Blog Post #4 The Media

The media I think is the biggest influence on everyone. Music, TV, news, ads, etc etc all influenced who we are today. It's not really a negative thing but it can be. I watch stupid shows like "I Love Money" because it's entertaining when I'm bored. The people there are just stupid and it proves that some people will do ANYTHING to be on TV or get money and what not. I look at ads and buy their products either they're nice looking or I need it. If I look at a clothing ad for Old Navy or something, and I like the clothing, I would want to go out and buy it. I don't know if I'm making a point yet. O_o I don't think that those ads would be a negative effect on me. Sometimes, the media show things that other people would not like to be shown. For example, images or products that are targeted to young people. The more they advertise drugs and alcohols, the more the kid's minds will wonder what they are. I think it's also the parent's role to make sure that their kids don't watch certain tv shows and read certain magazine and listen to certain music.


I'm not saying that if your kid is "bad", it's the parent's fault, or that the parents don't care for their kids. I think that in every household, there should be a limited rule on what they can do and cannot do. Obviously, over time, we are exposed to everything in the world. Alcohol, drugs, sex, parties, but the main point is when should they know about this? Timing is key to everything.

My parents are very laid back. They run a business so my siblings and I are always on our own. Every since elementary school, I would wake up myself and walk to school. After school, I'll walk home and either my sister or I will start cooking lunch. My parents will call and see if we ate already. This was usually the routine until High School. I learn a lot of stuff by watching TV, reading magazine and learn from my friends. I was exposed to drugs and alcohol and parties and all that stuff before reaching high school; however, I knew better than to go out and do all those things. My parents never said, "Do not do drugs, smoke, or drink alcohol!!" I think they trust us enough and know that we know our limits not to do it. If I want to, I really can. Also, it's not the ads on TV that keeps me from smoking and drinking etc everyday. I think it's just me personally. I don't want to be that person. All the teens these days thinks it's cool and it's the best thing that has ever happened to them. I don't think so. If you know that it'll hurt your body and hurt you mentally, why do it? I like the quote, "Live like there's no tomorrow", but that doesn't mean soak your liver in alcohol all day and night, or trap your lungs from operating. There's more to life than just all these.

Ok.. moving on.. besides the stuff I said above, I think that the news reporters play a very important role in our lives. We believe what they say, we're suppose to, but I think that just causes more uncertainties in our lives. The show what's really going on outside and it scares me. I hate watching the news and learning that a random person shot another in the broad daylight! How scary is that. By watching the news, people can be more careful when they leave their house everyday. To some extent, I think the media shapes our lives everyday. Just take the simple weather reporter, by him/her telling you the chances of rain today, you might want to take an umbrella when you leave. They play a big role when there's a hurricane and for the election of 2008.

Did I kind of make my point? I think the media is both positive and negative. They can be informative and helpful, but they can also be dangerous. Displaying or showing some ads during certain shows might not be the best way to get their messages across. They sometimes can make a mind wonder more about it.

Last thing I'm going to write about. Sorry, this post is so long. I think that their are ads out there targetting certain people which aren't effective. For example, the tobacco ads. The ones where they're saying how many people die a year, how many chemicals are in there, etc,etc. Those are targeted to many audience but for the audience that smokes cigarettes already, I don't think it's every effective. The peope who smokes already started smoking knowing all these things. They knew that it'll damage their lungs and will cause health problems and yet, they still go ahead and smoke. Someone once told me that the key to quitting is the person itself. It's seriosuly true. If they knew all the problems that they will have if they smoke, why would they still do it? I think no matter how many people or ads they see, they won't stop because of them. The person's mind has to say, "I want to quit!" The person itself has to be determined to quit in order to actually quitting. If you're not passionate and determined to quit, there's nothing anyone can say or do to make you quit. No matter how many people you know that died of lung cancer from smoking, if that doesn't make you quit, no one will. My dad knows about all the health issues and second hand smoking, and yet he still smokes. It makes me sick. If the doctor one day told him that he has lung cancer, I seriously won't feel bad or sad for him. Not that I'm mean, but he knows what smoking can do to him and he still does it. He bought that upon himself when he lit that first cigarette. It makes me sick watching him smoke in front of me knowing that my lungs might be damaged because of him. My uncle smokes too but he never smoked around his kids. My dad just don’t care as much as my uncle.