WOMEN FIRED FOR GIVING THE FINGER

What would you do if a infamous politician, one like Donald Trump, passed you on the road.  Would you wave, take a selfie, or...give the finger?  Guess what happened to the woman below?  She got fired.

Read the attached article and write a response explaining what you think of this situation.  In your response consider the importance of online presence and how perception plays a role.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/06/woman-fired-showing-donald-trump-middle-finger-motorcade-passed/

INCLUSIVE PEPSI COMMERCIAL NOT SO INCLUSIVE

2017 Pepsi commerical

Pepsi's 2017 commercial starring Kendall Jenner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfCiV6ysngU

Over the summer Pepsi published a controversial commercial that placed Kendall Jenner in the spotlight.  The commercial highlighted a peaceful protest that included people of various backgrounds and ethnicity, but the star of the commercial was Jenner.  It was her appearance as the hero that stirred the pot. 

In the midst of the protest march Kendall walks through the crowd and hands a police officer a can of Pepsi which was then followed by cheers and applauds from the crowd. 

Social media's response to this was swift and electric.  The media posted that Pepsi appropriated the hard fought campaigns of Black Lives Matters, and the use of a white, privileged woman made BLM's cause seem unimportant.    Jenner's appearance, to say the least,  made people very upset.  

Take a look at the ad using the youtube link above.  Then go on to research what the media says about it.  Do you agree that the ad trivializes the Black Lives Matter campaign?  What about the civil rights movement that took place in the 60's?  In your post, comment on the ad and how it works against these important organizations and historical events.  

RACIST HALLOWEEN

"Sun Rise Princess" costume

"Dream Catcher Cutie" costume

Halloween is just around the corner and with it comes awesome costumes. BUT there's still a problem.  For years, stores like Party City have been called on to stop the promotion of costumes that depict people of colour.  Costumes like the ones above - Sun Rise Princess and Dream Catcher Cutie - depict Indigenous cultures and are still found at various Party Cities in Toronto.  

In fact, costumes that depict cultures and people of colour can be found everywhere.  This is hugely problematic and highly inappropriate, yet there are people who think nothing of this.  

Click on the link below and read the attached article.  Write an entry in your blog about this ongoing problem and make sure to tell us what you think.  Try to find images of costumes that you deem inappropriate (you'll be surprised to see what exists) and add them to your post.  

https://www.thestar.com/life/2017/10/19/racist-halloween-costumes-still-abound-in-toronto-stores.html

    

PLAYERS TAKE A KNEE

Colin Kaepernick, first NFL player to take a knee,
 is supported by fellow NFL player 

What would you do if you had status as an athlete, artist, or performer and you were upset about the ongoing racial inequality in your country?  

Watch this video of athletes Malcolm Jenkins (Philadelphia Eagles) & Anquan Bolden (former NFL player) explain their reasons for kneeling during the National Anthem.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/10/15/nfl-national-anthem-protests-week-6-players-teams-list

The issue of racial inequality and anti-black racism has exploded in the United States since the election of President Trump in January 2017.  Some say it has to do with the continued police brutality against the African-American community.  Others say it has everything to do with Donald Trump siding with white supremacists.  What is definite is that racial injustices and anti-black racism continue to plague our neighbours in the south, and NFL players are taking the matter into their own hands....or knees.

As many of you know, Colin Kaepernick (former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers) was the first NFL player to take a knee during the National Anthem as a way of protesting the continued police brutality of African American people.  (Currently, he's a free agent who has yet to be signed by any NFL team).  Since then, dozens of players have joined him in his cause, and there have been a variety of reactions from fans, not to mention President Donald Trump.

Just recently, the issue has exploded, dividing fans and the NFL.  Kaepernick hasn't been signed this season and is now suing the NFL for collusion.  The NFL is talking with its players trying to figure out a way to appease them and their fans.  The "taking a knee" protest has caused quite the stir. 
Read through some of the articles posted below and comment on what these NFL players are doing and why.  Do you agree with what they have been doing?  Why or why not? Would you risk ridicule to stand (or kneel) for what you believed in?  What would you do? 

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/nfl/colin-kaepernick-nfl-grievance-1.4355950
https://www.si.com/tech-media/2017/09/24/donald-trump-nfl-national-anthem-protests-rich-eisen
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/nfl-protests-poll_us_59e11ff6e4b03a7be580adc6

Dove Ad Gone Horribly Wrong

Just last week, Dove published an ad that was criticized on social media for being highly racist.  It shows an African American women removing a top and revealing a white woman. 

The intention for the ad was to show that Dove's gentle cleanser works well for all skin types and tones.  However, the racial under'tones' cannot be ignored.   

Regardless of the backlash, model Lola Ogunyemi, a Nigerian woman born in London and raised in Atlanta, explained to The Guardian newspaper that she was not a victim in this ad.  She feels that she represented the strong women of colour around the world.  

Take a look at the ad, at media criticism and at Lola Ogunyemi's response to the criticism.  What is your opinion of this Dove campaign? 

Links to media:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/model-racist-dove-ad-defends_us_59dcd000e4b0208970cfcdf6

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/10/i-am-woman-racist-dove-ad-not-a-victim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJssvw1LQbI

Blogging Rules 101

Image Source : socialmedia.biz

 Having an online presence can be a lot of fun, but also holds a lot of responsibility!  Here are some key tips to remember when creating posts for your blog.
- Don't divulge personal information: use your FIRST NAME ONLY, don't give any details with regards to contact information, home address, phone numbers, last names of friends or relatives, instant messaging names, age, or birth date.

- No questionable photos of you or anything else: If you wouldn't show it to your grandma, don't post it on the web! Avoid posting photos of yourself.

- Remember the internet is permanent! Anyone on the Internet can easily print out a blog or save it to a computer.

- Use blogging provider sites with clearly stated terms of use, and make sure they can protect the actual blogs, not just the user accounts, with password protection. (Even so, it's better to assume anyone can see it.)

- Avoid trying to "out-do" or compete with other bloggers.

Image Source : livethegoodlifewithsara.com

- Keep it clean and positive: Our blogs are reflective of our Catholic values. Sexist, racist, homophobic, or any type of oppressive and offensive language will not be tolerated!

Welcome to Blogging!

Welcome to the 2017/2018 grade 10 Media Arts/Comm course.  I am happy to have you all as students in this new and exciting school year.  For this blog unit we will be sharing some news, stories and events that involve digital media along with various other forms of media.

http://markdalton.net/tag/blog/

As part of your media arts / communications technology course you will be required to create and maintain your own media arts / communications blog. Blogging has quickly become a very popular form of communication and online journaling.


Through this course your will be required to reply to six different media / technology issues or topics that will be posted here for you to respond to on your own blog. Each response must be no less than 300 words and should have discussions relevant to media arts and communication technology. You will also be required to respond to 6 other people's blogs with thoughtful ideas and comments with a 100 words (min). The evaluation for this unit is found in your unit guide. Once you have completed all tasks (which will take you several months) you will submit your unit guide, with a list of the six blogs that you responded to, for evaluation.


Happy Blogging!
Ms. Powell and Ms Arturi