Native Advertising

Native Advertising is a type of advertising where the ad follows the natural form and function of the user environment in which it has been place, making it seem 'native' to the site and interacting with the viewer just like normal content would. 

Albeit being quite recent, native advertising has gained popularity with corporations to promote their products. Especially in an environment where consumers ignore as many ads as they can, it seems the only way to reach them (us?) now is to disguise advertisements as ads. This form of advertising is as dubious as it sounds. There are many arguments for and against it, with corporations lauding the brand awareness it creates for them, and consumers lamenting their misplaced and violated trust. 

Some of the hallmarks of native advertising are that the article would be written by an ad agency or staff of the sponsoring company, it's designed to be shared, and it's published by the website. Buzzfeed's article "11 Vintage Hairstyles Anyone Can Pull Off" epitomizes a native advertising, let's consider it more in depth to understand how native advertising really works:

The target audience of this text is women. We can glean this from the content: all the hairstyles are designed for women. Additionally, the pictured examples of these hairdos are all of women. This text has been sponsored by Makeup.com, and they are promoting their L'Oreal line of hair cosmetics. 

Their purpose of selling their products is very clear, as after each picture and hairdo there's a helpful link to "get the tools for the look here", which redirects to the L'Oreal website. L'Oreal also cleverly makes sure to not directly sell their products. For example, in Hairdo #7, it states that we should "prep hair with volumizing heat protectant." Upon following the link, it directs us to a product that gives "Lasting Volume. Heat Protection." This direct use of the same language demonstrates how L'Oreal is using a problem benefit technique to sell their products - even going to the extent of creating the problem. Any tutorials provided are also made exclusively by hair product companies and features their products prominently as part of "achieving the look". In conclusion, while it seems the article offers some helpful inspiration on how to style hair, it reveals every step of styling your hair screams "buy L'Oreal" - exposing the native advertising. 

The main ideas of this text are the hairstyles. A general theme is also that "anyone can do it". This is false, however, since only people who own these products can achieve these effects. This theme is reinforced with lines like "If you can draw an S, you can create this look", "If anyone can .... it's you" and "super simple". This complements the consumer and creates pathos, since using "you" enables them to directly identify with the idea. The general idea is that these hairstyles are effortless to create, and all it takes is that little L'Oreal bottle to get "the look". 

The tone relates closely to the theme. It's very light reading, and focuses mainly on the actual hairstyles which are shown to be effortless to ace(having tried recreating online hairstyles before, however, I know otherwise...). The mood is airy and fun, much like how normal Buzzfeed posts are like. In this respect the article blends in quite well with the general Buzzfeed content, by seeming trivial and having the structure of a list. Unlike other content on the website, however, the actual writing is minimal, and it relies mainly on links to products and tutorials. While the article doesn't actually have proper content, it has been well integrated enough (cleverly making allusions to current popular movies and TV shows) that readers will click on and maybe even share it. 

We have previously mentioned the structure of the text as a list, and how that makes it fit in with other Buzzfeed content. Structuring it as a list also makes it supremely straightforward and easy to follow, an element of logos. Including the brand publisher's name at the beginning of the story is a good move on Buzzfeed's part, Language wise, the piece employs colorful words that conjure images into our heads that we now link to these hairstyles, and function like claims as to what that hairdo can do for you. Examples include, "say bonjour to the classic french twist" or "work your medieval times fierceness". 

In all, I believe this ad functions well as native advertising by providing leisure reading that people are likely to click on. The reassuring "anyone can pull off" in the title also attracts viewers by creating a (finally unfulfilled) guarantee.  This ad represents a deceptive form of native advertising - trading genuinely funny and interesting content for something that could otherwise be titled "11 Reasons to Shop at Makeup.com". This article has no substance, which is made worse by the headline that implies an informative leisure read. 

Useful Resources: 

The Good:

http://www.business2community.com/native-advertising/native-advertising-benefits-content-marketers-0935312

The General:

http://www.sharethrough.com/nativeadvertising/

http://www.theguardian.com/media-network-outbrain-partner-zone/native-advertising-quality-scalability

The Ugly:

http://contently.com/strategist/2014/07/09/study-sponsored-content-has-a-trust-problem-2/
http://www.buzzfeed.com/makeupcom/vintage-hairstyles-anyone-can-pull-off#7jgffw

Brand Sponsorship Matrix:

http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2013/04/14/the-native-matrix/

Generation Like and The Hunger Games

How powerful is the connection between the effect of social media and the structure of the Hunger Games?

I will try to answer this question even though I believe it requires an Extended Essay to be explored thoroughly. 

 

In the documentary 'Generation Like' we saw that information on what we liked, retweeted, reblogged or shared on social media sites, i.e. our preferences, are sold to corporations who use this information to market their products. The main problem that was raised in this documentary was how social media - something we believe to be spontaneous and organic - is actually controlled with the help of statistics on our past choices. 

 

The parallels that the documentary draws between the Hunger Games and social media are these: that both require sponsors to survive; that to get sponsors one must be 'liked' (great coincidence of terminology there!) and that the Gamemakers control everything in the Arena. 

 

Given the situation the documentary has set up we could assume that the kids on social media sites are the Tributes, who will fight in the Games to the death or desperately try to get views. In the documentary itself, the way Youtubers helped each other through collaborations is mentioned, so the concept of fighting each other may not really apply in this context. We should note that Youtubers who do these "collabs", however, are quite successful. The mutual helping may not apply as much to Youtubers who are still struggling to get their name out to sponsors and to be known. And just like how contestants put on a show to win favor with sponsors in the Games, some Youtubers are forsaking their original message to create viral and racy content all for likes. 

 

Despite the fact the 'participants' may work together more often, there is still an uncanny resemblance between the Gamemakers and the corporations that market to us. In the Hunger Games, tracking devices are implanted into the arms of contestants before beginning, much like how a lot of personal information about our likes and dislikes is being sold and tracked by companies for trends. The Gamemakers can also control any part of the Arena, resembling how companies create meticulously planned marketing campaigns to sell things with games, contests etc. to get the results they want from us. 

 

The general effect of social media in this context is an environment where everyone is 'famous' in their own way and posts their identities online. This is good for corporations, and it makes these kids feel like they are controlling their own culture when in may not always be this way. Just like Katniss and Peeta's final act of resistance in the 74th Hunger Games, however, the magic of going viral and gaining like cannot always be replicated and we (the purveyors of internet culture) still have a say in what we like/dislike.

