A Permanent Label

"Now, after Matthew, I would say that Laramie is a town defined by an accident, a crime. We've become Waco, We've become Jasper. We're a noun, a definition, a sign" (Kaufman 9).

It's easy to assume without knowing the whole tale,
And put a label on something from what you've heard.
But by doing this you're going to fail,
To see reality and the truth will be blurred.
So search for all of the facts, not just one or two,
Different perspectives will reveal the story.
They will come together to paint a picture for you,
Of truth that stands in all its glory.

Angel Wings

I chose this picture because it is conveying such a powerful message - that love can overcome hate. It was such a beautiful idea and symbol for these protestors to cover up other, hateful protesters at the trial. They are standing there silently while the protestors behind them are angrily yelling, again just showing that hateful people are angry people, and always will be until they learn to accept all people, no matter what their sexual orientation. This image is so powerful and really sums up all of the feelings surrounding the Matthew Shepard trial - those of hate and love, anger and healing - the list goes on and on. There will always be disagreements concerning gay rights, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but the way to do it is not by using hateful words and protesting in inapropriate places. One must gain respect for themselves in order for their cause to be respected too.

Judy Shepard

I chose this video because it was different to many of the videos I watched on YouTube. It brought a new perspective on Matthew which I found interesting. His mother is speaking 10 years after the incident, and she speaks about how Matthew is just a regular guy, and it'd be wrong of her to make him "something that he was not". She does not want to turn him into a symbol because there are so many people out there that have experienced the same kind of hatred that Matthew experienced, and aren't getting the media attention that he received. She isn't glorifying him or creating a hero out of him or even talking about the tragedy of what happened, she's just speaking of her memories of Matthew, which I think is a refreshing way to look at something that was so terrible and had to be so hard for her.

Matthew Shepard Trial

This is a picture of Matthew Shepard's murderers, Aaron McKinney and Russel Henderson, awaiting testimony in court in 1998. I chose this picture because McKinney's glare strikes me so much. I find it terrifying, and almost hard to look at. While Henderson seems to be bowing his head in shame and regret, I feel that McKinney has this intense look of hate, with no sorrow for the horrbile crime he committed. His slouched posture in the picture also gives a feeling of disrespect to the situation, adding to the message of hatred conveyed by McKinney's look. It's such a powerful picture with such a strong message, which is why I chose this picture - the look sticks with you for a while after.

Matthew Shepard

Matthew Wayne Shepard was born in Casper, Wyoming on December 1st 1976, to Judy Peck and Dennis Shepard. He also had a younger brother named Logan who was born in 1981. During a high school trip to Morocco in 1995, Matthew was beaten and raped for being gay, causing him to deal with panic attacks and depression. Despite this setback, he continued on to go to college at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, studying political science which he was extremely interested in. In 1998, Shepard was brutally murdered by Aaron McKinney and Russel Henderson for being gay. Matthew's short life ended on October 12th 1998 when he was taken off of life support at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado.

A-sian

One positive stereotype that is common within American society is that all Asians are extremely intelligent and studious. Being thought of as being so smart can definitely be a nice compliment to hear as an asian person, however it can also put a lot of pressure on a person too. By creating this stereotype, society is making people of asian heritage feel that they must live up to this standard to be extremely smart and good at school. True, it is a part of asian culture that studying and doing well in school is very important, however it is just a small part of such a rich culture, and yet is the main thing that is remembered about it. All people have different things to offer society which is where stereotypes go wrong in creating a blanket statement about a group of people without recognizing individual traits. Is there such a thing as a positive stereotype?

Border Patrol

A negative stereotype that is really prominant in American society is that all Mexicans are illegal immigrants. This stereotype has even been perpetuated by the racial profiling that is now legal in Arizona that allows people of hispanic appearance to be pulled over and have their resident papers looked at. This stereotype is joked about a lot and is so sad because the majority of Mexican immigrants that live here have worked hard to be the best American they can be and deserve to be treated like the citizens that they are. This is not to say that border security isn't a big issue that needs to be kept under control, however we need to stop treating Mexican Americans in such an un-American fashion. They came to this country for the same reasons as all of our ancestors... for life and liberty and they deserve to have the same opportunities without the ridiculous discrimination that they receive from their own American people.

