Media Activism #12

I attended a screening of a new documentary called Sir! No Sir! by David Zeiger with a Q&A session with the director and a special appearance by Jane Fonda, who is a strong supporter of the film. The documentary is about the GI protest movement during the Vietnam War. It was really amazing to learn about this movement since, as it explains in the film, this part of our history has been conveniently written out of the books. Soldiers were refusing to fight and being court-martialled for speaking out against the war. It is a very important film that everyone should see, so it is fortunate that it is also very well made. The high energy and entertaining use of archival footage and music make it easy to watch for all audiences, which helps the messages get heard.

To prove just how important and pertinent this film is, I came home from the screening, turned on the television, and the news was covering the Generals speaking out against Donald Rumsfeld. Seeing history repeat itself so clearly was actually pretty chilling.

Media Activism #11

After our field trip to the Ad Council, I explored their website to see the work they have done on different campaigns. Based on their model of working on issues that are non-political, non-commercial, non-profit, and non-denominational, I was very curious to see what issues qualified. I was particularly interested in the Modeling Non-Violent Behavior campaign. I have witnessed parents being violent and aggressive both in front of, and directly towards, their children on the subways, buses, and streets of New York. It is incredibly disturbing and upsetting, and I am so grateful for campaigns such as these that bring this issue to light. Through radio spots, magazines, newspapers and billboards, attention is drawn to the fact that children model their parent’s behavior, both good and bad.

To avoid the political side of gun control, the Ad Council has a campaign about reducing gun violence. This is an excellent example of framing the debate to focus on the realities of gun violence with a tagline of “Gun Crimes Hit Home” rather than getting involved in the legislative debate over the second amendment.

The Ad Council website is really impressive. You are able to search by issue and see who sponsored the ad, which agency created the ad, can view all of the posters, tv, and radio spots, and get factual information and statistics on the issue.
Overall, the Ad Council is a very impressive organization doing very important work. I am really glad we got the opportunity to visit their offices and learn more about them.

Media Activism #10

The last page of Ms. Magazine is a section called "No Comment" where readers send in advertisements that are offensive and degrading to women. This is an excellent form of media activism where the products, the advertisements, and the publications that run them are all called out and exposed for their bad taste. I love that it is called "No Comment", where the ad speaks for itself. Rather than get into an intellectual discussion about why it is insulting, it is saying, this isn't even worth discussing. The important thing is to be aware that these ads are out there, more than you may think, and it is important not to forget that.

Even if you don't subscribe to Ms. Magazine, you should pick it up at the newsstand just to see this last page.

The ad above says "THE LONGER YOU WAIT...THE BETTER IT GETS." The ad to the right says: "CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE - VIEW THE OPPORTUNITY." Click on ads to see details.

Media Activism #9

I suppose the theme to these past few weeks has been about mothers and daughters, This week I participated in a project called Story Corps with my mother and interviewed her in a “StoryBooth” for forty minutes. StoryCorps is a nationwide project aimed at recording American lives through sound. For only ten dollars (more if you’re feeling generous), you can invite someone to interview and have access to broadcast quality sound equipment in a sound booth located at Grand Central Station. You receive a copy of the CD and it goes into the archives of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

It was really a wonderful opportunity to sit down with my mom and ask her things about her life that wouldn’t normally come up in casual conversation. I’m getting married next year, so I decided to ask her questions mainly about her married life. She was married to my father for 33 years before he passed away and I always felt very fortunate to have them as my role models for a successful marriage. It is hard not to be cynical these days with so many people getting divorced, so it is comforting to have grown up in a house with two parents who loved each other so much.

I feel like this project is a good example of media activism. Obviously with so many television channels, radio stations, films, and publications, much of our society is being recorded, but how much of that is truly documenting the lives of everyday Americans? This is a chance to record the normal lives of people who are dealing with all kinds of issues that may seem highly personal and specific, but are very revealing about the world we live in. On the website are excerpts from interviews that you can listen to. It is amazing how a minute or two of the interview sheds so much light on people’s lives and can touch on many themes that are universal. I highly recommend inviting someone you know for an interview. It feels really great to participate in this important project and you get to take home a wonderful keepsake.