Dress to Impress

Rappers are seen as, or stereotyped as, uneducated individuals with baggy clothes and criminal records. However, that is not true or fair for all rappers. In fact, some of the most well-known rappers have either obtained college degrees, are getting degrees or at least have a couple years of college education under their belts.  Talib Kweli earned a degree from NYU in theater, Lil’ Wayne is enrolled in courses at Phoenix University and Kanye West decided to drop out of college after a couple years and released his very successful album, “The College Dropout.”

 Jamilah Evelyn author of “The Miseducation of Hip-Hop – Discrimination in Education” asks whether or not “… atrocious retention rates really be linked to reckless music? (Evelyn, 2008)” Evelyn writes about a college student Jason Hinmon who moved back home to the University of Delaware after attending Morehouse College in Atlanta because of financial reasons. Evelyn describes Hinmon as, “Dark-hued, dreadlocked and, well, young… (Evelyn, 2008).” Hinmon believed that because of the way he looks and dresses professors did not want to give him the time of day and that his appearance did not portray him as wanting to be a good student.

Evelyn also interviewed Dr. Thomas Earl Midgette, Director of the Institute for the Study of Minority Issues at North Carolina Central University, who believes that rap music influences the way that students dress. His description of this terrible look in students is, “They look like hoochie mamas, not like they’re coming to class. Young men with pants fashioned below their navel (Evelyn, 2008). “ Midgette goes on to talk about himself and how and he used to wear bell bottoms in his day but he knew to trim his hair, “afro,” when he was going to deal or negotiate with the higher education world.

From my personal life experience I can say that there are many stereotypes not just that of the rap music influence. When it comes to education I don’t think it’s fair to judge a book by its cover as the saying states. If a college student is dressed with baggy clothes but has good grades why should that even be a factor? Professors need to overlook stereotypes and look for the students who have potential and a desire to succeed. Hinman felt very lonely at the University of Delaware when he could not get help from his professors during their office hours. The way people dress is just an expression about their beliefs and culture. However, if Hinman would take it personal and decide to drop out of college because he was overwhelmed by the actions of his professors, a good student would have been lost. I think that Hinman has all the right to dress in whichever way he wants and not be sterotyped by his clothes but by his achievements and desire to continue his education. The fact that he inquired for help should have been enough reason for his professors to lend him a helping hand. I believe that Midgette is too old fashioned but I do agree with him in that there is a time and place for everything. Realistically a person dressed in baggy clothes or skimpy clothes will not get the job over the person dressed in a suit. Even if the person in the baggy clothes has a higher education than the one in the suit, dressing for success is basic. In the end, I believe that being educated and culture means you are not afraid to express who you are but that you also make intelligent decisions when need be. In this case, I do not think students need to dress differently for class but should once they enter the professional working world.  

Works Cited

Evelyn, J. (2008). "The Miseducation of Hip-Hop - Discrimination in Education". In L. Gray-Rosendale, Pop Perspectives Readings to Critique Contemporary Culture (pp. 559-566). New York: McGraw-Hill.

The Next Time You Watch the News

Did you ever consider that your personal opinion on a subject can be made known by your personal expressions, even when you fight hard to be objective? Or that a picture can indeed speak a thousand words but not necessarily the truth to those who see it? Neil Postman and Steve Powers collaborated in writing a great essay named, “The Bias of Language, the Bias of Pictures,” that touches on the subject of how the language and pictures chosen in newscast programs can be misleading. The reason for their essay is so their readers will be well equipped every time they watch the news and so they will not be misled and can defend themselves from misinformation.

Postman and Powers describe the differences between language, stationary pictures and moving pictures. Language, they claim, can be very tricky because no two people will use the same words to describe the same event. So beware when watching the news because it is not necessarily object information. The newscaster may try to remain objective and choose words that will not influence the viewer in a certain way but that is almost impossible. Language, they argue, can be used to describe, evaluate and infer. “This suggests that even when attempting to use purely descriptive language, a journalist cannot avoid expressing an attitude about what he or she is saying (Postman & Powers, 2008).” A stationary picture or single picture, on the other hand, can also present problems when used to describe an event. One of the big problems, as Postman and Powers put it is, “…single pictures, speak only in particularities. Their vocabulary is limited to concrete representation (Postman & Powers, 2008).” A single picture needs language to bring the story alive and what if the language used is not the truth? Then this single picture is misrepresented and can be misleading. Finally, Moving pictures can be very captivating to the viewer that is why they are used more often than not. Moving pictures can create drama, show expressions and display violence. They are favored by newscast shows since with a little editing they can put together a small story without having to use too many words.