Through this all, however, we must realize that social media is a choice. It is not mandatory, so you do not have to 'sell' your identity to a corporation. Or you could just not 'like' anything and use social media purely for communication. There are other options available. 

 

While I believe the Hunger Games is a greatly exaggerated version of the effects of social media, it presents some interesting parallels to consider and explore. It's also easier to see the large picture and make connections when we have a structure (Hunger Games) that we're looking at externally to graft our situation on. 

 

The Problem with 'All About That Bass'

On the surface, Meghan Trainor's single 'All About That Bass' seems like a song about being body positive and loving your body, a fact that many of today's young girls no doubt need to be reminded of. Upon closer inspection however, the lyrics fall short and marginalize 'unattractive' girls by providing another standard of beauty. 

In the second verse, Trainor says she has "all the right junk in all the right places", implying that there is a right place to have the proverbial "junk". Later on, she states that "I won't be no stick figure", placing a larger body above a skinny one. She also jokingly calls skinny girls "b*tches", enforcing animosity between girls based on looks. Placing a large body over a skinny one is just as bad as doing the reverse - and is the antithesis of body positivity. 

The biggest problem with the song, however, is the fact that Trainor's happiness with her body is based on men accepting her. The song includes the refrain "My mama she told me don't worry about your size, she said boys like a little more booty to hold at night". This brings a girl's happiness back to a boy's opinion of her, and tells girls that approval from men is necessary to be accepted. This idea is reinstated in the line " 'cause I got that boom boom that all the boys chase" - again validating herself based on her desirability to men. It seems that while this song is progressive in accepting bigger girls, we cannot get past the point that a girl's worth is based on what a man thinks of her. 

As such, we see how the song marginalizes girls who do not fit Trainor's description of beauty by using derogatory names on them video. Furthermore, girls in general are depicted as requiring male approval, an over-used representation that does nothing to advance female rights and raises concern over what girls whom boys don't like are viewed as. 

Trainor's video is characterized by a mostly pastel palette, light blues, pinks, and purples are used; as well as flowers, balloons, a bedroom, cupcakes - all very feminine motifs. The video's portrayal of women is very safe, perhaps made to appeal to younger girls. 

The fact that Trainor always wears some kind of sweater or tights to 'hide' her arms and legs also proves that she's still bound by societal standards of beauty as she needs to hide the fat. The video also includes a boy that seems to be 'plastic', and Trainor dances around him while he watches in a plastic, unmoving position. He is stereotypically good looking, supporting Trainor's earlier lyrics of boys liking her. 

Despite all of this however, the video does have the virtue of not objectifying women. The four dancers that accompany her are kept the same throughout, and we see their faces, making them more than decorative objects that can be interchanged with someone else. 

While there are still many problems with this song reflecting stereotypical notions of beauty and promoting a certain 'kind' of being large, it provides a good start, and at least reflects that people are trying to (at least) seem like they care about this issue. 

Word Count: 533

Power and Privilege: The Written Task 2

• Chosen Question:  “Which social groups are marginalized, excluded or silenced within the text?” from the Power and Privilege section.
• Text Title: An Advertisement for Pear’s Soap from the 1920s.
• Part 2, language and mass communication.
• In this task I’ll be focusing on:   

-        The marginalization of blacks in the Pear’s advert

-        How this is supported by the imagery and theme of the advertisement

-        How the choice to marginalize this particular social group is reflective of issues at the time

The advert:

Written Task 2

Within this British advertisement for Pear’s soap from the 1920s, we see the black social group being marginalized. This is seen in a number of ways, but mainly through the stylistic characteristics of the two main images used in the text.

Firstly, the presentation of the black child as a caricature excludes people of dark skin by making them seem ‘abnormal’ compared to whites (as seen in the ‘normalcy’ of the white child). The black toddler has huge, bulging eyes and thick, red lips that are greatly exaggerated while also being visibly amazed at soap and water. The child is used for comedic effect, and because he differs the greatest from the white child in his skin colour, we see how he is being ridiculed based on his race. By disregarding his dignity, this advert objectifies the black child.

The exclusion of the black child is especially obvious due to the inclusion of a white child in the advert.  By depicting both races, the children become representative of their races – not just individual examples. As a result, the earlier mockery of the black child is even starker, as it is made to apply to everyone with dark skin by making them look savage and inadequate compared to people with light skin. The blacks are marginalized by comparison.

Another way this is seen is in the positioning of the children in relation to each other. The white toddler stands over the black toddler in his bathtub, taking the role of caretaker or teacher. This implies the white child having a greater intelligence to a black child. He is also nicely dressed, while the black toddler is naked and in the vulnerable position of taking a bath. This again emphasizes the power the whites had over the blacks.

Of course, Pear’s uses all this imagery of white being superior to black to their advantage by associating themselves with being white. The white child is the one holding the Pear’s soap, symbolizing that being ‘white’ is synonymous with cleanliness. The advert also mentions twice that Pear’s soap is ‘for the complexion’, reiterating that Pear’s makes you whiter and therefore cleaner. The choice of the Prince of Wales to give them Ethos is also very significant – since the idea of nobility is usually attached to being ‘pure-blooded’ and again makes Pear’s seem clean and pure.

The plot of the advert, where the white child cleans the black child and he emerges white and grateful at the end, also supports the marginalization of blacks. It seems almost as if the fair skinned people see themselves as being charitable, and are giving help to those ‘worse off’ because of their skin colour. The reaction of the black child suggests the white people wanted the blacks to feel grateful for what they had done for them.

The choice of this particular message of white superiority (that dark skinned people should accept help given to them) is especially significant during the 1920s. Around this time, Gandhi began preaching mass civil disobedience against the British rule in India, where the authorities sentenced him to six years in prison. This advert may have been a reflection of white opinion at the time – which held that dark skinned people should just be grateful for the rule they were under (like the baby in the ad), and stop trying to revolt.

In conclusion, the community of dark skinned people is marginalized in this advert by being insulted and made to be ‘lesser’ than fair skinned people. By emphasizing that being white is pure and being black/dark is the opposite, Pears excludes an entire social group, as they’re made into objects to represent dirt.

