Introduction

Manipulation in the media has been used to persuade American viewers. From portraying an unattainable life of perfection, to depicting our president as a celebrity, the media has touched every facet of our lives. Media has influenced college sports, as the priorities of American’s have such a high focus on the excitement of the competition that athletes are being payed to play. Television has demasculinized the male figure. The media has had an effect on all of us, and it’s important that we recognize its far-reaching impact so we do not fall into its enticement. 

The End of Men

In a world that grows faster and faster, young men are slowing down. In some areas, guys are deteriorating.

“Girls outperform boys now at every level, from elementary school through graduate school" (The Demise of Guys?).

In comparison with women, men have never done worse, but it doesn't stop there. “Young men’s SAT scores, meanwhile, in 2011 were the worst they’ve been in 40 years" (The Demise of Guys?).

Department of Education,. 

Percent of All College Degrees Earned. 2012. The Demise of Guys?Web. 5 Nov 2012.

Over the last 40 years, men have progressively earned a smaller and smaller percentage of college degrees.

What is causing this change? What in society is damaging our young men?

Though many factors contribute--and personal choices are certainly at the top of the list--mass media’s misguided and conflicting portrayal of the role of men has guided a generation of men to destruction.

The role of men has changed, especially in mass media. Males used to be protectors and providers, and they were portrayed as such. They had to prepare early in life and work hard throughout adulthood to fulfill that duty. 

Masculine character roles have changed. Now it is common to find the masculine role in a movie or series that drinks, engages in unsafe sexual activity, plays video games excessively, or is otherwise unsuccessful in real life accomplishments. They are distracted and find jobs and hard work unattractive.

While this kind of character can be entertaining, what kind of example does it provide our kids?

Those lives of video games  sex, and alcohol seem fun. Success in the world does seem so exciting or valuable when endless days of gaming and partying are available. Thus academic and career goals are left behind or forgotten.

They are also fitting the role they think men are supposed to play:

“But [college men] also say to [Harper]: 'You know, that’s not really who I am. That’s just what guys at college do.' Gender, Harper says, is performative: Young men are simply following a script, doing what they think they’re supposed to” (Hingston).

These bad examples bleed over into moral relativism. Society in general has adopted a philosophy of ‘anything goes’, and it’s no surprise that mass media has portrayed that.  

Sure, good grades and test scores can be nice, but laying around all day killing people in video games is cool, too.

This kind of thinking gives time no value and life little substance. Let’s give our young men a fighting chance and show them examples of men that work hard and sacrifice for others and value the true things in life.

Works Cited

Department of Education, . Percent of All College Degrees Earned. 2012. The Demise of Guys?Web. 5 Nov 
            2012. <http://www.demiseofguys.com/infographics-and-survey-results/infographics-demiseofguys-01-
            01/>.

Zimbardo, Philip, perf. The Demise of Guys?. 2011. Web. 5 Nov 2012. 
            <http://www.ted.com/talks/zimchallenge.html>.

Hingston, Sandy. "The Sorry Lives and Confusing Times of Today's Young Men." Philadelphia Magazine. 2012: n. 
            page. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. <http://www.phillymag.com/articles/the-sorry-lives-and-confusing-times-of-
            today-s-young-men/>.

         By: Ammon Mayfield

Chasing Perfection

We all have our dreams and our own ideas of perfection. Most of us also realize that it is extremely likely that these dreams won’t be realized and that perfection is out of our reach, but it’s still a nice idea to think about, isn’t it? And wouldn’t it be lovely if we could read about this dream, or watch perfection on a screen, or hear it blaring over the speaker?

Thanks to today’s media and popular culture, almost any person can find their idea of happiness on television, in a novel, or in the life of some celebrity.

These ideas and images are projected to us, and draw us in, inviting us to taste what we feel we truly desire. The problem is that it still isn’t attainable, and the media is only feeding us an illusion.

Those controlling the media have many ways to get people to identify themselves with something, keeping their paychecks large and steady.

