Ready, Set, Go Viral!

Ryan Fischer

Professor Braverman

WGS Pop Culture                 

25 April 2016

Ready, Set, Go Viral!

Dermatologists believe the number of deaths from melanoma would be much lower if people knew the warning signs of melanoma, learned how to examine their skin for signs of skin cancer, and took the time to examine their skin (American Academy of Dermatology). This was our motivation behind #KforMelanoma. Inspired by our head coach, we set out to increase the awareness of Melanoma through our baseball team and our baseball games at TCNJ. Coach Glus was diagnosed with melanoma, however, he was able to identify it early and seek the proper treatment for it. Now as a cancer survivor, he advocates for melanoma awareness and has supported us throughout our journey to increase melanoma awareness in those who follow TCNJ baseball.

To raise awareness, our group created the #KforMelanoma trend on social media. We initially wanted to have fans of the baseball team sponsor our starting pitchers and donate a dollar to melanoma research for every strikeout the pitcher accrued over the season. However, we were unable to obtain Dr. Beverly’s approval because she stepped down after we presented our idea. Dr. Beverly stepping down slowed our project down quite a bit because we were stuck on how we would be able to raise money for melanoma research. Our initial goal was to obtain 15 to 20 sponsors for our starting pitchers who were willing to donate to melanoma research for each strikeout. While we were not able to achieve our target number of sponsors, we were able to attract a few sponsors who are willing to donate at the end of our season for the strikeout total. In addition to receiving five parent sponsors, we set out to spread the hashtag of #KforMelanoma to raise awareness of the deadly skin cancer, and encouragingly received six replay hashtags.

            Overall, although we did not achieve our target number of sponsors, we accomplished our goal of raising melanoma awareness. People of all ages are at risk for melanoma. Things that put people at risk for melanoma are ultraviolet light exposure, moles, fair skin, freckling, light hair, family history of melanoma, older age, and being a male (American Cancer Society). Melanoma can be prevented by simply avoiding excessive ultraviolet light exposure and applying sunscreen before going outside. If left untreated, melanoma can be a deadly form of skin cancer and extremely dangerous among those who have it.  

            I think we were successful with our trendsetting project. While we may not have achieved the widespread success some other groups may have had, but we were able to accomplish our goal of raising awareness of melanoma. Not many people understand what melanoma is and how easily at risk they are. By advocating for melanoma awareness and raising money to support melanoma research, our group has set out to change the way people view their risk of getting melanoma. People who follow TCNJ baseball or who have been to our games understand the severity of melanoma, and can therefore pass on the knowledge to their friends and family. Our project was only the start of a movement that is much bigger than TCNJ baseball. With our coach’s experience as a cancer survivor, we have left a significant mark on our families and followers of TCNJ to reach out and expand this movement of melanoma awareness. Hopefully through #KforMelanoma we have increased awareness of melanoma on a broader scale, which could lead to the reduction of melanoma related deaths in the future.

 

Works Cited

“Melanoma.” American Academy of Dermatology. American Academy of Dermatology. Web. 24 April 2016. <https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/skin-cancer/melanoma>

“What Are the Risk Factors for Melanoma Skin Cancer?” American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society, 1 February 2016. Web. 24 April 2016. <http://www.cancer.org/cancer/skincancer-melanoma/detailedguide/melanoma-skin-cancer-risk-factors>

 

Modern Families and Modern Money Worries Summary

The article “Modern Families and Modern Money Worries” discusses the financial struggles of four increasingly common family structures in our society today. The article discusses single parent families, blended families, same-sex families, and multi-generational families.