 

 

Further Oral Activity 1: Reflection

Today’s Further Oral Activity was an exploration into what advertisements reveal to us about society. I chose to investigate the topic of ‘racism’ and, more specifically, how advertising reveals to us our changing perceptions of racism (not race). I chose ads from a range of different time periods in order to reflect a changing view of racism. In my presentation, I analyzed 3 adverts – from the 1920s, 2008 and 2013 respectively.

The learning outcomes from Part 2 that I believe I have met are an awareness of the potential for political influence of the media and the way media uses language and image to persuade people. The first outcome was fulfilled as I linked the central themes of ads and their usage of racism to real world politics of the time, for example in the connection between the 2008 ad and the American Presidential Election at that time. The second outcome was fulfilled through the rest of my presentation, as I analyzed language in terms of persuasive words, pathos, ethos, logos, advertising techniques; and image through stereotyping and color theory. By applying these concepts to my ads I was able to analyze how language and image was used to persuade.

Although the initial analysis I completed for the ads was very thorough, encompassing details like the positioning of the figures and the fonts used within an advert (see script), not everything made it to the final cut of the presentation due to the time limit. For each advert, I made sure to discuss language (Criterion B) and the general theme of the advert (understanding of text, Criterion A). The choice to focus on these topics was based on the rubric, and they guided how much I discussed other factors of the advert (e.g. detail in analyzing color, figures, etc.) based on how the details related to theme and language.

Although I focused my analysis on Criteria A and B (to guide the content), the areas I feel most confident in are B and D. My strengths lie in D as I spent a lot of time practicing how to word what I wanted to say, and was very confident in using language effectively. I also mentioned the language used in all three ads, as part of Criterion B. Additionally, since my analysis of the adverts was so much more detailed than what I presented; it ensured that I always had content to say. However, I do not feel as strong in Criterion A since I had to gloss over the theme of the third ad as I was running out of time.

Time was the biggest problem I had with the FOA. In the future, I will make sure to time myself giving the full presentation and make sure it is comfortably within the time limit. By getting more practice before hand, I may also be able to structure my information better in order to fit more into the same time frame. All in all, in the future I need to focus on finding the most efficient order to say my information (to avoid unnecessary explanation) in order to squeeze as much useful analysis as I can into the presentation, relating back to Criterion C of Organization. In terms of analysis, I think I’m good at picking up subtle details of the ad, which was helpful in connecting them to the learning outcomes. I believe this was a successful start to my FOAs that clearly showed me how I can improve my skills in the future.

Advert Analysis: A Reflection

For this activity, my group and I analyzed a Marlboro brand cigarette advertisement from the 1950s. In our analysis, we discovered that Marlboro encompassed three main ideas/themes that they used to sell the cigarettes. These main ideas were exoticness, affluence and wealth, and they form the core of what this advertisement is about.

Marlboro's specific selection of these themes is a reflection of what was happening in society at the time. Around the early 1950s, air travel first began to be commercialized, but it was probably still quite expensive and reserved for the more affluent (upper-class) - hence our society was at a time when the rich were able to travel; and subsequently "exoticness" began being tied to money. This explains why so much of the advertisement is based on travelling and being rich, as these things were now linked. It was probably trendy for the rich to travel - this demonstrates the bandwagon effect, where people are told that they should want to travel since many wealthy people are also doing so.
 

The choice of these themes to sell Marlboro cigarettes also reflects what people valued at that time. It is logical that knowing what ideals society prized, Marlboro would play on those ideals to make us believe buying Marlboro cigarettes is the equivalent of achieving them. We thus see that our culture values the attributes of being different, having money, and having a good relationship. These traditional values are the things we believed to be important, and that could create a 'perfect life'. More interestingly, however, is what our society thought these values looked like. For instance, a good relationship was depicted as being between a man and a woman (this is discussed later), and being different can be accomplished just by travelling abroad. It reflects the narrow mindedness of society then.
 

Something to note in this advert is that both the man and the woman are white. This is worrisome, since they are supposed to embody the 'perfect people' (since they are happily married, on holiday, rich etc.). This advert was published in 1952 - still 3 years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on that bus. Our society was thus at a time when segregation was still common, and the 'ideal' figures were white. Additionally, they were also very wealthy - since they could afford suits, pearls, and holidays etc. This advert therefore blatantly served the wealthy and the white, and ignored people of colour as well as the poor. This is because their stories did not fit in with the 'perfect' idea Marlboro was trying to attach to it's cigarettes.

 

Another marginalized group is homosexuals. The idea of love and of a perfect relationship is shown using a man and a woman, and this again reflects the traditional ideas that this ad employs. Again,  1952 is a long time before 1989, when Denmark became the first country to legalize same-sex marriages. In other words, any one that is not rich or white is ignored in this advertisement - all because they did not fit in with the 'perfect' idea.

 

Another concept the advert is (unintentionally?) perpetuating is that of conformism. This contradicts the first central theme of 'being different' (very strongly)but if we all want to be different, does that not make us all the same? Marlboro is selling safe ideas, they are traditional, things we are taught to aspire towards from a young age. Things like having money, finding a partner and settling down, but still being a little different - we have always been told to work for these things. Marlboro made an especially clever marketing choice by focusing on affluence, especially since it has always been (and continues to be) marketed to the public as the pinnacle of success. In this way we see Marlboro employing a combination of the bandwagon and problem/benefit technique. They use the problem/solution method slightly differently, however, fixating more on the solution as opposed to them problem. They sell the perfect life that Marlboro brings as a resolution to our problem of being commonplace, and this rubs of very well since the idea of the perfect life that they are selling is something their audience can identify with.

 

Finally, I would like to discuss the intended audience. First, we can assume they would be white - this allows them to relate to the rich couple on at least one level. More specifically, the audience could be said to be the middle/working class people. This is due to the excessive luxurious and affluent imagery used, which would appeal to people who can't have it and are working towards it more than the rich, who already have these things. Looking at this ad from an average, middle class point of view, the themes it purports suits them very well. Being a part of the 'working class' label, it is no surprise that they would want to be different, while their lack of hoards of cash would make them desire affluence, and their idea of love may be more traditional, subscribing to long-held beliefs and values.

All in all, this advertisement has been influence by real world events going on at the time, and reflects our state of mind collectively as a society, the norms of the time, and the ideals that we prized

 

 

 

 

Shampoo: Setting the Record Straight

     Have you ever questioned the origin of soap? One would think something that plays such a quotidian role in our lives, like soap does, would have more thought given to where it comes from. And yet as a history professor, I find the lack of information on this topic very abysmal.

