereotypes could be overhauled, gothic writers, it is claimed, sought to reassert cultural and gender norms – a reassertion which inevitably resulted in the oppression of women. In view of such contemporary analysis, it is thus all too tempting to offer a sweeping judgement of gothic literature as victimising, oppressive and misogynistic; Dracula’s “victims” are all “unambiguously women[1]”, Poe victimises through an “idealised and dehumanising image of women[2]”, while Carter is a “pseudo feminist” who merely “reinforces patriarchal views” with her “pornographic” writing[3]. Yet such views are largely artificial, and are primarily based on potted summaries of the above works, rather than a closer textual analysis. If one takes the definition of a victim as a being who is subject to the successful predatory actions of...
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...Jill Berdys-Billardello Professor Ramos INTL 2000 7 February 2015 “Maria Full of Grace” is a movie about a young woman who lives in a three generation all female household that is desperately trying to break the cycle of how these Colombian women live their expected lives. Maria is a feisty seventeen year old that works in a rose plantation and is expected to financially contribute to her family as well as her sister who is an unemployed single mother. She wants out and unfortunately is pulled into the drug world by becoming a “mule” or “drug carrier” in order to financially secure herself and family. The twist to the movie is that Maria is pregnant and she only tells the father who has no interest in her or helping. So, she’s basically left all alone to figure out how to provide a better life on her own. The most desirable character in this movie is most definitely Maria. From the beginning you can tell she wants more from her life other than what she watched her grandmother and mother go through. Working in the rose plantation gives the viewer a first glimpse of her thorough disgust for doing this manual labor for menial wages and no respect whatsoever from her boss. At one point while discovering that she was pregnant, she had to succumb to her boss’s ability to approve or deny her to leave her work post to use the restroom because of morning sickness. When she discards all over the roses she was prepping, he then denies her the use of the restroom and makes her...
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...Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging by Joe Butt Profile: ISTJ Revision: 3.0 Date of Revision: 27 Feb 2005 "It is in keeping with tradition throughout our history that I should express simply and directly the opinions which I hold concerning some of the matters of present importance." --Herbert Hoover, Inaugural Address, Monday, March 4, 1929. ISTJs are often called inspectors. They have a keen sense of right and wrong, especially in their area of interest and/or responsibility. They are noted for devotion to duty. Punctuality is a watchword of the ISTJ. The secretary, clerk, or business(wo)man by whom others set their clocks is likely to be an ISTJ. As do other Introverted Thinkers, ISTJs often give the initial impression of being aloof and perhaps somewhat cold. Effusive expression of emotional warmth is not something that ISTJs do without considerable energy loss. ISTJs are most at home with "just the facts, Ma'am." They seem to perform at highest efficiency when employing a step-by-step approach. Once a new procedure has proven itself (i.e., has been shown "to work,") the ISTJ can be depended upon to carry it through, even at the expense of their own health. ISTJs are easily frustrated by the inconsistencies of others, especially when the second parties don't keep their commitments. But they usually keep their feelings to themselves unless they are asked. And when asked, they don't mince words. Truth wins out over tact. The grim determination of the ISTJ vindicates...
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