"Media Usage and Consumer Spending, 2000-08." Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Gale Cengage Learning, 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.

Based on the years 2000-2003, the chart above shows calculated and projected statistics for 2004-2008. We can see that as the average American spends more time seeing, hearing, or reading the products of the media, they spend more on those products. The more often a young person plays video games, the more dependent they become upon them and the more they will spend on that dependency.

We become convinced that these items will somehow better our lives, and so we look to them to give us what we desire. We turn to the media to give us fulfillment or happiness.

Another large trap set by the media is “reality TV.”

There are countless programs lately trying to portray what “real life” is like. These shows are full of divas and unpractical solutions to ridiculous problems, with squabbling and hatred at every turn (Surreal).

In reality,"participants are often placed in exotic locations or abnormal situations, and are often persuaded to act in specific scripted ways…with the portrayal of events and speech manipulated and contrived to create an illusion of reality through direction and post-production editing techniques"(Abulude).

Does that sound like “reality” to you? Me either.

There are of course other examples but the reality of it is that not every fantasy we entertain is going to be real. Few situations played out in the media will ever actually happen, and as we realize this and start going out to live our own lives rather than living through the lives of celebrities, we’ll get that much closer to becoming a bit happier on our own.

Works Cited

Abulude, Samuel, and Solomon Nda-Isaiah. "After the Glamour, Glitz - a Reality Check on Ex-Reality Shows' Stars." Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Gale Cengage Learning, 27 Oct. 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.

"Media Usage and Consumer Spending, 2000-08." Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Gale Cengage Learning, 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.

Starobin, Paul. "In New Media, Image Is Still Everything." Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Gale Cengage Learning, 11 Sept. 2009. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.

"Surreal Housewives: On Bravo's Hit Show, the Gender Roles Are as Artificial as the Spray-on Tans." Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Gale Cengage Learning, Apr. 2011. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.

By: Heather Johnson

Boxers or Briefs?

“Is it boxers or briefs?” a woman asked of President Clinton during an MTV forum (Fastenberg).

                                             Clinton speaking at the MTV forum.

                                        Cook, Dennis. Clinton MTV Forum 1994. 1994. The Associated PressWeb. 29 Oct 2012.

             

This question is impolite and especially inappropriate to ask the president, yet it continues to come up in presidential campaigns. The question proves the invasive nature of today’s media. Once a respected and revered office, the presidency has become another exploited celebrity, an icon of pop culture (Weiskel).

            

The media has severely altered the way Americans view their president.

           

When you think about Franklin D. Roosevelt, do you think about the New Deal or about his love affair with Lucy Mercer (McGrath)? In contrast, when you think about Bill Clinton, do you think about the fact that he greatly reduced our national deficit or his “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” statement?

            

The president was esteemed because of his office. His private life and personal foibles were overlooked, or at least politely ignored. Early presidents didn’t face so much invasive media because of limited forms of media:  newspapers, which were read, thrown out and forgotten, were the prime source of information (Alexander).

            

Not so today. 

            

Today, presidential blunders are broadcast on almost every news network and website and commented on through social media sites. This constant, intense scrutiny disrespects the office of the presidency.

            

Television and especially social media thrive on needing to know every detail of the president’s life. Media has made him a more present figure, which is good, but he is too present, the connection too personal and invasive. As a result, the president has become more of a celebrity than a government official.

           

Presidents have appeared on Comedy Central, the Tonight Show, MTV, pandering for popularity and public favor. Because of this shift from politics of power to politics of personality, “national politics have become a sideshow where clowns and buffoons strut and bellow across a movable stage to divert the public’s attention from what is really shaping their lives…” (Weiskel). This shift threatens our perception of what is actually going on in Washington.

           

While it is necessary for the public to know what our president is doing and some personal issues are germane, it is not necessary for the public to be involved in his choice of dog or his underwear preference. The public should be aware of the character of our national leader, but the details of his personal life are not need-to-know.

            

Give us the facts, not the just the face and façade.