 

     Indeed, it may be the extreme erroneousness of the historical fact shrouding it, as opposed to a lack thereof, that really irks me. Despite my teaching Paleoanthropological Studies at the University of California, Berkeley for three decades now, it still never ceases to amaze me how many undergraduates do not know the true origin of soap. Many of them subscribe to the typical layman's belief - that soap making started with the Babylonians in 2800 B.C., and that these Akkadian-speaking people were the first to master this art. While it is not incorrect that the Babylonians were very skilled at the creation of castile, they were in no way the first to utilize soap.

 

     Back all those years ago, when I was a young woman working on my thesis (The Sanitation Regimens of Neanderthals - Jane Pollack, 1986), I found some very interesting journals reporting cave drawings that depicted Neanderthal men and women washing themselves in rivers. What's more, they showed the Neanderthals rubbing a special substance, encased in pockets they fashioned out of leaves, on their bodies before entering the river to bathe. Now, this rather puzzled me at the time, as the majority of the American historical community held the origin of soap to be Babylonian. And while I did have some doubts then, the next find I made both shocked me and confirmed my suspicions.

     Africa, the home of our Neanderthal ancestors, was also home to a host of other animal species that have now become extinct. To this day, the scientific community is still not entirely certain of all the animals that existed then - since we only glean what we know through examining fossils. New animals are being discovered regularly - and one such animal is what Neanderthals used to call the sheam (pronunciation: /ʃæɱ/). Belonging to the Sphenisciformes order and the Camalidae family, the sheam was an amphibious, herbivorous bird that grew up to 1.7m (male) tall and weighed approximately 150 kg (male). The sheam was flightless, and apart from this had all other characteristics of birds, except that females had scales on their underbellies. It is likely that they were covered in bright yellow and orange plumage. What really sets the sheam apart, however, is that it defecated not just feces, but excess fat as well. This fact is backed by virtually all historical animal scientists, and has good standing in the historical community albeit being fairly recent.

     After extensive research and carefully sifting through hundreds of scholarly journals, I have come to the conclusion that this substance - the excess fat excrement of the sheam, was used by Neanderthals to cleanse their bodies. Modern soap is, after all, simply a processed concoction of animal/vegetable fat, and the excrement of the sheam was essentially a severely abstracted version of this. While we will never know who exactly it was that discovered this fantastic use of sheam lipids, the Neanderthals did leave us with a word very widely recognized today - sheam-poo. At a time when language was at its most coarse, the word 'poo' referred to excrement, or feces. Etymologically, it arose from the sound most Neanderthals made when coming across normal defecation - the classic 'pooh!' of disgust. Fortunately, one amongst them recognized the cleansing properties of the sheam's feces, resulting in ancient humans using 'shampoo' for the first time ever. Indeed the word 'soap' is a contraction of 'shampoo' - as it gradually became 'shamp', 'shaomp', and finally 'shaop' or 'soap' as we know it today.

     So the next time you take a shower, please bear the correct history of soap in mind. The Neanderthals do not receive enough recognition for the path they paved for future human growth, and we can start giving credit where it is due by acknowledging the progressive steps, such as this one, that our ancestors made.

Dr. Jane Pollack is a professor of Paleoanthropological Science at the University of California, Berkeley. The extensive research she has conducted in this field places her as one of the leading paleoanthropologists of our time. She lives in California with her husband and two dogs.


SOURCES:
-http://www.cleaninginstitute.org/clean_living/soaps__detergent_history.aspx
-http://www.soaphistory.net/
-http://canadianarchaeology.com/caa/publications/canadian-journal-archaeology/37/1
-http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/humans/humankind/n.html
-http://www.livescience.com/7380-chatty-cave-men-neanderthal-talk-good.html
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llama
-http://birding.about.com/od/Bird-Trivia/a/What-Is-A-Bird.htm
-http://www.millersoap.com/soapanimal.html

 

 

Audience and Purpose

An excerpt from The Wonderful Adventures of Mary Seacole (1857)

This excerpt is a memoir extracted from the autobiography, The Wonderful Adventures of Mary Seacole. It follows all conventions of memoirs, namely direct narration, hindsight wisdom, dialogue and anecdotes. Direct narration is evident in the repeated use of ‘I´ throughout the extract, as well as from the content being a direct recounting of the author's history. The author also provides multiple instances of hindsight wisdom in her observations on death and life, saying that, ”Death is always terrible – no one need be ashamed to fear it.” Similarly, she reflects on her relationship with the surgeon in, “I think he had some fondness for me… I used to…weep over him in a very weak and silly manner perhaps.”  Notable characters are also given their own voice, in the surgeon's “Let me lay my head upon your breast.” Finally, it was anecdotal as she recounted a specific event from her past – her falling in love with the surgeon and healing people with yellow fever in Jamaica.

The aim of the piece was to recount her experiences, and to retell her emotions on them. It is likely that the ideal audience were speakers of English, perhaps even from England. We see this in the sympathy she expresses with them, “the mother country pays a dear price for the possession of her colonies,” which demonstrates Seacole referring to her as the "mother country" - reflecting a possibility that she is English. In the advice Seacole gives on death, "...no one need be ashamed to fear it," she offers support for people who have lost loved ones, and it would have aided readers at the time who had lost relations to yellow fever (or other diseases) overseas. By writing about foreign experiences for an English audience, Seacole may have been aiming to target readers who were interested in travel and exploring the word, but couldn't actually do so.

The content of the text primarily reflects the suffering of the deaths that she had to witness as a nurse, and recounts the brief relationship she had with the surgeon. As mentioned earlier, the ideas that she conveys about death may serve to provide insight and help to any readers dealing with it in the family. The very personal retelling of her feelings for the surgeon (whose name she did not disclose) establishes this text as a memoir. In the context of a memoir, telling intimate 'secrets' like this one makes the text seem more authentic, and helps the reader understand her better since we see a more complete picture of a person with secrets, fears etc. Love and death are, after all, universal and the "silly manner" which she talked to the surgeon in is something we can all identify with (acting sillier around certain people....). In all, the intimate contents of this excerpt cements the authenticity of the autobiography and conveys the message that the author is writing genuine feelings.

