10. Role Of Media In 2008 American Elections: Friend Or Foe?

Sarah Palin's October 18, 2008 guest appearance on ‘‘Saturday Night Live" was a huge hit. Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American sketch comedy/variety show based in New York City, which features a regular cast of typically up-and-coming comic actors, joined by a guest host and musical act.

This video was all over the news after it's broadcast and I felt like it tells us a lot about the role of media in politics, especially in the 2008 American Elections.

Enjoy :)

9. Culture As A Commodity?

The Pussycat Dolls wore black Saris by designer Rocky S at the Conde Nast Media Group's 5th Annual Fashion Rocks benefit on September 5, 2008.

8. Intercultural Communication: The Middle East

From Bahrain to Beirut, the Middle East spans from Asia to Africa, consists of 22 countries (who are also part of the Arab League), is also the historical origin of three of the world’s major religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and represents a myriad of cultures, languages, history, art and architecture. Though always considered strategically, economically, geopolitically, culturally, religiously and historically significant, the Middle East exploded into mainstream news media (and also into our vernacular) after the September 11 attacks in 2001, and the invasion of Afghanistan shortly after, and Iraq in 2003. With all these political developments and attention being paid to the region (kudos also to the oil industry), the Middle East has become a "hot" topic of discussion, and unfortunately, the people too are not spared.

Though on good terms with the West, do their differences reflect a "clash of civilizations"? In this blog entry, I will be doing a case study of the Middle East and intend to debunk stereotypes of the their people, culture, values and religion, as I feel that these stereotypes act as attitudinal barriers to intercultural communication, and do not promote proper dialogue and cross-cultural understanding.

Since September 11, people from the Middle East have been stereotyped in the mass media (specifically in the West), and this has exacerbated the prevalence of negative social attitudes
towards Arabs and people of Middle Eastern origin. Here are some common stereotypes:

Stereotype #1: The Middle East is one big sandy desert with lots of camels, populated by men in turbans and long white robes, women in black with their faces covered, men waving long curved swords, etc.

Debunked: Air-conditioned super-malls, designer labels, shiny new Hummers, valet parking and trendy nightclubs are part of living in countries like the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Kuwait and Israel. Though, deserts are common due to the arid weather, areas with inhabitants are equipped with the necessary living essentials.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Stereotype #2: "Arab" and "Muslim" refer to the same people.

Debunked: Arabs are people who speak Arabic as a native language and identify themselves as Arabs; Muslims are those who practice the religion of Islam.
Many Arabs are not Muslims, and not all Muslims are Arabs. More than a billion people in the world are Muslims, but fewer than 15 percent of Muslims are Arabs. The Middle East is very diverse in terms of religion, as close to half of Lebanon's population includes Christian Maronites, Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants and large Christian communities also exist in Egypt, Syria, and Israel. Judaism (Israel) and Zoroastrianism (Iran) are also practiced in the region.

The women of the Middle East

Popular Lebanese Singer, Haifa Wehbe

Benazir Bhutto

Stereotype #3:

Women are oppressed and all of them have to wear the veil.

Debunked:

In Amman (Jordan), women hold important government jobs, drive, vote, and study. In many Middle Eastern countries, laws allow women to vote, work outside the home, and even run for office. Though, in some countries, custom and practice may not always be as liberal as the law allows. It all depends on the role and interpretation of religion in society and government, and to what extent theocracy plays a role in day to day life. In countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, the veil (burqa or hijab) is enforced, though not in countries such as Lebanon, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, and Israel.

Queen Rania of Jordan (Pictured above and below)

These stereotypes have been perpetuated by the media, and can be seen in Hollywood films, and also in a lot of Western news media. Coupled with 9/11 tensions, Arabs and others who hail from the Middle East (or those who look Middle Eastern, but are not of Middle Eastern descent, in terms of ethnicity or nationality) have been targeted, harassed and discriminated against in the United States and other parts of the world. This has led to poorer relations between the United States and countries in the Middle East, and with little cultural knowledge and understanding of the Arab region, it is hard to avoid miscommunication. Furthermore, in the highly collectivist Middle East, cultural norms and values differ from country to country.

