Blog post #15 :)

In this blog post, I will be looking at the following quote from bell hooks’ quotations:

 “It is not the English language that hurts me, but what the oppressors do with it, how they shape it to become a territory that limits and defines, how they make it a weapon that can shame, humiliate, colonize.”

To view article click here

The text I have chosen to analyse here is about the situation of languages in Tunisia. Tunisia is a country that is naturally bilingual since the French colonisation and has extended far after 1956 where the norm is to speak a mix of Tunisian dialect (or some like to call it strange Arabic) as well as French. The article points out the notable decrease of French being spoken on day to day basis in everyday life. French has always been a language symbolising Tunisia’s elite as well as it’s slight dependence on France politically, economically and culturally, but after the Tunisian Revolution France is perceived as having supported the ancient leader Zein al-Abidine Ben Ali as he had a close bond with former French president Sarkozi .

The language has become a significant part of the culture although still remains not as important as Arabic. It is with it’s importance that it has caused an inequality between social classes as those who speak better French were deemed to be seen as more educated. For a long time the dependence to the language has caused Tunisia to be at a disadvantage for trade, technology and international relations as well as being understood by other Arabs due to the mixing of French and Arabic in sentences. 

It is with the revolution and the change of the Tunisian population’s outlook on all aspects of their lives, the chains of the dependency of Tunisia on the French language have broken, turning the general population to start practising and learning English at school as well as speaking a version of dialect that has less French within it. English as a language is seen to be politically and culturally neutral (especially considering the past Tunisia has with France) and is useful for Tunisia’s implication in globalisation, especially that is it nowadays more open to English as a language and using it more in day to day life.

This text is a great example of the quote as it display’s an example of the dependency of a nation on it’s oppressors language. Tunisia has for a long time concentrated on the French language and that has limited the country and defined certain aspects of it. The only question that remains is if in future generations a dependency on the English language, but until then, only time will tell.

Podcast about dying languages.

This week Nadira and I have recorded a podcast about Coeur d'Alene, a dying language.
To listen to our podcast click here.

The Value of Indigenous Languages

According to the article studied in class Speaking In Tongues written by James Geary in 1997 published by Times magazine; "languages like all living things, depend on their environment to survive". Reading sentences as such as makes us look at dying languages to be almost as similar as endangered animals in the nature. One example of languages that are disappearing are indigenous languages that can be found in areas such as Australia or North America. 

It is often times forgotten the value of preserving indigenous language. Preserving a language means you are preserving it's culture and knowledge as well as the identity of all those that spoke it. There are whole generations and traditions being lost once and for all, fading into oblivion. Language is not just word it is a whole mindset and philosophies and each language has it's mind of it's own, for example aboriginal languages are richer with vocabulary used to describe nature and is also abundant of myths and stories . Losing individual languages is like losing animals in an ecosystem, making the ecosystem  lack in variety. 

The fact that the english language has become so popular that many people do not feel the need to learn their mother tongue is alarming, as it means that we not only adopting and basing ourselves only on a foreign language but it also means we are giving up a part of our identity for another one rather than letting both identities coexist. Once the language is stripped off from a community, it means that the community will soon fade, as they do no longer that bond that kept them together, language which is the core element for communication. 

My view on Youtubers

Youtube is almost like a third home to me. When I'm bored, happy, sad, sleepy, in need for inspiration, listening to music it's always there. It's a great platform for product placement, tutorials ( ranging from cooking to makeup all the way to how to fix your phone if it fell in water), showing off your lifestyle, music , sketches, illegal movie and series streaming and the list goes on. With the rise of the social media platform there will obviously be people that will be famous for being on that platform and having a large quantity of subscribers and that my friend is called a youtuber.

This leads us to the question ; are YouTube stars being exploited or empowered? I personally  believe (and please let me know if you disagree because I am curious of hearing others view on this) that in this world there is no such as black or white but rather grey. An example I would like to address and that is quite specific concerning a video posted by a vegan vlogger that was becoming quite popular, she was advertising this website that sells makeup online and that had sponsored her. It was some kind of makeup tutorial of products she has gotten from the website and the comments from her subscribers had mostly tones of disappointment and anger. Why you ask? Because the mascara she used was not “cruelty free” meaning it comes from a brand that tests on animals and that vegans are not supposed to consume animal products.

It is important to put into consideration that youtube is possibly a source of income and it's almost a form of business as it becomes a full time job that does not particularly pay well. If the youtuber is not promoting a product, they are probably somehow promoting themselves, their lifestyle or an aspect of their personality or talent. By doing so they are building an audience and fans, people interested in their content that show their interest in the form of views, likes, comments, subscribes or even following them on other social medias and try to interact with youtubers. It is empowering for a youtuber to have people engaged with their content but with the example of the youtuber that used a different mascara it shows that you are limited to what your audience wants.

The true exploitation is not from viewers even if they can be quite critical and picky but rather from companies and deal opportunities that will be the source of income of the youtuber. Going back to that vegan youtuber, her last 5 videos were sponsored and viewers started to be enraged but how is she going to fund her trips to Los Angeles with that ? This how  she makes her living how she pays her rent, equipement and all the expenses of this life that you are all familiar with.It is a matter of following strictly what the employer wants to be able to sell their products to the audience you have worked hard on acquiring and that have some kind of trust in you. What is being exploited is who they are, their looks and talents but this can also empower them in such a way that they get to have business opportunities, be able to expand their channel get actual money from it and just evolve as a person.  