The mood of the piece is friendly, encouraging and deeply personal.  As this is a memoir, Seacole reflects on her life and tells the story of it as if the reader is her friend. While the initial recounting of death made the tone depressing, she lightened it up with the story of the surgeon. She even states that "I do not willingly care to dwell upon scenes of suffering and death." By changing the focus, the memoir turns into an uplifting (albeit sad) piece with a hopeful message behind it. Seacole also concludes with the peaceful passing of the surgeon, again focusing more on the good man that he was ("his kind heart feigned a feeling that he saw would bring me joy") as opposed to his death. The final effect is a piece whose mood imparts feelings about the strength of the human spirit, even without explicitly saying so.

Since it is a memoir, it is written from Seacole's firsthand perspective. She uses 'I' repeatedly and states her feelings and opinions on what she went through. As mentioned earlier, Seacole identifies with being English (refers to England as "the mother country"), and this would have been the only bias in how she saw the events around her. It led her to sympathize with the English in Jamaica and tell their story of suffering. Her diction is very formal, employing an older structure of English, which was probably the style of 1857. For example, Seacole uses the lengthy "I do not willingly care to dwell upon scenes of suffering and death" when she could simply have said (in a more modern fashion), "I do not want to speak of suffering and death". In our modern 21st century context, this diction is out of place and evokes images of archaic times. It may even prevent a current audience from identifying with her, as her language is so different from our current structure. Elliptical sentences are used, as are pronouns, but the manner in which more information is added to sentences by including colons and semicolons (creating very long sentences like the first one of the second paragraph, which goes on for five lines) is very different from modern writing and distinguishes Seacole's memoir as an older piece.

Word Count: 838

Written Task 1

Move Over AAVE, Textspeak Has Replaced You

Just like trends and fads, dialects and their varieties come and go. And although we rarely think about how we speak, our spoken dialects are probably the most fluctuating language forms of all. The ‘yo’s and double negations that once dotted our speech have now been replaced with ‘LOL’, ‘OMG’ and spoken hashtags. Our culture has switched dialects, and it seems this time that textspeak has replaced AAVE (African American Vernacular English) as the language of our time.

Despite their significantly different origins and structures, the current development of textspeak emulates that of AAVE’s very well. First emerging from the combination of English and native West African languages when these speakers came into contact with each other, AAVE was initially an African dialect that couldn’t be helped. As it developed, however, it became a choice since its speakers continued preserving it after becoming fluent in English and knowing how it’s spoken.

Textspeak also initially arose out of physical necessities.  Linguist David Crystal proclaims that it has arisen due to ‘on-screen limitations’, which ring true at the time when messages had maximum characters and textspeak was crucial to saving money and energy. With current smart phones and unlimited free messaging thanks to Wi-Fi, however, textspeak is no longer needed and has become a choice.

The persistence of these two dialects to be used so many years after they initially developed out of needs shows that they are both choices. Not only are they still used when they aren’t necessary anymore, but they have both reached across their origins to pervade new groups of people.

Blondie’s 1981 song Rapture was the first time a white artist ever rapped, and marked the start of AAVE’s long journey out of African American culture. Likewise, although textspeak was initially used only by youth, as texting gained popularity the dialect extended its reach so that 80% of people who text and use textspeak now are adults.

What is so exciting about these similarities is that despite how much we think we have changed as a society, textspeak is repeating AAVE’s exact patterns from over three decades ago. And although technology has made major steps forward during this time, both dialects also share the impacts technology can have on a language.

Albeit technology being absent from AAVE’s early beginnings, it proved instrumental in the dialect’s rise to prominence. AAVE was popularized due to the media, especially through music, as well as technology’s role in making entertainment available to more people. As R&B and Hip Hop gained fame, AAVE expanded to be used in novels, short stories, and poetry. The media presented an outlet for documenting experiences, and AAVE was the perfect instrument in depicting African American lives and culture. Through this increased publicizing of African American culture, the usage of AAVE also eventually came to be considered cool.

Technology was just as important to textspeak, especially since the creation of this dialect was caused solely by technology presenting, as Crystal says, ‘a new medium for language’. Without the platform technology created, there would have been no text speak at all. Beyond its creation, however, technology also presented a way for textspeak to evolve. Sites like Tumblr and Twitter seem designed for textspeak to be used, creating communities where this dialect is the main method of communication and where its conventions are understood by all. Textspeak has even worked its way into music, like Trey Songz’ LOL : -), and daily speech, with us saying things like ‘lol’ or ‘wat’ – phrases that all originated from textspeak.

Despite how much fame these dialects have garnered at their own times, they have also faced issues with their usage. Both have been deemed ‘unprofessional’, and not for use on formal occasions. When interviewing speakers of AAVE, many of them said they ‘wouldn’t use it (AAVE) in an interview’. Likewise, many current employers have been turned off by the usage of textspeak in thank-you notes from interviewees.

It seems that despite the popularity they gain in popular culture, AAVE and textspeak are both personal languages, reserved for people we are close to. Indeed, as our social circles grow, these dialects mark the differences in our interactions between friends and acquaintances and shape the identities we take on with different people.

Through these similarities between textspeak and AAVE, there remains one obvious difference in who is allowed to use either. While the totally uninhibited use of AAVE by anyone other than an African American may result in accusations of cultural appropriation, the usage of textspeak is open to all. Perhaps as a testament to how much our society has become an amalgamation of so many different cultures, our new ‘in’ language was developed by everyone, and is used by everyone.

After seeing how closely textspeak has followed the path of AAVE, language shows itself as a cycle where new dialects are constantly evolving to suit our needs for a particular time. In this sense, the history of our language functions as a cultural memoir of sorts – reflecting on how our society’s values have changed over time.

Just like AAVE eventually petered out and is now used mainly by African Americans again, so can we expect textspeak’s popularity to slowly disappear later on as a new form of language comes up that is a product of our future society. In the constantly evolving world of language, our society will continue to change what we speak, and therefore how we define our identities.

Word Count: 908

Written Task 1: Rationale

Rationale

While studying the development of language over history and how it has been impacted by our identities, it is interesting to consider how our current cultural identity has shaped the language that we use. In popular culture, media and daily interactions, the current incarnation of language that represents our identity is textspeak.