Single parent families are families where only one parent is raising a child, whether the child was adopted or a married couple had a child but is divorced. With single parent families, financial costs are often the biggest concern. Arnold Jenkins is a single parent of one daughter; he used to be a workaholic but now takes all the time he can to spend with his daughter. Because he is a single parent, the money he used to deposit into his savings account now goes towards the day care his daughter attends while he is at work. Food costs have also rose for the Jenkins family because they tried to adopt a healthier life style and began eating more fruits and vegetables. Arnold also compiled a large debt from the long custody battle with his ex-wife. The most troubling money concern with single parent families is Arnold’s fear of not having enough money to cover for his daughter if he were to unexpectedly die.

Blended families have a different set of financial concerns. Their financial arguments involve a what is yours, mine, and ours debate.  A prenup is often a reliable option before marriage to differentiate what each individual owns if something were to happen to the relationship. Many couples make a plan for what they bring into the marriage, however they forget to plan for issues in the future like supporting adult children or leaving money to their heirs.

A same-sex family’s financial problems come with future inheritances. Spouses have trouble leaving money for each other in case of a sudden death in some states because there are still states that don’t recognize gay marriage. However, in most states married same sex couples receive the same federal treatment for income and estate taxes as married heterosexual couples. On the contrary, no court or federal rulings can resolve family issues that involve family dynamics. In particular, if the parents or families don’t approve of the relationship.

Multi-generational families are families where two, three, or four generations of a family live under the same roof and depend on support from one or two of those family members. In this case, there are many tax considerations and faulty transactions. It is very easy for people to run afoul with gift taxes when they give family members money as a gift to pay for their own taxes. All families encounter financial challenges and every family has a different financial situation. These four families and the situations they have to face as a family are becoming more and more relevant in our society and deserve a close look at like the one supplied in the article “Modern Families and Modern Money Worries.”

Media Screening

The movie “In a World” features a woman named Carol Solomon who wants to be a voice over in movie trailers, which her father regards as a “man’s business, nobody wants to hear a female voice.” Carol’s voice was heard by the executive producer of the Amazon Games Quadrilogy and she was selected to be the voice of the trailer. Her father, who was notorious for his voice overs in movie trailers (who was also in consideration for the job) was upset that a female was going to be the voice in the trailer. People responded very negatively to a female entering the voice over industry, and believed that there was no room for her. The other male candidates considered her a “thief” because she “stole” the position from the other male contestants. This film displays gender identity because men don’t believe women are fit to be in the voice over industry. The gender stereotypes are on full display when men continuously and openly announce how a woman isn’t fit to be in the voice over business. In the very last scene, the executive producer tells Carol that “everyone in the world hears movie trailers, and everyone in the world hears TV commercials.” She picked Carol because she believed that young females need to be empowered and motivated by hearing a female’s voice in a powerful position in influential media roles.

The documentary titled “It’s a Girl” displays the fear and danger of being a woman in countries like India and China. The documentary begins with a woman explaining how she killed eight of her female children because of their sex. She would continue to get pregnant hoping for a boy, however she kept getting a boy. In India, society views females as a drain of resources due to the fact that they cannot retain family property and cannot provide as a source of income. Additionally, due to the poor living conditions and costs of raising a child, the female children families get pregnant with are often aborted or killed to lessen the expenses on the family. Fortunately, India has taken action against the killing of young female children by implementing a law that prohibits killing a child based on their gender. Similarly, in China, there are 13 million abortions a year. On top of that, there are 500 female suicides every day in China. When you break down the population of China, there are 37 million more men than women in China. These staggering statistics are caused by a policy in China that allows families to have no more than two children. Chinese families often kill the female children they have to ensure both of their kids are males because they will be more successful in society. Female rights are taken away at a very young age in both of these countries. The documentary fully exposes the gender inequality in these societies, where it has become so extreme that mothers kill their children because they would rather have them die than live in their society.

Both of these movies encompass the gender inequality found in our world today. While “In a World” is a little less severe, it is still important to note how people responded to when Carol won the job. They accused her of being a thief to her male counterparts, who believed she was inadequate for the job simply because the industry “had no room for a female voice”. “It’s a girl is a little more serious and eye opening to the global issue of gender inequality. Female deaths at a young age are abundant in India and China because a female does not have the same opportunities a man has. In our world, we need to address the issue of gender inequality and make it clear that people are people, no matter whether they are born as a male or female. Everyone is capable of making a contribution to society, and they shouldn’t be stripped of that opportunity at birth when their parents say “It’s a girl.”

