Thursday, December 22, 2011
Bringing the Battlefield into the American Living Room
Primetime War Crimes
Image: 'The Terror of War'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28567825@N03/4427918225
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28567825@N03/4427918225
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp5JCrSXkJY
PUSHING THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT ONTO THE SOCIAL AGENDA
Keep The Dream Alive!
Photo Credit: Drew Myers
Image: 'Keep the Dream Alive'
Taken From:
Taken From:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14012681@N00/2211382500
A great man once said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." That man was Martin Luther King Jr. Unfortunately racism's ugly face still exists in our society today in many forms. But it is because of people like Martin Luther King Jr. and the thousands that marched in Washington in 1963 and the media for exposing the atrocities against African Americans.
Martin Luther King Jr. was just one of the many civil rights activists whose voice was heard throughout the movement. The campaign against racism via news reporting on television beganin the late 1950's and although many southerners did not care for reporters exposing the truth, the truth had to be told. On that day when he gave his famous speech the images that played on television sets all around the country showed thecourage of thousands of people marching for equal rights and for this reason became known as the 'television revolution'. However, racial hatred still ran deep in the south and back in Birmingham there was a bombing at a church that killed four little girls and maimed 20 more. The Ku Klux Klan was to blame for this atrocity. This terrible day was not going to discourage the African American nation from pursuing the realization of their civil liberties and freedoms that make America what they are. In Selma they marched peacefully and again were met with uncompromising police brutality and many were injured and killed. Some of the most startling images were of Police beating helpless people mercilessly and letting attack dog assault these people marching peacefully. Through these reports and televised horrors the nation became aware and could not any long look away from the brutal racism that segregated African Americans for so long
Image: 'John F Kennedy man on the moon'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25803264@N02/3328679323
"We preach freedom around the world, and we mean it, and we cherish our freedom here at home, but are we to say to the world, and much more importantly, to each other that this is the land of the free except for the Negroes; that we have no second-class citizens except Negroes; that we have no class or caste system, no ghettoes, no master race except with respect to Negroes?"
- John F. Kennedy, proposal for Civil Rights legislation, 1963
This chapter really reaffirms that the power maintained by the press and especially media like television is unparalleled by any other in the U.S. It truly is amazing how many people were captivated by the television, even the government and the president needed to see these things first hand in order to do something about. Once those images played Kennedy had no choice but to act promptly and without them the civil rights laws wouldn't have been set in motion nearly as fast. Even though I personally don' watch a lot of television we definitely do have to thank the networks for what they sacrificed and went through in order to capture the images that changed American history.
Author:Unknown
taken from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vitqaJ7VKqQ&feature=related
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25803264@N02/3328679323
"We preach freedom around the world, and we mean it, and we cherish our freedom here at home, but are we to say to the world, and much more importantly, to each other that this is the land of the free except for the Negroes; that we have no second-class citizens except Negroes; that we have no class or caste system, no ghettoes, no master race except with respect to Negroes?"
- John F. Kennedy, proposal for Civil Rights legislation, 1963
This chapter really reaffirms that the power maintained by the press and especially media like television is unparalleled by any other in the U.S. It truly is amazing how many people were captivated by the television, even the government and the president needed to see these things first hand in order to do something about. Once those images played Kennedy had no choice but to act promptly and without them the civil rights laws wouldn't have been set in motion nearly as fast. Even though I personally don' watch a lot of television we definitely do have to thank the networks for what they sacrificed and went through in order to capture the images that changed American history.
Author:Unknown
taken from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cSrvqYKQH8Author:Unknown
taken from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vitqaJ7VKqQ&feature=related
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
EXPOSING JOE MCCARTHY
Author:Unknown
Image: 'Commie Demotivational Poster'
Taken From:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11238698@N07/3021248325
Taken From:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11238698@N07/3021248325
Throughout the course of history the media has been a tool used by many to sway the minds of the public and manipulate people into thinking in a certain way. This chapter discusses one of the masters of manipulation, Mr. Joe McCarthy. He utilized the media in his campaign against communism which was riddled with fear tactics and had the public frightened by a senator of their own government. Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said that the only thing we have to fear, is it fear itself. Joe McCarthy really ran with this idea because he realized how powerful an emotion fear is. Through scaring people into thinking that there were subversives inside the government plotting against the United States he pushed the republican party right into office. With people scared out of their wits no one would dare to defy his accusations of noble American citizens. In the end however the media struck back with equal and opposite force and left him to do his own undoing. In the public eye Edward R. Murrow through extensive reporting exposed the degree to which McCarthy lied to the people of the United States and other people began to question and lash out at the mad McCarthy. Inevitably the Army took him to court and he was eventually censured on live television. His demeanor and lack of respect for the people really shone through and after people saw him for who he really was he was exiled from society and died several years after from liver disease.
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Author: Unknown Image: 'FDR in HDR' taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/95572727@N00/148394071 |
FDR's famous inaugural speech
It really is amazing how true the statement is that if you abuse something, it will abuse you. Now, I've always heard this statement be made when referring to drug or alcohol abuse but it can really be tied to just about anything. So considering how blatantly McCarthy held this country in a state of terror by manipulating the media and by abusing his power as senator it is really no surprise that the people stood up against his antics and in the end brought justice to him and hung him out to dry with the same tool he used for his evil. I do give credit to McCarthy for getting the republican party into office after twenty years. Although his methods were unethical and immoral for what he did to the people of his own country he did sway the minds of an entire country. And to some, the ends justifies the means like Machiavelli once said. This idea of succeeding in your goal by any means necessary is a cutthroat, vicious way to an endpoint but it proves that it can be useful depending on whether or not you want to sell your soul to the devil.
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