How About A Stern Kick In The Ass...

I like, most students around January of last year, began choosing which Universities to apply to, and hopefully attend the following school year. As some of my choices I had places like Western, Carleton, York and of course Guelph-Humber (an obvious choice). Well it was a hard decision however I know I did one thing right, and that was not go to York University.

As everyone may know now (especially students like me sighing in relief), the faculty at York University are on strike and have been on strike for a while. CUPE 3903 are the 3400 faculty members and various other positions who account for more than 50% of the education. CUPE's demand is a 41% increase over two years plus various benefits, however York University is only willing to give them 9.25% over three years (CUPE FAQ). With these facts alone, many argue that they are too far from a collective bargaining agreement for there to be any sort of light at the end of the tunnel.

The real terrible part about this is the embarrassing publicity that York will receive from this. I mean I can be a prime example. I am thanking my god (Daniel Alfredsson mostly) that I did not attend York University. I would be absolutely infuriated if I was a York student. All of the wasted time and money just sitting and waiting for the teachers to actually start teaching again. There are over 50, 000 students at York (York University) who are living the nightmare of school over the summer break.

The saddest part about this is the argument itself. York University stated that “...the University has refused to bargain with us. We are left with no choice but to carry on with this strike”. I mean do they even know why they are able to teach in the first place? They teach because kids pay thousands of dollars to be taught! CUPE seems like they are really causing much more trouble than they are worth, and it seems like they won't even get what they want in the end. Thinking about how mad it makes me, makes think about how mad it would make my father. Heavens to Joseph I would hate to see the fathers of those kids right now, like an angry mob of Red Foremans.

Work Cited:

"Does CUPE 3903 Really Want to Settle This Dispute? " York University.13 11 2008

<http://www.cupe3903.tao.ca/>

“Strike FAQ”. CUPE 3903. Nov. 2008. 23 2009

<http://tao.ca/~cupe3903/web/?q=node/836/>

Get A Stick And Get In The Game

With everything out there in our media and our society, we do a lot of taking. We take ideas from all kinds of media, and we take pictures, songs and videos off of the Internet. But how do we give back as a person living in society? How do we return the favour when our culture scratches our back?

To give back, one must engage in participatory culture which would be one's contribution to the society he/she lives in in relation to the media. It's throwing something into the giant mixing pot of culture, and putting yourself out there. Of course as amped as that makes me, the only real way I have contributed to our culture is through Facebook. I am a lazy University student who lives in residence and who sits at a laptop all day. So no, I don't get out much okay?

Facebook is probably the best way that teens and young adults can stay connected to popular culture today. Everyday, millions of people write on walls, comment on photos and join groups to talk about current events or things that matter to them. Every single day I use Facebook, and every single day I engage in participatory culture and involve myself in social networking. I consider it to be my way of getting involved and not sitting on the sidelines while the world carries on. It may be true that with Facebook there are privacy issues, but that is what it is all about in a way.

It's all about putting yourself out there and becoming a part of something, and it does matter because people are reading what you are writing and in many cases they are writing back. It's getting a stick and getting in the game, grabbing a chip and a chair and knowing that it may just be words on a page, but movements and shifts in culture begin with the words, and trasnlate into action.

Oh I See What You Did There...Neat.

Alright, I'm going to let you all in on a little secret. This is big. Okay well, you know MacDonald's? Well, it's food is like.. really bad for you! Like it'll straight up make you fat! Oh oh, and Nike? They have sweat shops in different parts of the world. Also, I don't know if anybody else knows this but, SUV's are really bad for the environment, like really bad. Oh, and just so you all know, cigarettes are proven to give you lung cancer and all kinds of other bad stuff, so you probably shouldn't smoke.

If anything I just told you is new to you, please calm down. Pick up the phone and call 911, because you've either drank way too much paint thinner or you've been living under a massive rock for 25 years and therefore should seek therapy.

Culture jamming ladies and gentlemen, is the new whoopee cushion. It's funny the first time and then you wish your 10 year old brother would stop showing you them. Culture jamming is the transforming of existing media or advertisements into parodies that exploit the company's flaws or secrets that they do not want people to know about. But I'll show you some examples so you know what I'm talking about.

Yeah, who knew MacDonald's made you fat?

Oh look what they did here, the Nike symbol is the V for Slavery... clever.

I'll give this one credit because I actually thought it was an add... but wouldn't that make it a terrible culture jam...?

Well this one is just irritating and stupid.

Alright you should get the idea by now. As you can probably see, you have learned nothing new (as you did with my opening paragraph... see what I did... wait for it... yeah you got it). Culture jamming is a very ineffective method of exploited major company faults. It's as if these people think that they are going to take down MacDonald's or Apple, just because you made the point that and iPod is expensive. Yeah no guff it's expensive, but guess what? People still buy it likes it's oxygen.