In order to look at textspeak as the development of language, I have chosen to compare it to an older variation of another dialect – African American Vernacular English (AAVE). In this comparison, which argues that textspeak is the new AAVE, the similarities in the way both dialects have developed prove that language is akin to a cycle – with constantly evolving dialects emerging to suit our needs. By showing the similarities between them, an understanding of how technology and identity plays a large role in shaping our language will be demonstrated, as well as of how textspeak may be expected to develop. The context is the 21^st century, written with insight on modern culture.

I have chosen to explore this topic in a magazine article for Time Magazine. Many articles on culture and language of an academic standard have been published in Time, and it is a platform where I can easily refer to popular culture – allowing for greater interaction with the audience and material. Although diction will not include linguistic jargon, it will be of an academic standard. Magazine articles also employ catchy opening titles and have specific points to prove or question, with definite conclusions. It will be written from the point of an academic who believes textspeak is echoing AAVE in its development.

Although Time and the language of my article is geared to the general public, the intended audience is more specifically users of these dialects, English students and academics with some interest in linguistics.

Word Count: 300

 

 

Texting and Technology

On the topic of Texting, linguists David Crystal and John McWhorter both have very different and very interesting theories. This is an exploration of them, pitting them against each other to discover similarities and differences. 

1)The Basis of Textspeak/Summary

The first issue to tackle is what they believe the basis of textspeak to be. Crystal believes that textspeak shows the 'human ability to be linguistically creative' and to adapt language to suit our demands. By doing so, he is taking textspeak to be an extension of humanity's written language. This is evident again when he refers to it as new 'literary genre' and cites that it has been turned into poems, short stories and novels - like any other language. McWhorter, on the other hand, proceeds with this point in a totally different direction. He holds that textspeak is the first instance of humanity writing as we speak. Language, he says, originated as speech and that is really what language is. Consequently, although we've been writing and speaking for so many years and have developed the ability to "talk as we write" (i.e. formal register, speeches, etc.), we have now for the first time developed the ability to "write as we talk." This has been made possible thanks to the convenience and speed of texting as well as the electronic platform of creating text messages. In conclusion, we see that while Crystal considered textspeak to be an extension of our written language, McWhorter saw it as a new form of language. 

2)The Development of Textspeak 

We've already mentioned that Crystal believes textspeak to be a new literary genre. Apart from the normal developments one would expect of a literary genre (short stories, novels etc.), however, Crystal also notes that different dialects are being developed in the world of textspeak. He agrees, in this sense, with McWhorter's view of textspeak being based on language. Crystal states that, through the many different ways that are being developed to say things, different dialects of textspeak will soon be developed. We see how in this respect textspeak is basing it's progress on speech, echoing McWhorter's theories. The latter similarly states that as we advance in textspeak, we will develop more ways of making textspeak more like 'actual people talk.' This will happen as we naturally develop words/symbols to replace conventions of speech. 

3)Abbreviations and Punctuation

This is another point where differing views are presented. Crystal believes that texters make these changes consciously. They recognize the high-information value of consonants - hence leading to abbreviations and removal of vowels, as well as the low-information value of punctuation - hence the repeated lack of it in texting. McWhorter, however, contests that these changes aren't made consciously. We drop problems of punctuation and spelling when participating in textspeak because we don't pay attention to these things when speaking, and textspeak is a form of speaking (but as writing). In addition, while Crystal believes acronyms have developed out of convenience, McWhorter believes that some of them have naturally cultivated themselves to fill the gaps left when converting speech to writing. One example is 'LOL', which has evolved to become a marker of empathy when used in texting.

4)The Effect on the Quality of Language

Both linguists believe that texting has not caused a deterioration in the quality of English used today, albeit with different supporting reasons. Crystal believes that, ultimately, texting is a form of practice in literacy. And it follows that the more you practice something, the better your get at it - therefore making literacy scores increase with time spent texting. On the use of abbreviations he makes the very valid point that, "to leave a letter out, you have to first know it's there." The use of abbreviations, he maintains, can be controlled and only used when necessary. McWhorter agrees but makes a different point, reminding us that all throughout history, there have always been cases of bad language. He takes us back all the way to 63 A.D. (where there was no texting), and showed complaints of bad language. Evidently bad language will exist irregardless of texting. Additionally, he believes that textspeak is an "expansion of youth's linguistic repertoire" and that more youths are, in this sense, bilingual. As such, both linguists hold that not only has texting not harmed our language, it has improved it - by making its usage more frequent and diversifying our use of it. 

  

Fun Fact!: John McWhorter has also written an article on cultural appropriation, which I replied to in my previous blog post. You can read his article here.

Letter to the Editor

Cultural Appropriation as bad as ever

Talitha Liu

16 July 2014

Dear Editor,

I refer to the article, You Can’t ‘Steal’ a Culture: In Defense of Cultural Appropriation, by Josh McWhorter. As a frequent reader of your magazine, I was appalled at the lack of sensitivity displayed here.

 

The idea that cultural appropriation is not a problem because 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery' is nothing but laughable. Indeed, it brings us to the main problem - the issue is not the copying of the source culture, it is the effects it has upon the source culture. As a second generation Chinese that has been living in America for over 20 years now, cultural appropriation still has an unpleasant knack of reminding me that 'I am not really American' by pointing out that my people will only ever fit into the stereotypes the whites have created for us. It makes me feel like I don't belong here, in my home.  

 

Just last year, Katy Perry displayed a blatant example of cultural appropriation in an AMA performance of  her song 'Unconditionally'. The four minute long concert was a confusing hodgepodge of Chinese and Japanese culture - featuring the singer herself wearing a cross between a Cheongsam and Kimono, backup dancers draped in revealing modified Japanese dresses, while carrying out traditional Chinese fan dances. Not only does this make perpetuate the 'you're all Asian, it's the same thing' notion, more worryingly it presented Chinese and Japanese traditions without understanding any of the meanings behind them. The insensitive spectacle was further dismissed with statements like, 'it was not her intention to be racist' or worse, that 'it was only a cultural celebration'. These statements support Perry's trivialization of the source cultures, making us into another accessory in her wardrobe. If it really was mean to be a celebration, why were there no Asian dancers on stage? Even worse is that there were 9.47 million viewers watching this, having it ingrained into them (again) that Asians are either a)very good at math or b)prancing around diminutively in kimonos.

