Media’s Makeover vs. Race & Justice

Madhavi Rampersaud

I consider myself a very outgoing and social person. I like to stay connected with other people and make new friends whenever I can.  One of the biggest influences in my life that allow me to do this is the media. After all, advertisements promote a lot of great things whether it’s technology, gaming, fashion, music, etc. The media is a vital part of today’s modern society. I think the evolution of the media would be a cool theme for an English class.

I’m not actually sure what type of reading we could use to analyze such a topic in class. However, some of the ideas I have revolve around comparing social media in today’s society to the type of media used back in the days. For example, in terms of advertising certain products on television, our society is very comfortable with using sensuality to convey its message and promote its idea. This is one aspect of the evolution of media. Society was not always comfortable with discussing such private thoughts or concepts. We could also analyze posters for movies and videos relating to music or fashion. Fashion ads and commercials have also changed over time so those are also good examples.

Since society is constantly changing and adapting to new technologies and advancements, learning more about it in class is a great of understanding the world. It gives us, as students, a different perspective of life. Previously in my psychology class, we discussed how certain media influences like commercials make an impact in the choices we make in our lives. It can be as simple as deciding what type of clothes to wear, what type of candy to buy, or something as complex and important as who to vote for in a presidential campaign. I definitely would like to learn about media in an English class. There is a lot we can say about it and we have a vast amount of sources to use to interpret it including books, newspapers, television, internet,etc.

Nonetheless, in regards to the current them that we have in our English class as of now, I would have liked to read more current articles on race and justice. I really enjoyed reading Leonard Peltier’s “Prison Writings”. It was an insightful book that discusses a very interesting topic. I also enjoyed reading Paul Butler’s ” A Hip Hop Theory of Justice”. I decided to go ahead and read the article entitled “Killing Rage” by bell hooks. I like reading about updated readings on important topics. I always learn about race and justice in school and I wanted this class to be different in regards to the material we read. So far it has been pretty interesting but more hands on reading would be fun as well. If we had a magazine that we were required to read and post blogs on, that would be something interesting as well. Another idea that I personally find interesting is if we were all assigned a video weekly that discussed the topic of race and justice and worked in groups to analyze it. That would definitely be insightful. I also like the idea of working with different groups rather than with the same people all the time to get a better understanding and perspective of working with different people. There is always a different perspective just waiting to be voiced. In regards to the videos, they wouldn’t have to necessarily be professional videos that relate to the government or political figures. Simple videos that also depicted race, justice, and injustice in everyday life would be a good way of comparing and contrasting the way race and justice have changed over time in society.