You're like, really pretty for a Jew...

I love this video because it's so funny and so true... these things get said to me constantly. Most of the stereotypes of Jews talked about in here are so negative, and yet some of the most common ones around. The one that jumps out at me most though is "You're like really pretty for a Jew..." as if Jewish people are supposed to be ugly or something. It probably comes a lot from the stereotypes that Jewish people have big noses and big curly hair. However, I got my big nose from my dad who isn't even Jewish! But really, it's this negative stereotype that jews are an unnatractive people... I come accross this stereotype so often. Obviously these people have never visited Israel... I dare you to find an ugly Israeli... it'll be a challenge I promise!

If you're from England, why are you...

A positive stereotype that I think a lot of people in America have about British people, is that we're all proper, and very well educated. As flattering as this is, it's just not true and people are often surprised to hear my accent isn't nearly as posh as they'd expected. From a first hand experience of living in England, I can definitely say that this stereotype is VERY off... the majority of people in England speak far from proper English, and most people are educated in public schools that are just like American ones. I would say the crime rate was higher even living in a nice area outside of London, and there also exists what we like to call a "yob" or "chav" culture that is sweeping the nation that is the furthest thing from proper out there. Consult Urban Dictionary for further understanding. The amount of drinking that goes on in England too is outrageous... definitely not proper! To be honest, England is nothing like most Americans expect, but it's nice to be thought of in such a good light!

Makeup Love

The brand I think that I identify with the most is Sephora. I love cosmetics and makeup artistry and my favorite store is Sephora, so naturally I think this brand helps to define me. I love makeup so much because I think it is such a beautiful art and it is definitely something I want to pursue as a career or at the very least have as a large part of my life. My favorite pass time is wandering around a Sephora store and looking at all of the products and colors - I could literally stay in there for hours. Sephora and makeup artistry helps define my artistic and creative personality, and I hope to even work at one some day. It's a high end, professional brand that represents my love for makeup and art.

Culture I Want To Be A Part Of

Social Culture

School Culture

Family Culture

Media Culture

Definition of "media culture": Mass Media and Media Culture refers collectively to all media technologies that are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication.

My definition of "media culture": Media culture is huge in today's society. We are all constantly being stimulated by social media outlets, and new outlets. Because of this, we are all receiving similar information regarding the world around us, which is our media culture. It is part of our culture to have a Facebook, twitter, pinterest etc... it's a way of getting news and hearing stories that reach the masses that comprises media culture. I think Media culture is what helps to create pop culture and mass culture... we're all receiving the same messages through our media culture, in turn creating our trends and what the mass culture are into.

Mass Culture

- Defintion of "mass culture": Mass culture is the set of ideas and values that develop from a common exposure to the same media, news sources, music, and art. Mass culture is broadcast or otherwise distributed to individuals instead of arising from their day-to-day interactions with each other. Thus, mass culture generally lacks the unique content of local communities and regional cultures.

- Definition of "mass culture": From what I can understand, mass culture is similar to pop culture, in that it's what the masses are into currently. However, unlike pop culture which is comprised of people's favorite entertainment like movies and music and such, mass culture is more like the every day things that people involve themselves with. They're fads. Examples are the obsession with theme parks, tv dinners, rubix cubes, and big 80's hair. Some may call these things superficial, but they seem to be popular with the masses!

Popular Culture

- Definition of "popular culture" - Popular culture (commonly known as pop culture) is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes,images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the late 20th and early 21st century. Heavily influenced by mass media, this collection of ideas permeates the everyday lives of the society. Popular culture is often viewed as being trivial and dumbed-down in order to find consensual acceptance throughout the mainstream. As a result, it comes under heavy criticism from various non-mainstream sources (most notably religious groups and countercultural groups) which deem it superficial, consumerist, sensationalist, and corrupted.

- My definition of "popular culture" - To me, popular culture is the array of entertainment and trends that society currently follows. All the music genres, movies, television shows, words etc that are currently popular with the majority of people. It's a culture that people can become a part of or turn away from, unlike the culture you are born into which is harder to change. If culture is defined by the kind of music, beliefs, dress etc of a group of people, then popular culture is the music, beliefs, dress etc that is popular with the masses as of current.

