Define a Documentary

How do you define a documentary?

This has a very broad range that it can cover. To me, a documentary is a film that depicts a person or particular person. Not a biography of a particular person, but something that tells their story or usually a struggle. It can also be an informational film on an event or new technology. For example, I found a documentary on the Bulletin Board System and the changes that have occured due to the rise of the internet.















Recently, many Americans have become aware of Documentary Director Michael Moore. He's been known for documentaries such as Farhenheit 9/11, Bowling for Columbine, Roger and Me, and Canadian Bacon. He's shed light, or at least his opinion, on events such as September 11th and the tragic school shooting in Columbine.

Roger and Me, however is not based on a particular event but the decline of a city. This documentary is based on Flint, Michigan and the decline of the economy. Through out the film, Moore attempts to interview Roger Smith, CEO of the Flint branch of General Motors. The GM plant had been a major source of income for the city, until it began to outsource jobs.

In reality, I guess a documentary can be an informational or persuasive film on almost any topic.

30 Day's in regards to Stereotypes etc.

The 30 Days program did show many stereotypes of immigrants. For instance, Rigo does hard jobs for very low wages. It also shows the conditions that many Mexican immigrants are attempting to leave. Even though they are under or close to the poverty level in the United States, they are still better situated here than their former home in Mexico. Finally, it shows the sadness they feel because they are unable to return to their families in Mexico. For example, Pati was unable to see either of her parents before they passed away and it was clearly an emotional topic for her.

Armida represents the quest for the “American Dream,” or that which most Americans (and immigrants too) want to strive for. She breaks many of these stereotypes, or preconceived pictures in our heads, about illegal immigrants. She is very successful in school and an accomplished golfer. Armida has dreams to become the first in her family to attend a college and has high hopes of attending Princeton.

By airing this episode, producers were able to shed light on both sides of the illegal immigration controversy. They did not, however, show bias toward either side. Both were represented equally with valid arguments. I think that it was important to air this because illegal immigration is such a controversial topic right now in the media and politics.

30's Days, Immigration in Review

Illegal immigration has become an important topic in current news and politics. This controversial subject was featured in FX’s “30 Days” program. It begins when a Frank George, radical minuteman from the border, moves in with an illegal immigrant family in East L.A. This family of seven lives in tight quarters which become even smaller when another person comes to live there.

The Gonzalez family consists of Rigoberto (father), Pati (mother), and 5 children. The two youngest of the children were born in the United States, thus making them citizens. The other three however, are still in the States illegally. The most outspoken of them all was oldest daughter Armida.

Frank must leave all of his identification papers behind, do manual labor, and live in their home for 30 days. He himself was an immigrant from Cuba, however he and his family did so legally. Upon his arrival to his new temporary home, he is instantly reminded of Cuba. Frank is immediately put to work with Rigoberto, who works for low wages as a handyman. This consisted of many strenuous jobs and chores. Rigoberto says that he is “doing the jobs that Americans don’t want to do.”

Frank also spends time with the rest of the family and really begins to become a part of their family and lives. He is genuinely touched by the family and feels a bond of kinship between them. During his time there he states, “…we really start to appreciate life.” But was that enough to change his radical ways?

This is not meant to persuade the viewer in either direction. If anything else, the producers of this episode were attempting to inform the viewer. Both sides of the argument are shown, one through Frank and the other through the family and their friends. It informs the viewers of the conditions that immigrants are leaving behind and their dreams of the future yet to come. It is most defiantly an episode worth watching.

Blogmania #2

Defining stereotype… this really shouldn’t be difficult, but I’m finding that it is actually hard to think of what the word actually means. So I decided to look it up in the dictionary, seemed like a good idea at the time.

According to Webster’s Dictionary:
Stereotype
(Noun): A conventional or formulaic conception or image: "regional stereotypes have been part of America since its founding.”
(Verb): Treat or classify according to a mental stereotype; "I was stereotyped as a lazy Southern European".