I could say something about how it is difficult for us to be influenced by popular culture, or how maybe we are being influenced by subliminal messages, but the truth when it comes to culture jamming is simply that it's terrible. These fake adds are made by people to try and make a major company look bad by telling the public what the public already knows, or doesn't care enough about to change their lifestyle. The only culture jamming (and it really isn't culture jamming, ha...) that is effective is political campaigns that attack the opposition, and this is simply because they are telling the public things that the public cares about. For the people who live on culture jamming to show their World of Warfcraft buddies, i say "Jam Off".

Double-Tasking? Woah Woah, Let's Calm Down There Richard Simmons

Buy Nothing Day eh?
My first thoughts are 1) good idea, I like where they are going with it and 2)I've literally never heard of this day in my life, and they should probably start telling more poeple about it.

The issue of over consumption, which is basically using more than the earth can produce or provide, is getting more awareness from the public eye everyday, and for good reason. I know I'm guilty as charged when it comes to over-spending or consuming way more than I should. I tried to map out and possibly regulate how much I spend in a given week, and this is what I came up with:

Food - $15 (not including meal plan)
Alcohol - $30
Various (i.e. movies etc.) - $20
Laundry - $10

When I look at those numbers, I feel not too bad about my situation. 75$ every week is not that bad I thought. But then I remember that I'm living in residence, and therefore I shouldn't be spending any money anyways. My food is paid for and my living is paid for. I don't really need anything else.

When I was finished reading Ursula Franklin's "The Real World of Technology", I honestly thought I would never even think of it again (hopefully... sorry Ursy/Ian). But when I started thinking about this topic, it reminded me of something she wrote. "Those who most need the mass produced goods- and this includes food, medicine, and clothing - do not have the means to purchase the very items they often make." (Franklin, 162) What a powerful statement. I mean, we have everything we could ever want at our fingertips, and we are abusing the hell out of it all. Instead of eating to live, we are literally living to eat, and I'm probably the worst person in the world at eating way too much. I wake up at about 12pm usually everyday, and by 9pm I've eaten at least three meals and I'll get the munchies around 10.


There's a great video that I saw the other day, of George Carlin (mild obsession, nothing serious), who was talking about obesity in the U.S., and he really hit the nail on the head about where our heads are in this day in age. The video isn't exactly rated PG, therefore you can look it up yourselves, however Carlin really does make some valid points. He says that Americans have turned their country into a giant shopping mall; everything is for sale, one must shop to get what they need in everyday life, nothing is free and everything has a price tag on it. Not to mention that in these massive malls that humans have created, we stick massive places where people can stuff their faces full of food so that they don't have to stop shopping to eat, they can do both at the same time!

I truly beleive that buy nothing day is a day to find out for yourself how independant you really can be, and make a change in how we live today. I suggest checking out www.myfootprint.org/ and taking the ecological footprint quiz. It will tell you how many Earths we would need, if everyone lived the way you did. I got 4.16.




Work Cited

Franklin, Ursula M. The Real World of Technology. Scarborough, ON: Anansi Press, 1990.

George Carlin just wouldn't be George Carlin.... you know?

The Internet has been a network of communication and connection for as long as humans have used it, and has brought people closer together. The Internet gives us the opportunity to access free limitless amounts of information instantly, and it is the act of "Net Neutrality" that lets us do this. The issue at hand is the fact that major cable and Internet providers want to end the guiding principle that preserves the free and open Internet are promoting this idea (Save the Internet), which would ultimately be ending net neutrality.

Net neutrality protects the consumer's right to use any equipment, content, application or service on a non-discriminatory basis without interference from the network provider (Save The Internet). The Internet providers simply want to destroy this foundation or basis so that they can ultimately decide which websites will be loaded at a high speed, low speed or no speed at all (not giving public access to certain sites). What websites like SaveTheInternet.com are trying to say is that the providers are instilling a certain discrimination into the Internet. They are trying to decide for themselves which websites are "important" or "worth" giving access too.

The fact that human beings actually came up with this ludicrous idea is straight up appalling. If you think about it, the Internet is really the only thing in our society that is completely free and uncontrolled (except in Communist countries, R.I.P. Chinese Net Neutrality). It almost seems as though some capitalist millionaire noticed this and said, "well would you look at this... nobody controls the Internet... well that's not acceptable. Alfred? See that the Internet is controlled". It's like plucking a flower that made it through a forest fire (too poetic...?).

It's simply glutinous to try and control the Internet, because there's absolutely no need to. It isn't as though someone started the Internet and made rules from Day 1. It has been a publicly shared network for as long as it has existed, and now someone wants to jump in and regulate things? Vannevar Bush should be rolling in his grave.

This is not even mentioning the gigantic shift that would occur in the business world. Imagine being a multi-million dollar company, or even someone like EBay, and you get a call from Verizon, "Hey there, just letting' you know you're not going to be able to have a website anymore... happy Thanksgiving." EBay without a website is like George Carlin without swearing or making fun of people... just a man with long hair and a microphone. The company would go bankrupt faster than you could think of their favourite curse word, and the job loss would be immense. It would create a massive obstacle in the business field that thousands of companies would have to work around.