Elite Culture

- Definition of "elite culture": A group or class of persons or a member of such a group or class, enjoying superior intellectual, social, or economic status. The best or most skilled members of a group.

- My definition of "elite culture": When I think of elite culture, I think of high class, and high society. The best of the best. I think of someone who graduated from Harvard, or who is the CEO of a company, or lives in the Hampton's. They have a lot of money, a lot of intelligence, or a lot of status. I can't help but think of snobbiness when I think of elite culture, as if these people believe they're better than the mass culture. Obviously this isn't all true, but the first word that still comes to mind for me is snob.

Culture

- Defition of "culture": The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization, or group.

- My definition of "culture": Culture to me is a certain group of people's shared language, religion, tradition, and beliefs. Generally, I would say you are a part of the same culture as someone if you have many similarities to them. Of course, you can be part of many cultures that all overlap. Say, my friend and I are part of the same American culture because we eat fast food, arevery into out technologies, and speak english. However we can also be part of separate cultures that make us different as well. I am a part of Jewish culture, while she is a part of Persian culture. I almost think of culture as being a bunch of Venn Diagrams, overlapping to create unique people that are part of many different cultures.

Christians protect Muslims during prayer in Cairo, Egypt.

This picture was the most powerful to me for many reasons. First, it's very visually appealing. The lights in the background, all of the colors, and the sea of people are all very beautiful and intriguing. Second, the small yet powerful detail of the men holding hands at the foreground of the shot, gives an overall loving and peaceful feeling to the picture. However, what I found to be the most powerful about this image, was the caption that comes along with it. "Christians protect Muslims during prayer in Cairo, Egypt." How often are you going to hear that? It was a beautiful statement to me. It's almost surreal, to see two groups of people with different religious views acting compassionately towards each other, for just a moment. If that's not powerful, then I'm not sure what is. This image to me, represents a step in the right direction for peace in this world.

Olivia in Ten

WORD ME

The Day I Lost My Life (or My iPhone)

The Day I Lost My Life (or My iPhone)

"I have realized that technology is no longer something we use; technology is a part of who we are." - Maurilio Amorim



I find the technology that we use in our everyday lives to have a kind of irony to them. We create this invisible information inside all of our little devices (our phones, computers, cameras etc) that are supposed to make our lives easier. And then... we lose them, and the world is suddenly at a standstill. All of this data that we once lived without, created, and then lost, without it ever even being tangible, instantly seems to rule our lives the moment it's gone. The reason I bring up this con of technology is because a few weeks ago, I too became the victim of an iPhone crisis. My iPhone wasn't connecting to the newtwork, and even worse, my data wouldn't back up to my iCloud (the cyber version of Olivia), and so I didn't want to get it replaced in fear of losing all of that useless data that I had self created, and lived completely fine without just months before. I suddenly felt isolated. Not only did I have the fear of losing my most prized data, I also had lost my sixth sense - my ability to communicate with others through text messaging. I literally tossed and turned that entire night with the fear of losing my 4.5 x 2.31 inch, 4.9 ounce life. The thing about technology that sucks the most? The ability to lose our entire lives within a tiny little device. Submitted with undying love for my iPhone...

It's like you're screaming...

The music video for "We Found Love" by Rihanna is probably the only music video I've ever given a second thought. I'm terribly sick of the song that I once loved, but the music video remains a favorite of mine. I love it because it's the definition of "finding love". The video depicts the intense highs that love brings, as well as the intense lows, with bright colors, edgy topics, racy shots and lots of bright lights and colors. I could watch this music video so many times, with the sound muted of course!

"I'll protect you, Daddy"

The movie "Crash" is one of my favorite movies for so many reasons. Of course I love it most for the content. The issues of dealing with diversity and people that are different to ourselves fascinates me, because I love to study the way we interact with each other. I also love how this movie starts and ends at the same point, as if to represent that the issue of prejudice and racism is a vicious, never ending cycle that is so hard to break. The filmography in this movie is also fantastic, with choppy clips and intense closeups, as well as a fantastic soundtrack. Overall I think this movie is brilliant, and one I could watch over and over again and never stop getting something out of it.