7. Communication In Relationships: Britney's 'Womanizer'

In this entry, I will be discussing communication in relationships and will be referring to Knapp’s Model of Relational Development. For my media text this week, I decided to choose the music video, 'Womanizer' by singer Britney Spears, as I want to look at how relationships are being portrayed in music videos shown on television, online, etc. Plus, I decided to use this music video as a reference, as I thought it would be interesting to analyse an American point of view, in regards to communication in relationships.

Britney Spears first took the world by storm, when she released her debut album in 1999. This single was released to radio stations on September 26, 2008 and the video premiered online only a few hours ago. I also chose this clip, as it does not just revolve around sex, but explores relationships and communication between lovers.

In my opinion, I feel that the relationship between Britney Spears and the male lead (played by Brandon Stoughton), proves that the stages of Knapp’s Model are not linear, and that sometimes, people in relationships might want to take a step back, and as a result, this might cause the relationship to regress to a previous stage or skip a stage.

In reference to the music video, at the beginning; Britney and her boyfriend is featured in a plush New York apartment, which is equipped with a sauna, and we can see her lying down, while her boyfriend is having a shower in the background. In the next scene, we see her serving breakfast to her boyfriend in the kitchen. Thus, this shows that they are in Stage 3 of the "Coming Together" stages, as they are portrayed living together, and this shows a sense of increased commitment, awareness and participation in the relationship. Obviously, they have passed the Initiating and Experimenting stages, as they look pretty comfortable with one another. She is serving him breakfast in her lingerie, while he's checking his schedule for the day. This shows a certain amount of relational identity, disclosure of feelings to the other party; due to their proximity, and physical contact which shows a significant amount of intimacy.

Then, in the next scene, Britney is seen in her boyfriend's office, incognito, perhaps to test and see how far he will go when faced with temptation with the "secretary". He "checks" her out and actively pursues her, thus indicating Stage 1 of the "Coming Together" stages, Initiating, though she rejects his advances and pushes him away while singing, "Boy don't try to front, I know just what you are-are-are".

Her actions are semi-violent, she physically pushes, kicks and slaps him, though ironically, her actions unnervingly motivates him to continue with the chase. Though, this shows a strong sense of differentiation from her side, thus indicating Stage 6 of the "Coming Apart" stages, Differentiating. She pushes his hands away, reaffirming her individuality and refuses to encourage his advances. In the next scene at the bar, she continues to tempt him, though keeping him at a distance. Here, she dances around him, calling him a "Womanizer"and I feel that this reflects her just 'going through the motions of the relationship'. She continues to tease and taunt him, though he revels in it, to her chagrin.

As his driver, she tries to scare him by driving nonchalantly, thus indicating Stage 9 of the "Coming Apart" stages, Avoiding. Here, she seems sure of the outcome of the relationship and tries to give him a hint. In the last scene, she confronts him violently, by shoving him on the bed and kicking him around, until she changes her bedspread, and an empty bed appears, indicating Stage 10 of the "Coming Apart" stages, Terminating.

Thus, I do feel that Knapp’s Model is based on typical behaviours seen in a relationship, and assumptions based on society's interpretation of the motives that drive and define relationships. Not everyone's perception of initiating and experimenting would mirror that described in Knapp’s Model. Some people might initiate or experiment with sex, as opposed to waiting till the intensifying or integrating stage. Others might want to wait till marriage to explore physical intimacy with their partner.

Plus, the “Coming Together” stages are based on society's perception of relationships, that they all lead to marriage or a family. However, not everyone might view their relationship in this manner. Like Britney featured in the video, some might be satisfied with just dating and living with their significant other. In conclusion, the video shows that relationships may regress to a previous stage or skip a stage.