Gender Neutral Children

Sasha’s story is exemplary of how crucial gender roles are in the development of a child. Sasha, a boy, was raised as a gender neutral child up until he turned 5 years old. Sasha’s room was painted a neutral yellow, he was encouraged to play with whatever toys he wanted to, and was allowed to wear whatever clothing he wanted. His parents never encouraged him to play with one thing over another, and they never pushed him to act a certain way. They simply allowed Sasha to grow up the way he wanted to grow up without the pressure of living up to a stereotype that has been pre-determined for him.

Gender neutral parenting is starting to become more relevant in today’s society, and I feel that it is not a problem. I don’t think that gender neutral parenting is the wrong way to parent. When we look at the toys children play with, they distinctly define and encourage a gender to act a specific way. For example, male toys promote violence, aggressiveness, strength, and masculinity. On the other hand, female toys promote nurturing, skillful development, and beauty. These toys influence children to behave accordingly towards their gender roles, and put pressure on growing children to live up to the common stereotypes about their gender.

Gender neutral parenting attempts to eliminate gender roles in a developing child’s life. Many believe gender stereotypes and prejudices have a negative impact, so gender neutral parenting can be a good thing for children. In her book Gender Neutral Parenting: Raising Kids with the Freedom to be Themselves, author Paige Lucas-Stannard explores the benefits of raising kids gender neutral and tries to debunk myths such as the belief that GNP is anti-feminine or anti-masculine. She believes that parents should expose kids to a wide range of gender types and to allow them freedom to explore without judgement. I think that it is beneficial to allow kids to live in the way they want to live because everyone is entitled to their own lives. I don’t believe that people’s lives should be dictated through the eyes of others. Everyone is their own unique person with certain passions in life and they should be able to freely express themselves without anyone else’s opinion being important to them.

"GimpGirl Grows Up" Article Summary

Inspired by her participation in the DO-IT program for teens with disabilities, Jenifer Cole and her mentor Len Burns founded the center for Breaking Away. It is a nonprofit organization for disabled youth transitioning to adulthood. This organization originally housed the GGC project, but was dissolved after the GGC project outgrew the center.The GGC was founded in 1998 as a collaboration of young women with disabilities who shared dissatisfaction with preexisting services and communities, which appeared incapable of fulfilling the needs of these youth in transition to adulthood.

GGC was created to fight back against abusive situations Jenifer had encountered, and to counterbalance her early heteronomous role of being a passive daughter/child with a disability. She established it when she was only 18 or 19 to form a community in which people collectively help each other through tough time as those with disabilities. The domain gimpgirl.com was registered in February 1998 initially as Jennifer’s personal website. However, it was almost immediately handed over to the GGC. This GGC site was one of the first sites dedicated to women with disabilities based on self-diagnosed disability, without restrictions on age, sexual orientation, or types of disability. Offered resources and links to news from the disability community.

The name “Gimpgirl” originated from a nickname Jenifer’s friends called her when she was a teenager. By sharing her nickname with the group Jenifer motivated herself and other group members to get each other through life. GGC members have become increasingly accepting of the term GimpGirl. At first, many felt it was rude. But after they thought deeper into it, they realized the term is upfront and confident while it takes away any sense of pity.

An important characteristic of the GGC today is their active search for and implementation of new technologies to facilitate member participation and community development. Seeks new technology to deliver and develop desirable content for its members. For example, the GGC has created an account on the LiveJournal platform in an effort to diversify access and to reduce duties for moderators. In this system, users were able to maintain their own accounts and benefitted from a variety of available communities.