This didn’t make things much clearer for me. So I turned to Lippman. From what I understood, he explained Stereotypes almost as a predisposition based on a person’s life experiences and that we cannot fully understand why they perceive those stereotypes until we’ve seen experiences through their eyes. I’ve always thought of Stereotype as a derogatory word, like all stereotypes were a bad thing. I think that’s mainly because I was always faced with them growing up. However, the more I read and the more I listen in class I find myself thinking that stereotypes are not necessarily a derogatory outlook on someone unlike your self but this predisposition based on your own experiences. Especially since no one is going to think of or believe the same stereotypes about certain types of people.

Blogmania #1

So, for the super blog assignment for this week, part 1 of the topic is to research your favorite media. I know I chose my cell as my favorite, and in class we decided that it was a point-to-point rather than a mass media. This got me thinking about Andy’s phone and how he uses it.

Let me start by saying that we both use the same company, Verizon. Which we all know is now getting into television and the internet. Now I know that when I use my phone it really is just a point-to-point, however Andy is very different. I like to call his phone the mini computer. It really is almost like a small computer. For instance, he can play games, keep track of his schedule, check his email, even surf the net… all from the palm of his hand. So, how exactly do we classify that? Could that be considered a mass media being that he’s all over the web, or is it the internet on his phone that is the mass media?

This just shows how far these corporations are reaching. They are constantly merging to combine cable with the internet and wireless providers. It makes me think of these commercials that are almost like one stop shopping. So many companies offer all three of these in a package deal.

"Pictures in my head"... I wonder if they hear voices too....

For this week, I didn't know exactly where to go for this blog. So I began reading a few others and found that I wasn't alone in this, but I'll give it a shot.

Everyone has a limited reality, mainly because I find it highly impossible to travel all over the world to scope out different cultures or "realities." However, lets say (hypothetically) someone really could go to every different culture or society. Is it really possible to learn from each and everyone of them, I would hope so but I don't think that it would really be possible. I know that many people try to stay open minded, but there is always going to be a slight part of them that is set in their ways and unable to change. To sum this little ramble up, I think everyone has a limited reality to begin with.

I think that if I were to engage in more media, for example the news or the papers, that it would enlarge my "reality." I think this is very important, since many of the global happenings are very influential to local communities. If I were more aware of this, I think it would enable me to better influence those around me.

It's very important to analyze the messages that you are recieving, mainly due to the impact of the gate keeper. The source of the message will determine the bias and influences that the message is supposed to convey. These can be very persuasive, as they are often meant to be. It's important to not let yourself be persuaded by an unjust influence.

I'm not one to just accept something that I read or hear. I've learned from a young age that it's very important not to be naive. I think that if you just accept the messages that people are giving you that you can be easily lead astray and molded into whatever it is they want. And that's not such a good thing.

What is your favorite media?

I would have to say, my cell phone is my favorite. I don't leave home without it. If I would have to give it up, I'm not sure how I would react. I guess I would just be lost and disconnected. It's the easiest way for me to keep in touch with people, especially since I'm always on the go. I would probably resort to sending emails to everyone, but they feel so emotionless and empty to me. Think about it. Right now you really have no idea what state of mind I'm in. I could be happy, sad, angry... anything. The only clues you get to my state of mind are the words I choose to use, which can often times be very vague. I guess what I'm saying, is I would miss the human interaction the most. Now I know, talking on the phone isn't the same as seeing them in person, but it's pretty darn close. Also, it's an immediate form of communication. Unlike and email or a letter, it could take that person and where from minutes to days to get your message (depending on how often they check their email).
The other thing is, even if I can't physically speak to them at that moment for some reason, I'll text message them. Texting is also a fast way to get in touch with someone, even if it's just to say "Hi, have a nice day." I enjoy the random messages that let me know that people are thinking about me, even if it's only for a minute.