 

I showed your article to many fellow Asian-Americans, and they all found it to be grossly inaccurate. Many of them held that 'no one is listening' to their struggles with this issue. Despite the many editorials attacking cultural appropriation in the media, the major players in the industry - Iggy Azalea (in 'Bounce'), Selena Gomez (in 'Come and Get It') and Katy Perry - just to name a few, are repeatedly stealing parts of minority cultures to exploit in their performances and videos.

 

I recognize that your article says a culture can never be 'stolen'. But that was never the problem. The issue is that our minority cultures have turned into fetishes for viewers, exotic traditions and expressions whose real meaning is totally forsaken. And at the end of the day, when Katy Perry gets bored of this façade, she takes her makeup off and doesn't have to deal with the stereotyping she has perpetuated. No one looks at her and says - 'Oh, you're Asian, so you must be good at math right?'. In this sense it is simply not fair.

 

Instead of writing articles that make people feel like cultural appropriation is okay, I recommend you take action encouraging people to realize that these actions are wrong. Encourage a boycott of the offending artists, educate people as to what constitutes cultural appropriation and why it is so harmful. I'm not asking that humans cease to appreciate each other's cultures entirely, I'm simply asking for some respect.

 

Consider a reversal of the situation. Imagine a Chinese pop group dancing around with burgers and fries, using American culture to get more hits on YouTube. Trivializing you into an accessory. I promise that you can sift through the entirety of Chinese media and never find a performance like that, so why is the reverse occurring so frequently here? Above all, I ask the general population to stop sweeping this issue under your borrowed Arabian magic carpets, and to sit up and face it for what it is.

 

Sincerely,

Talitha Liu




You can read the original article here:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/15/you-can-t-steal-a-culture-in-defense-of-cultural-appropriation.html
 

 

 

 

Lily Allen: Criticizing Pop Culture through Pop Culture

Exactly on time at 2 o'clock, Lily Allen comes striding in through the doors of the restaurant where we've arranged to meet. Dressed in sleek black pants, a jewel-studded black jumper and neon-pink high heels, the woman standing before me is a far cry from the sneaker-and-maxi-dress sporting girl I interviewed back in 2006. On her expression, however, there has been no change in wardrobe - the same cheeky, eager grin plays across her face. Her eyes twinkle with enthusiasm and a certain childlike roguishness - the same defiant streak that propelled her to fame with her refreshingly candid lyrics, yet made her a prominent fixture in English tabloids (usually for not being able to "keep her mouth shut").

 

Gliding over the formalities, we begin discussing her latest album, Sheezus. The 29 year-old English singer recently returned to the music industry after a 5 year hiatus. In her own words, Allen says that "this wasn't a calculated return to the industry...I just started writing songs and realized I had enough of them to make a record." Indeed, Allen has always maintained that she writes whenever it feels "natural" and that her songs are mostly written by herself. This forthright authenticity forms the foundation of her fan base - especially in current pop culture where most songs are carefully crafted and produced solely for sales. In contrast, Allen presents lyrics that are refreshingly original and do not hesitate to question our society - placing greater importance on sincerity rather than commercial success.

The first single from Sheezus is a classic Lily Allen-esque example of using sarcasm to ridicule our society. 'Hard Out Here' is a feminist anthem that mockingly regurgitates the ridiculous expectations thrown at women by the entertainment industry, like "you should probably lose some weight, 'cos we can't see your bones, you should probably fix your face or you'll end up on your own." The chorus further remarks that it's harder being a woman than a man, with "forget your balls and grow a pair of t*ts, it's hard out here for a b*tch" being the hook. Allen grins as she explains that this song is about "reclaiming the 'b' word for women". Much like how the word "n*gga" is acceptable when used between African Americans, the "b word" has different connotations when used by women amongst themselves. It is this crude use of language that forces people to sit up and listen - Allen has no qualms about swearing in public, often writing songs drizzled with cleverly placed expletives to drive her message home. In this case, the choice of the cruder "t*ts" over "breasts" is instrumental, as Allen points out, "we are comfortable with sexualizing women, but only to a certain extent. If I sexualize myself I am considered a slut, but no one makes a fuss when male artists talk about their sex lives in their songs".

Another problem Allen tackled was that of pop culture in her 2009 single 'The Fear' - a statement on how "the world is becoming less real...bad things are becoming more important." The song opens with a refrain she says "many of us think but don't say" : "I wanna be rich and I want lots of money, I don't care about clever I don't care about funny," and goes on to admit that "life's about film stars and less about mothers, it's all about ... cussing each other." This song alone bottles up many of our personal frustrations of society. Sitting opposite her now, 6 years later, she tells me that "things are still the same, or maybe even worse." Allen mentions that she is a big fan of "thought-provoking, impactful music". Indeed, her music has had a big impact on society, with many bloggers hailing her as "the only fashionable young person articulate about the world around them." Allen herself strongly encourages her audience to get involved in their futures, writing that "We are the youth, we can make coolness for our future, it's up to us. Go green and hate hate." Her strong opinions have also brought her negative publicity, although she laughs it off easily, "Any publicity is good publicity. I just say what other people are too scared to," she says. Opinions toward the singer are mixed, she herself snickers about how "I was nominated Twit of the Year AND Woman of the Year in the same year!" (the people here at R.S. want to point out that she did win Woman of the Year).

Like the revolutionary artist Tupac Shakur, Allen advocates change by drawing attention to our problems and by critiquing our society. She not only sings about big issues, but presents observations on our personal lives that are collective reflections upon our society's values, needs and wants as a whole. She has sung about society viewing the lives of unmarried women over 30 as over ('22'); about how we no longer turn off our phones to "reconnect like human beings" ('Our Time') and even about the shallowness of online bloggers in criticizing celebrities ('URL Badman', 'Sheezus'). Through all this, Allen's body of work has formed a cultural memoir detailing the problems we face, what we place value on and what we think about life and society. Of these achievements she remains humble, smiling as she tells me, "I just write the obvious about the world around me, they're just my reflections."

Like the strong Cockney accent with which she speaks and sings, Allen's diction in her songs is largely informal - and very English. Her frequent usage of colloquialisms, like "fags" to mean cigarettes and "don't mean jack" to mean "doesn't mean anything, as well as the bold accent authenticate her amongst English audiences. In addition to this, Allen has also been involved in English politics (a strong supporter of the Labour Party) and included references to London in many songs and music videos. She even laughs at the idea of moving to another country and asks why she would "possibly want to be anywhere but London".

