eden's magical media blog

Hey everyone! Let’s see if today’s blog post is something we can all agree on. Repeat after me, “Do not be a white supremacist.” Now hold onto that, that’s a mystery tool that we will be using later. See while this statement may seem so simple, apparently, there is more than meets the eye, as proved by the recent resurgence in hate crimes. Not to name any names, but every since our oh-so-beloved president was put in office, white supremacism, or to put it nicely, white nationalism, has been on the rise. Yeah we can blame Trump, and I will, but media also plays a big part in perpetuating white supremacist ideals, only circulating certain information to fool a larger audience. See here is the problem, media finds a way to circulate cases of terrorism when it related to other races (prominently jihadism), but when white supremacists execute terrorist attacks, information is not as quickly broadcasted. According to a study from the University of Alabama, white supremacist groups receive...

Often times, people fail to realize how much of an impact that the language they use can have on other people. In an age of social media, this problem has only worsened. People feel safe behind a screen, be it a phone or computer, and have no issue using offensive slurs/ insensitive phrases because they will never have to deal with the consequences of their action. Very few people I know would have the nerve to come say n*gger to my face, yet I see many that I know feeling very comfortable using it online where they think their actions don’t count. This environment is only cultivated by social media, with people flippantly throwing around words like retarded, f*g, and d*ke, without thinking about the impact their phrases have on others. Yes, I am sure that people who say these words “don’t mean it” and have no malicious intent, but people need to realize that the words they say and put out into the world have real power. Not only is it a reflection of themselves and the way they ch...

I think we can all come to the general consensus that spoilers suck, and in my opinion should be sent to their own special section of hell. Tell me, please, what sort of sick satisfaction do you get from ruining the ending of something- you absolute sadists. Honestly, I don’t think movie spoilers are that bad, you would have found out in two hours anyway- but someone who spoils the SEASON FINALE of something. J a i l. Maximum security for your crimes against humanity. The worst part is, the occurrences of spoilers have greatly increased with the spread of social media. How quickly informations spreads has drastically changed spoiler culture, and I, for one, am not here for it. In the past, spoilers were not such a big problem for two reasons. First, people couldn’t just record shows to watch them later, either you saw it or you didn’t, and if you didn’t see it, you relied on trailers in order to gain knowledge of what you missed. Secondly, the more access to social media hav...

The 15 Basic Appeals outlines by Jim Fowles are constantly recurring and form the foundation for all major advertisements. They are key to get a message across to consumers and influence them to buy a certain product. With the proper knowledge, these needs can be easily identified, but to most people, it just seems like the advertisement is exactly what they need, be it food or sunscreen. By using subtle messages, products are more easily sold, convincing people that something they buy will make them safer, have more friends, or more independent, even if this is in no way true. Through these, companies are able to establish a name for themselves, and better appeal to their audiences, a useful tactic that has significantly boosted sales. One of the most popular appeals is the need for affiliation. It implies that buying a certain product will help you gain friendship or a sense of belonging, while not getting a certain product will cause everyone you love to abandon you. Seems a bit ...

1. I agree with Orwell's position. While basic language may be an instrument of growth, we use language for more than mere communication He goes into detail about how politicians twist their words and intentionally create vagueness to confuse and appease the masses- something that had been a successful political tactic. When used properly, language is for communication, but when used more manipulatively, it can become a weapon, with fallacies illustrating the way we use language to a achieve a negative goal. Even as I right this, I am torn between sounding super professional and using a bunch of fillers words so I can make this blogpost reach half a page. 2.Orwell objects to ready made phrases and mixed metaphors because they are overdone and no longer cause an image to form in a reader's mind, they are often misused, and when they are utilized, it is because writes have become lazy and are trying to avoid investing time and effort into creating their own unique phrases. ...

News Story from Two Perspectives The issue of the travel ban was very controversial, and displayed differently from various news agencies. Its core facts are not highly disputed, but the implications of them, however, are highly contested. At a legislative level, it blocks out immigrants from eight countries ( Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad, North Korea, and some people from Venezuela), and denies them access to the country. The debate comes in here: is this truly for national safety, or just anti-Muslim sentiments being passed off as concern for the country. An article from the Washington Post and another from the New York Times take opposing stances on this, and through their language we can see the argument the authors are trying to make, even if it is not explicitly stated. The article from the Washington Post, titled “ The travel ban is still a weapon in Trump’s anti-immigrant arsena l” clearly establishes the thesis, and continues to utilize language that places a...

In a film we watched in class, the issue of advertisement and the way that it infiltrates our world was analyzed. Often times, it gets to a point where ads are all that we see, and we are unable to see the way that our senses are manipulated in order to get us to buy a certain product. Various techniques are used to attract the attention of consumers. For example, companies work to create a persona for the product they are trying to sell, like Mr. Clean or the gecko from Geico, in order to create a level of relatability and draw in audiences. They also work to create a feeling of community or create emotional ties to a certain product, and convince consumers that if they buy something, they will be happy, or have friends, or stop being lonely. Obviously, the product does not have the intended effect, so people continually go back and buy new things, craving a sense of belonging they have been convinced they can find in material things. This creates a trap where companies sell an ideal...