It just doesn't make sense when you think about it; the mass histeria that would be caused just so popular Internet providers can control their internet? It just isn't worth it. How it makes sense to them is beyond comprehension, even if it does make them more money, they're people too and they use the same internet. I really don't think that this will happen, however if it does I truly long for the day when Mr. AT&T comes home to his slightly bigger house and slightly fuller toupe, and goes to try and find the video of Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction and he realizes he can't... well that's hilarious, I don't care who you are, irony like that can't be beat.

Work Cited

Lessig, Lawrence. Free Culture. New York: Penguin Books, 2004.

Save the Internet. “Net Neutrality”. Free Press Action Fund.15 Nov 2008.

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Ugggghhhh an RC Cola Machine...

Originally created out of the University of Oregon, Nike Inc. is arguably the most influential sportswear and sports equipment company in the world. Attempting to dabble in just about every sport created by man or animal, Nike has sports equipment in such sports as football, basketball, running, soccer, combat sports, ice hockey, tennis, golf and cross training for men, women, and children. Nike also sells footwear for outdoor activities such as tennis, golf, skateboarding, football, baseball, soccer, cycling, volleyball, wrestling, cheerleading, hockey training as well as auto racing... yes auto racing. Nike has spread themselves so far across the board of sports that every person in the world has most likely used a Nike product in some sport another (I'm Guilty).

Nike also owns such popular companies and products as: COLE HAAN, HURLEY INTERNATIONAL, CONVERSE INC., UMBRO, as well as previously owning/selling of companies BAUER and STARTER.

With companies such as Nike running riot and controlling the board when it comes to sports company real estate, it makes it that much harder for independant companies and smaller sporting products to penetrate the market share. Moreover, if you look on the other hand, smaller companies such as Starter and Hurley may not have got as far as they did without the help of Nike and its promotion. I know for example Starter clothes would not have been as popular because of its simple styles and looks. Most people are probably familiar with the company, as their logo is the "S" that turns into a star... here i'll show you.

Nike can give a boost to smaller companies with big potential, which is good for the owner as well as the company. Nike pays the owener of the company a large amount ($$$$$$$) and then the company that they had built becomes more well known.

What this also unfortunately can cause is the inability to boycott companies like Nike. Many people do not like the fact that companies such as Nike have used sweatshops in Asia and South America, and try the best they can to boycott these products. However this becomes difficult if one is unaware of the companies owned by the major company, or if the company is just too large to avoid.

What cross media ownership can create is a monopoly, except with just a few companies, "justafewopoly" in my words. This can be seen in the soft drink industry with Pepsi and Coke. If you're thirsty for a soft drink and you don't like Pepsi or Coke products, your pretty much a SOL, unless your into RC cola.... so yeah, your SOL.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc.

Society Thinks For Themselves! Oh Wait, nvm...

A knowledgeable business man will tell you that in marketing and advertising, nothing is done by accident. The subliminal messages or propaganda used in modern advertising and corporately funded news are becoming more existent and even stronger day by day. Propaganda is said to be information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause and aimed at influencing the thoughts and behaviours of a large number of people (wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn).


Moreover, the main differences of propaganda and subliminal messages in the corporate world is that propaganda will more or less attempt to shape the way you perceive or feel about a certain issue without you even noticing it, and has become a very important tool in the use of public relations. “The best PR is never noticed” (Stauber, J & Rampton), is an excellent way of describing how effective propaganda is blended into our commercials and advertisements and we as the viewers take it all in as either truth, or as basic information. It can also come in the form of simple persuasion, which was easiest to see in campaign adds for World War I and World War II. Everybody has seen the adds with Uncle Sam, "I Want You", as well as the advertisements encouraging women to enter the war (both seen below).







These adds can seem very subtle and positive, encouraging the population to join the war effort and to be on the "good side". However one must look at these and see how aggressive the advertisement really is. Seeing either one of these adds would make not joining the war effort seem either cowardly, or in the case of the second picture, useless.

However using propaganda in everyday advertising can be that much more aggressive. For instance the photo below was taken in Iran of apparent missile fire. However as one can see by the outlining the picture has been altered, and more missiles have been placed into the picture. This of course makes the image that much bigger and of course in the news, it would be that much more important.










What this really implies about our society today is that companies are starting to realize that consumers and the general public are starting to think for themselves, and are getting much smarter than they used to be. Therefore companies are now trying to trick us into thinking a certain way about something or to buy something, then the old fashioned way of advertising with factual information. The use of propaganda is making it much harder to society to think for themselves, which is exactly what the companies want.








Stauber, J & Rampton, S. Toxic Sludge Is Good For You. Canada: Common Courage Press, 1995.