Right, so aside from this being a personal blog, it's now being exploited as a course blog too. Whilst I did try to keep up with writing fantastic nonsense previously, and obviously failed... I intend to keep this one going throughout the semester and beyond - mainly because the grades depend on it, but also because it's a neat thing to do. There won't be many tags on Facebook, but hey, at least it'll give someone something to read whilst they're idling away the time at work.
I'm back at Uni, lumped into my final year with absolutely no clue about what the hell is going on around me. Everything is passing me in a blur and everyone seems to be about ten-times smarter. Experience? Knowledge? Bigger IQ?! You begin to feel really dumb when classmates start throwing around 8 syllable words into a very normal sentence and all of a sudden it's like the room is a living, breathing thesaurus.
Anyhoot...
Jenny mentioned self-control during the lecture this week. Everyone laughed when she brought out the coke bottle, one of the 366 that will be consumed by Karla this year. Thing is, we all laughed. We all know that we don't have that much self-control. I felt incredibly fat towards the end of last year (and I actually was rather chubby), but there was something about those Krispy Kremes that made me say: "Just one more, then maybe I'll do some exercise to work it off." It wasn't until I made my way back to sunny Singapore, Land of Skinny. I like Australia all the more for just making me feel like I'm actually petite! That I can fit into an S or even an XS instead of that size 10 or 12 that I'm reduced to back home.
It's taken external control to get me back into shape. Forking out a stupid amount of money on a membership means that I'll feel stupidly guilty if I don't go for class, and whilst I drag myself there with heavy feet I know I'll skip out after a solid 2 hour workout knowing that I am a little bit healthier and energised enough to take on the world.
During Media Industries 1 today we were brainstorming possible research topics, as you do, one of which I am rather passionate about: The Media's Control. Specifically the control it has over distribution of aid, especially in third world countries. Everyone knows the media is able to control in some way, shape or form, the way we think and act either through direct or indirect influences. This control is a form of power that we know exists, yet we constantly underestimate it.
We have the power over these less fortunate people to determine whether they live or die, almost. As a result of who sits in The Oval Office, or a country's respective authority, and what message they relay via the media available the masses will be swayed. We are only as good as the knowledge made available to us and if that "knowledge" we receive is bias, based on half-truths or one-sided then we'll never be able to evaluate situations properly.
On the worksheet we were handed in class the first question was to list 3 challenges faced by media industries. With my brain happily meandering off on the injustices of aid distribution, I immediately wrote down that the audience's lack of general knowledge or basic understanding of the world outside their four walls played an enormous part. I've embedded a video from YouTube that I'm sure most of you have seen, but it does reiterate my point fairly well. I'm not saying that Americans are stupid as I've had my fair share of blonde questions from people all over the world and have even had a few moments I can claim my own.
Whilst ignorance is bliss, we might end up with "a f*cking crater" in the Middle East (00:03:43) or we could kiss goodbye to Italy (00:03:48). Enjoy.
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