Looking back at the documentary generation like it is important to understand that today we live in a society where the things on our screens have a big place in our lives and that we have stopped looking at the billboards around us. There is always a way to sell and sure youtubers have expectations of fulfill but if there is balance and if they are aware of the things around them then I guess it is up to the person itself and whether they would rather more be empowered or more exploited. Is this good or bad? I don't think anyone has a say or will be fully right about it unless they have a more or less popular youtube channel or any social media personality really.

Now will you excuse me, I will go back to watching youtube videos while jumping from a couch to couch to have killer calves (Mr Aaron reference).

Stereotypes in advertisements

Stereotypes are a salient part of our social and cultural environment, it is hard to define what they truly are but it is in an oversimplified image of an idea or particular type of person. Stereotypes can be on a wide range of aspect of criteria such as age, gender, nationality etc... Stereotypes are learnt through cultural social factors and it can be gotten through daily interactions or even media that plays a big part in that. I think that advertisers should have a certain responsibility on the material they put out. It is often forgotten of how much media can affect and influence our perception of the world around us.The influence of stereotypes is double; it parasites our perception of others but also pushes us to inferiorities what we think about others. Advertisements are fiction as they are scenarios and images put together to offer a product in the real life of the audience. That being said with the quantity of advertisements we are exposed to every day, we think less and less of each message and we subconsciously succumb to them. Advertisers have a main goal of selling their product ad it's image but they disregard the power it has and how it lies on the belief that the images are a reflection of a certain reality. Overall advertisements are one of the many social mechanisms today that can lead to the oversimplification of a category and advertisers must look after they content for consumers.

Print advertisement

This is an advertisement released in the 50's in the USA for Lucky Strike cigarettes, an originally american tobacco company. It was made from a historical context abundant of wars, hence the marine in the bottom that is a symbol of the country and it's greatness. Nationalistic values were extremely important and the presence of the marine establishes a relation of trust with the product, as its main goal is to keep the country safe and have the best interest of all people residing in it. When it comes to the social and cultural context, the beginning up until the 70's was an era in which smoking was a society norm, everyone smoked everywhere and it was unrestricted;  young people smoking was perfectly acceptable. Researchers tried to prove that smoking has health benefits and the product itself was deemed healthy especially by portraying it's smokers as attractive people that have friends, that are young, full of vitality, athletic and happy. Having youthful models will help selling these values and characteristics as it makes the audience want to follow it and be apart of it. This makes the advertisement strongly rely on both nationalistic and youthful values.

In this commercial both sexes are featured making none of them physically marginalized although interpretations may vary.The women looks very attractive, almost sexualised , and there is a young man on his knees offering her a cigarette at the beach. This could give the assumption that women only have to be pretty to be offered cigarettes and have men on their feet, making them almost objectified. The man is empowered as it is shown that with only the possession of lucky strike will satisfy women and their needs. It is for this reason that it gives the audience a false view on how women are supposed to look or act and how their value is merely physical.

Post-pitch reflection

Comment on your personal presentation skills. What did you do well? What do you need to work on? What would you do different next time?

During our pitch, we decided to focus on the ability to capture our audience using pathos by repeating "Aren't you tired?" to the people we are presenting to. Also interacting with the audience is a good way of capturing their attention. We decided that for the actual pitch we will use mostly logos and pathos; giving logical reasoning and striving to develop an emotional response. We also used a few wordplays to have a gimmick and give a slightly humorous side to our pitch  For example when giving statistics to why vegan meals are better is by giving statistics and explaining how vegan meals are more eco friendly and therefore it can appeal not only to vegans but anyone that gives importance to reducing their ecological footprint. Another way is by putting a picture of a cute chicken and making the audience question why should they be killing another animal for their mere enjoyment. I believe these are affective as they may also challenge the mindset of anyone watching and make them question things they do subconsciously without thinking. While approaching this activity, it was vital to chose an audience and the context; and this was the state of California (as it has many vegans/vegetarians) but our aim was to be able to also people that may not be on a plant based diet but are open minded enough to give it a try. We approached this in a way of giving the audience the impression that they would want to try the product. We included images such as a scale to show how most fast food options are unhealthy and how we are a healthy alternative to anyone with a busy life but that gives importance to their health. Most of our presentation were images and bright colours to be able to capture their attention and make them listen to us by having an aesthetic that appeals to anyone listening. Having the picture of a good looking burger is effective as it gives the audience the feel to try it and possibly trigger them to lightly salivate.

When it comes to presentation skills I think I did a decent job. I articulated well the word and didn't look too much at my notes. I think I need to make sure that my posture while presenting or when other members of my group are presenting has to be more looked at and make sure that it is appropriate as well as my facial expressions. I also need to look at the "audience" I am presenting more rather than looking at the board as a "comfort zone". Unfortunately (and I am not the only one) I was not able to look at the footage of myself speaking and I am curious if I say "um" or "like" without realising.  Next time I might need to be more confident or at least seem more confident and maybe be more comfortable with the material and prepare the night before extensively, I should also put my notes in the form of bullet points to be able to formulate my sentences on the spot rather than reading from my notes.