The theme of the GGC is a double whammy; living as women and living with a disability. Over the past decade, the GGC and its members have changed many lives, and they continue to constantly look for new ways in which to challenge medical/institutional discourses, as well as public perceptions of women with disabilities.

Social Networks: "Social Media's Top 5 Contributions to Society"

While many people have a negative view of Facebook, I would like to offer a twist on the role the social networking site has in society. In Samantha Rupert’s article “Social Media’s Top 5 Contributions to Society,” she summarizes five benefits social media has in our society. First, she explains that Facebook is a forum for support and safety information during a crisis. For example, during Superstorm Sandy, most people didn’t have power. However, some cell networks and WiFi towers were still operational. Many people used Facebook to detail the destruction and reassure friends or family that they were safe. Secondly, Rupert says that Facebook is a valuable aid for crime-solving. Police departments like the NYPD are beginning to investigate gang-related crimes on social media networks. Recently, the NYPD nabbed about 60 gang members who boasted about violent crimes on social media networks. Third, Facebook and other social media platforms are a form of political influence. Social media has given a true voice to the people. It allowed people to rally for same sex marriage equality while the Supreme Court heard cases regarding the issue. The wide range of people that use Facebook make it a powerful political voice. Fourth, Facebook is currently the best way yet to connect across vast distances. It allows friends and families from far and wide to connect with ease, without having to waste money paying for international phone calls. It also offers a visual for these people who haven’t seen their loved ones in a while because different pictures can be posted. Fifth and finally, social media has revolutionized brand engagement. It has completely transformed the marketing industry. A report from BIA/Kelsey projects social media revenue to exceed $11 Billion by 2017. Because brands have the opportunity to personally engage with customers like never before through these sites, their sales are skyrocketing. People like to see brands respond to them when the mention a company in a Facebook post or a tweet or anything on social media. Interaction through social media is fueling sales and brand success in the media world. So while many might throw harsh criticism at Social Media and the role it plays in our society, Rupert offers a spin on the common negative opinions and opens eyes to the good role social media plays in our society.

The Political Economy of Privacy on Facebook: Article Summary

Facebook is watching everything its users are doing. It uses your information to collect data to sell to advertising in order to make profit. The article introduces the idea of a prosumer. A Prosumer is the progressive blurring of the line that separates producer from consumer. Alvin Toffler describes the age of prosumption as the arrival of a new form of economic and political democracy, self-determined work, labor autonomy, local production, and autonomous self-production. New media corporations do not pay users for the production of content. However, a widely used accumulation strategy is to give the users free access to services and platforms, let them produce content, and to accumulate a mass of prosumers that are sold as commodity to advertisers. There is no product sold to the users. Instead, the users are sold as commodities to advertisers. The more users a platform claims, the higher the advertising rates.

Facebook closely monitors your contacts, communication, and data. They then sell this data to companies, who then send targeted advertisements to you. This is how Facebook exists, all users are examples of workers for Facebook. The users who upload photos and images, write wall posting and comments, send mail to their contacts, accumulate friends, or browse other profiles on Facebook constitute an audience commodity that is sold to advertisers. On the internet, users are also content producers who engage in permanent creative activity, communication, community building, and content-production. Surveillance of Facebook prosumers occurs via corporate web platform operators and third party advertising clients, which continuously monitor and record personal data and online activities. Facebook surveillance creates detailed user profiles so that advertising clients know and can target the personal interests and online behaviors of the users. Facebook sells their prosumers as a commodity to advertising clients.

Data surveillance is the means for Facebook’s economic ends. Facebook permanently monitors users for economic ends, which means that no economic privacy is guaranteed to them. Since it remains unknown to users what specific information and data contributes to targeted advertising, they cannot control their data use or protect themselves from its commodification. The use of targeted advertising and economic surveillance is legally guaranteed by Facebook’s privacy policy. However, users cannot control what Facebook uses to attract advertisers, therefore it morally questions their practices as a company.