                            Michelle Obama on Live! being asked "Boxers or Briefs." Begin the clip at 13:12     
                       "Interview with First Lady Michelle on "Live with Kelly and Michael.'" 19 Oct. 2012. YouTube. 30 Oct. 2012.

Works Cited

Alexander, Mary S. "Dear Mr. President: Changing Media Environments And The Social Construction Of The 

           President." Communication Review 8.1 (2005): 1-25. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Oct. 2012.

Fastenberg, Dan. "Boxers or Briefs? Clinton Answers." Time. 29 2010: n. page. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.

McGrath, Charles. "No End of the Affair." New York Times 20 Apr 2008, n. page. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.

Weiskel, Timothy C. "From Sidekick To Sideshow-- Celebrity, Entertainment, And The Politics Of Distraction:  

            Why Americans Are "Sleepwalking Toward The End Of The Earth." American Behavioral Scientist 49.3 

            (2005): 393-409. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Nov. 2012.

            By: Alyssa Gisseman

Scholarships: The Real Pay-to-Play

Auburn Pay-to-Pay Scandal. 2011. Orlando Sentinel. Web. 3 Nov 2012.

Over the last few decades, college sports have erupted in popularity. Because of this tremendous growth lucrative television deals such as the 14 year, $10.8 million deal signed by CBS for March Madness are becoming ever more prevalent (Nocera).

Head coaches of Division 1 football and basketball programs are routinely making millions of dollars a year, yet many argue this incredible economic growth in college athletics is being handled incorrectly. Many universities have received crippling penalties for breaking the rules and allowing or knowing of players receiving money.

Some say that until the true “employees” -the athletes- are paid fairly, the NCAA is broken. 

This is simply not true. 

College athletes receive countless benefits already because of their athletic abilities and do not need any more.

Collegiate athletes already receive payment in the form of a university education. Most students attend college without the benefit of a scholarship to pay for the costs. Athletes are one of the lucky groups that have their talents rewarded at the university level.

By being a great wide receiver or a skilled pitcher, many athletes have the ability to attend and pay for college. They already have a leg up on many of their peers.

I myself was lucky enough to earn a scholarship through my academic achievement and was able to pay for tuition because of it. Like athletes, I worked hard for my scholarship. I don’t get paid to continue my academic achievements, and college athletes should not be paid for continued athletic achievements.

Student athletes already earned a reward for their abilities, and must work to keep that reward. 

Each athlete is already being paid through scholarships. They don’t need to be paid a salary, that is what going pro or finishing a degree is for. The time to earn money is after college is over. A salary would merely be an unnecessary distraction to the players and would take the “student” out of student athlete.

Paying the players also takes away one of the best aspects of college sports. The athletes play for their teammates, their love of the game, and their school, but certainly not for money. By paying the players, they are no longer amateurs and one of the reasons college football is popular is taken away.

College athletes should not be paid for their playing. Many already receive preferential treatment over their peers and have the opportunity to receive a great education at the university level. 

Paying student-athletes would ruin the amazing experience that is college athletics and would be unfair to both the athletes themselves and everyone else involved. 

 Works Cited 

Forde, Pat. “Time has come to talk about pay-to-play”. ESPN. 12 Jul. 2011. Web. 1 Nov. 2012.
Lipsky, Drew. “The NCAA Pay for Play Debate: Should College Athletes Get Paid?”. Yahoo Sports. 29 Dec. 2011. 
            Web. 1 Nov. 2012.
Meshefejian, Krikor. “Pay to Play: Should College Athletes Be Paid?”. 2008. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in 
            Context. Web. 1 Nov. 2012.
Neuharth, Al. “Is pay to play OK for college athletes?”. USA Today. 10 Jun. 2011. Academic Search Premeir. 
            Web. 1 Nov. 2012.
Nocera, Joe. “Let’s Start Paying College Athletes.” The New York Times. 30 Dec. 2011. Web. 1 Nov. 2012.

            By: Hunter Rees