Language and pictures as described by Postman and Powers are important in the overall point of the essay because they will help their readers to become good interpreters of the truth. The point of the essay is to teach people how to watch the news and not be seduced or influenced by misinformation. The writers’ main claim about today’s newscasts is that they are very symbolic.  News shows are introduced with music; you can hear teletype machines in the background and see a world clock. Newscasts are almost like a theater and they describe the anchor as the main host. This set helps to set the mood and make the viewer believe that the stories being told are very important. Newscasts are not coherent at all and the anchor or reporters can never really get into the underlying truths of the stories but only to the surface. Newscasts today, as stated by the writers, are aimed for everyone in hope that their stories will attract all viewers. I agree with Postman and Powers that it is important to learn how to interpret the news. What is important and what is “fluff” as they described it. Learning the differences is important if you truly want to get true information and not simply be entertained.

Works Cited

Postman, N., & Powers, S. (2008). "The Bias of Language, The Bias of Pictures." In L. Gray-Rosendale, Pop Perspectives Readings to Critique Contemporary Culture (pp. 481-489). New York: McGraw-Hill.

The 21st Century Darth Vader

If asked who said this line, “Luke, I am your father,” most people would respond correctly, Darth Vader. It has been about 34 years since the release of the first Star Wars movie in 1977 but that has not changed its level popularity. The Star Wars popularity has continued in part because 16 years after the release of its first three movies, George Lucas the creator, came up with three more movies making them the prequel the original three. The last of the prequel movies was released in 2005 making them very current for the 21^st century youth. This past February 2011, during Super Bowl XLV, a new commercial from Volkswagen was released to announce the release of the new Passat model 2012. A young boy, age 6, dressed as Darth Vader goes around his house trying to use the force to manipulate things such as his washer and dryer, his dog, a doll in his sister’s room, and eventually his dad’s new car, the Volkswagen Passat. This commercial has gone viral on YouTube and has had over 40 million hits so far. Commercials like these hit home for most people because they portray the perfect American household. This perfect household includes a family with a mother, father, at least two children and a pet dog. The mother is a stay at home mom because she is seen making a sandwich for the child during the day time and the father works and has a new car. Their home is also very nice, for example, they have a great kitchen and a washer and dryer room with new looking appliances. This is definitely a middle class family and they are very modern in the way they interact. First of all, the mother allows the child to walk around and even eat in his Darth Vader costume. Secondly, the father tries to give the son a hug but the child refuses and he does not become upset or feel disrespected by it. Finally, the parents go along with the child’s play and enjoy the fact he thinks he has supernatural powers when the father turns on the car’s engine from the kitchen. All of these actions are very 21^st century, very modern. Parents today truly embrace creativity and play along with their children. This very modern family demonstrates that in fact our society has changed the way they perceive home life and the interactions between children and parents.

Justin Bieber, "Baby" or Grown Up?

Justin Bieber is a worldwide sensation that has been known to be supported by the many parents of his tween and teen fans. His rags to riches story appeals to the general public and the way he was discovered by Usher has become an inspiration for everyone who wants to make it big. His audition tape was released for the world to see in an effort to make everyone fall in love with this teen sensation and statistics prove that he has achieved it. Justin has been ranked second in fame by Famecount.com, stating that he currently has over 36 million fans on Facebook and that he is currently gaining over 20,000 fans a day (Independent Insight Ltd, 2011). How is it that he has become a teen idol in what seems to be overnight?

Justin Bieber has managed to appeal to the tween and teen population of the world and even adults by creating what is the new and improved 21^st Century teen. In his video “Baby” released in 2010, Justin plays a teen in love trying to impress his crush, a teen girl. In the video Justin enters a bowling alley at Universal Studios City Walk and he tries to impress that girl he is “in love” with by singing to her, dancing around her and following her around. While he dances and chases his girl, his friends stand around watching him and rooting for him. In fact, one of the friends standing around is Drake, a famous rapper, who in real life is much older than Justin but is used to add credibility to the video. The location of the video is also very different than the typical interactions of teens their age. This video portrays teenagers as being able to do just about anything that adults can do. For example, they are out at night at a fancy bowling alley dressed in what seems like expensive clothing. The 21^st century teen is portrayed as a mini adult, independent and fun. They have perfect skin, hair and make-up. Teens in the past were always portrayed as uncool, awkward, nerdy and having acne. They relied on their parents for money, their meeting places were more like an ice cream parlor and they called it puppy love.   

This video by Justin Bieber also teaches us that pop has been revamped by the merging of other music into it. Rappers bring the swag to the video but Justin, he brings the moves. It is a very wise business move to merge two types of music because the teens will want to listen and learn more about Ludacris and vice versa. Finally, this video might seem far from reality to many but the truth is that teens are engaging in these types of activities more and more. Parents have become more lenient and accepting.  The media has taught teens that they can act more grown up. A question to ask is, Is it ok for parents to be accepting of their teens acting like the teens in Justin Beiber’s video or should they be more protective and encourage them to engage in age appropriate behavior?

References

Independent Insight Ltd. (2011, September 30). Justin Bieber, Facebook Page Statistics. Retrieved September 30, 2011, from Famecount: http://www.famecount.com/facebook/justin-bieber