Assess the amount of advertising you see everyday.

I think we see too much advertising today. I wonder why we see so much advertising these days. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Do you think you’re an easy target for advertising?

Sometimes I can be vulnerable depending on the product that is being advertised. I don’t get persuaded by normal (fast food, stores, etc.) things. I think I’m persuaded by big expensive things because I feel I have to be up-to-date with technology, since that’s what our world is now.

Have you ever felt emotionally attached to a brand or product?

The products that make me feel good are the Wii, Gadubo, and my Ipod. Each of these items give me a different feeling.

Wii – nice to have
Gadubo – looks cool
Ipod – music freak

All of these items are still items and if I lose them I will be mad but I will still remember that they are items.

do you think you have ever been exposed to propaganda? What's the difference between propaganda and advertising?

We are exposed to propaganda everyday. When girls see each other wearing an outfit that’s cute, then they’re going to think, “wow, that’s cute. I want that outfit!” This is the same with boys and adults. Every outfit and object we have is propaganda. There really is no difference between advertising and propaganda. When you try to explain it, both advertising and propaganda end up meaning the same thing.

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Yes I do believe that I have been exposed to propaganda. In everyday life we are exposed to such things. To me I really don’t think there’s a difference to some extent between advertising and propaganda. In advertisements, they put certain people on products so that average people can be like, “look, they’re buying it so it must be a good product.” Propaganda used as fear is when they say cigarettes causes cancer and can kill you and people around you. They’re scaring you to stop smoking. Propaganda through advertisement is the way media makes you listen and buy something they are offering.

What is a corporation?: Impressions

A corporation could be a company that funds other companies or even small businesses. Some corporations care only about money and how their company gets by. So regular people (others) don’t matter. What you say about the way they run things or the things they do wouldn’t matter to some parts of the law.

First Amendment Hero

A first amendment hero is someone who follows the amendments off the bat. Who also helps others to obey them as well. A person who is like this is Maya Angelou to me. Her poems show the right to speak your mind about anything especially if someone has touched you inappropriately.

Should the government control the media?

"The government should be in charge of making the media respect the amendments, such as everyone should be treated with equality. Stories should be scanned and if it has racism in it, they should throw it out."

"The government should not play a role in controlling media at all. I think America should get a media president to control all of that. The media president could have a government of media that helps him/her control the media. They can decide whether children should watch TV young or not and decide what shows go on TV and don’t go on TV."

"I don’t think they should because the media is mostly by the people and for the people. To me they can’t control what people say unless it’s something serious."

Response to Malcolm X quote

The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses.

"Yes, I agree that media is powerful. But I disagree that it’s the most powerful. The reason why I disagree is because society is way more powerful. The media just spreads the word and adds to what society says and does. Media and society work together. They are in the same family but society is way more powerful."

Thoughts on Post-Katrina Media Portrayal

"During the months after hurricane Katrina, I think our situation was portrayed in a not very good way. I think that they made New Orleans people seem very poor and bad people, which we are not. They made us seem like thieves, very, very poor, angry, and the worst people ever. They called us refugees, which we are not. They acted as if we had no knowledge whatsoever which made me very angry. I think they didn’t really show pictures of how badly the city was flooded but more of people so-called 'stealing'."

"Katrina was a disaster! After Katrina we were abused physically and mentally. The aftermath was worse than the real deal. The hurricane was unfair because George Bush did not take action like he should have. But New Orleans is coming back slowly!"

Starting Off

This blog will serve as the internet counterpart to daily journal entries written by New Orleans Charter Science and Math High School students in their Journalism/Media Literacy class.