Ending off the interview with a final question on what she feels the future for women in her industry holds, Allen replies with, "I'm not sure, but we're definitely not out of the woods yet. People in this day and age are still under the illusion that every woman who is successful in this in industry must be controlled by a man. I'm the boss." This unapologetic answer, delivered punctuated by laughter is playful yet has a serious undertone to it, like most of her interview. The singer is never afraid to laugh out loud or make fun of herself, admitting that "many of my songs are about laughing at ourselves."

With her scathing remarks and controversial songs, we doubt Allen will be able to remain out of the headlines for long. Nevertheless, Lily Allen is one to watch for compelling and hilariously precise - not to mention catchy - statements on our society.


The above interview was taken from the Rolling Stone.

The Achievement Test

 

 One of the issues discussed in Amy Tan's Mother Tongue is that of Achievement Tests. The author points out their inaccuracies by showing that they made her younger self out to be better in math and science - when she in fact went on to become a (very successful) writer. This example alone should suffice to show how horribly inaccurate these tests can be.

An achievement test is defined as any kind of test that measures a student’s abilities.  These tests are very popular at schools, with them being the primary way in which students are tested and (usually) ranked or sorted into classes. Their appeal is understandable – they are easy to carry out and correct, as there is usually only one right answer. As such, written tests/exams are a big part of education all around the world.

But these tests, as Tan pointed out, are flawed. Many studies have shown that achievement tests don’t assess all students fairly, with findings stating that the difference between the results of poor and rich students has increased by 60% since the 1960s (Rooks, 2012.). This is due to the fact that a good portion of the questions on standardized tests are based on out of school learning. For example, the following question, “A plant’s fruit always contains seeds. State which one of these is not a fruit: tomato, pumpkin, celery or orange?”, although seemingly quite simple, may confound children who have not been exposed to vegetables like celery. That does not make them any less intelligent, as they have not learned this yet. As such, standardized tests can give certain (celery-loving) students unfair advantages. Adding this to the fact that these tests are targeted at English speakers (thereby wrongly guiding many non-native English speakers down the Math and Science path), we can see why achievement tests are not such a good idea.

I have always believed achievement tests were too restrictive and relied mainly on rote memorization to determine the intelligence of a child. This is especially a problem in Singapore, where kids start having exams from Grade 1. Children as young as seven start attending tuition classes on a medley of subjects, where they usually learn about topics before the school even begins covering them. This has become so widespread that it is becoming a problem for non-tuition going children, who have to suffer since the majority of children have already covered the in-class material and the teacher is obliged to move on.  

In spite of all these problems we find with standardized tests, it’s hard to find another substitute for them that is as efficient and easy to carry out. Personally, I have had my fair share of bad experiences with them, having failed many math tests while in primary school. I also had many teachers tell me to “avoid maths” (which I am currently doing at HL). On this note, I believe that achievement tests can be very inaccurate (or maybe they were right about maths after all…), and that the questions in them should be moderated to test all children fairly.

Athena T.

 

Sources:

 Cherry, Kendra. "What Is an Achievement Test?." About. About, n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. <http://psychology.about.com/od/aindex/a/achievement-test.htm>.

Rooks, Noliwee M. . "Why It's Time to Get Rid of Standardized Tests." Time. Time, 11 Oct. 2012. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. <http://ideas.time.com/2012/10/11/why-its-time-to-get-rid-of-standardized-tests/>.

Popham, W. James. "Why Standardized Tests Don't Measure Educational Quality." Educational Leadership 56.6 (1999): 8-15. ASCD. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.

 

The Hello

I am writing this with a cup of Japanese green tea beside me, with an open packet of the Filipino polvoron dessert, on a desk littered with memorabilia from the British book series Harry Potter, and in the Middle East. To top it off, I am half Singaporean and half Greek. 

The idea of culture has always interested me, especially how the lives of many modern people have become a medley of different cultures. The borders of a country are no longer barriers for its culture, and with the internet we can explore many different lifestyles without even having to leave our seats. In this way, it seems that many of us have become citizens of the world; experiencing media, food and clothes from every corner of our planet. 

Another aspect of culture that I find interesting is how different people have different interpretations of it. Growing up as an interracial child, I spent a lot of time wondering why we didn't all speak the same language, or have the same religion. I always thought it would save a lot of time and hassle if I only had to learn one language - not three. Reflecting on a question like this now, one can begin to see the importance of language in a culture. If the whole world spoke the same language, it would be much harder to feel a sense of "belonging" to a particular country. It brings to light how much a culture is defined by it's language - how there are certain words that are 'un-translatable', how some idioms express sentiments that are inexplicable to someone from a different culture. 

Personally, I have found that I think significantly differently when I am speaking Greek as opposed to when I am speaking Mandarin. I behave differently as well, with Greek speech punctuated using many hand gestures and Mandarin speech accompanied only by little nods of the head. It is sometimes unnerving to think that it is the same person speaking these two languages, I act so differently when in either of these characters. From this I learned that language not only gives you a sense of belonging, but transforms you into another person to fit the culture of the language you are speaking. 

Sometimes it's not even necessary to speak a language to be changed, however. Although I would not consider myself an anglophile, the majority of the media I watch is English with me being a big fan of Doctor Who, Harry Potter, and countless other English Youtube-rs. Due to this, I have found myself trying to emulate a British accent, and using many different words when I'm doing this, using phrases like "Haven't the foggiest" or "Blimey" that I would never use ordinarily (I even seem to enjoy tea more when I'm in this state). 

Through these different roles that I go through, however, I like to think that I am more or less the same person. I enjoy reading, art, puns, science, hats and interesting trivia - irregardless of which Athena I am being. The last book I read was Captain Corelli's Mandolin (thanks, Mr. Paul!), and I strongly recommend it for its prose and the feelings it evokes (as well as the many surprisingly accurate observations on Greeks). 

As for dreams, I would love to work in science as well as musical theater later on, although admittedly I'm unsure of how well they'll work together. Another (rather new) hope of mine is to be able to hone my writing skills, since today's post explained some facets of myself that I didn't quite understand. Hopefully I'll be able to sort out more of my beliefs through writing. :) 

On hindsight, this blog post may seem a little haphazard and stiff... Probably because it is my first attempt at writing a personal piece, hopefully the writing will become more lyrical with each new post. The photo that I feel best describes me is: 

Athena T. :D