Performers are not your Babysitters

Adam Lambert has been in the news recently for his racy performance on the American Music Awards last weekend. I happened to watch the performance when it aired and although it wasn't what I was used to seeing, I wasn't surprised. Many of the performances on the show that night, particularly Lady Gaga's, were over the top and pushed the envelope. But, what I am surprised at is the backlash that has come as a result of the performance. In fact, Adam's appearance on Good Morning America was cancelled after his performance was aired. In addition, daytime TV programs and other network shows have been censoring certain points of the performance in their broadcasts. People are blaming Adam for going 'too far' and offending much of the American public. However on The Early Show where Adam was interviewed he said something that I completely agreed with, "I'm not a baby-sitter. I'm a performer."

One of the aspects of this situation that I think has been overlooked, is the time that Adam's performance was aired at. If parents did not want their children watching the content, then perhaps they should not have allowed them to be watching television at 11 o clock at night, a time when the majority of TV programs are unsuitable for children. Though the award show began at 8 o clock, Adam did not perform until the very end of the show which came around 11 o clock. I don't think parents should be blaming entertainers for the content that their children are viewing. It is a performers job to entertain, to wow the public, to do something that no one else has done before, and at times that comes with shock value. However, if all entertainers were to worry that children were watching their performance, or hearing their music then much of the art out there would never have been created.

Parents need to take responsibility, and ensure that their kids are not watching TV late at night if they are concerned about adult content. Parents who blame artists for their kids watching or hearing offensive material are definitely not being as responsible as they should be. I know people out there will disagree with this, because yes, it is difficult to shelter kids from all offensive material in the world today, but in this particular instance of Adam Lambert's racy performance, the situation could have been avoided.

Redemption Song

He is one of the greatest artists of all time, and still is. He created amazing music and revolutionized reggae music for the world. Bob Marley died almost 30 years ago now, and his music lives on. But what is upsetting for a fan is that Bob Marley has become a brand over the many years since he passed away. Sure, he saw some money in his days before he died, but the Marley name is worth more than $600 million dollars, 30 years later. Essentially the Marley name became a brand over the years.

Around the world there are pirated t-shirts, mugs, flags, stickers, and pretty much everything else with Bob Marley's face on it selling off the shelves. Now, I'm all for merchandising, but 99% of the merchandise being sold around the world is pirated, and is not official merchandise. Though there are some people in the world who still respect his music and listen to it, his face as a brand has become just as widespread as what matters most, his words.

An Australian news article was quoted as saying that, "Fortune has reported that the Marley brand will be launched in health-care products, likely to include skin-care and herbal supplements, as well as headphones, speakers and a video game. Among the plans is a worldwide chain of One Love cafes with music and Jamaican food." - The Sydney Morning Herald.

Do people really believe that if Bob Marley were alive that he would want to put out a line of skin-care products? No. Do they really think he would endorse video games, let alone anything at all? Do they really think that Bob Marley would take a name of one of his songs and make a chain of cafes out of it? The answer is no for anyone who knew what Bob Marley stood for and sang about. It's the corporate greed that he hated that is taking over his name, and it's unfortunate.

I say, if Bob were around today he would have one thing to say to everyone out there profitting from pirated merchandise and selling his name as a brand...
"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our mind." - Redemption Song

15 Minutes of Fame

I recently read a newspaper article that featured all the ways that everybody and anybody is now a celebrity. Though I failed to realize this, over the past decade, there have been countless ways that celebrity culture has penetrated reality. The obvious cause is of course reality TV - that did not go by me. But after reading this article I realized that there has been a long string of events, that began with reality TV which have spurred this 'everyone is a celebrity' culture in which we live.

One thing I never thought of was the blogosphere. Blogs have created celebrities worldwide. Take Perez Hilton for example, a blogger who gossips about celebrities. He himself has now become one of them. We see him at award shows sitting among celebrities, and getting celebrity treatment. Blogs allow people to voice their opinion to the world, and a lot of the time, they get recognized for it. Similar to the blogosphere, YouTube has made celebrities out of just about anyone who wants attention. People who have become famous from YouTube videos have been featured on high profile talks shows and interviewed. A certain instance I think of when I think of YouTube celebrities is the YouTube wedding clip that gained so many views, that the TV show 'The Office' recreated the clip for a major episode this season.
The last thing is the immense popularity of games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band that virtually turn individuals into rock stars in their living room. Though, these games aren't necessarily turning everyone into a celebrity, they give the illusion that they are.

I don't necessarily believe that this occurrence in popular culture is a horrible thing, however it does take away from those celebrities who are known for their talents, and brings people into the spotlight who merely live their lives on camera. What I'm referring to here is the popular show 'The Hills' which has made its cast members into major celebrities. What I don't understand about this is how people with no visible talent have become celebrities and have been given a major platform, simply for being a part of a reality show, meanwhile talented actors, actresses, musicians and artists are not as recognized, as say Heidi and Spencer.

The question remains as to whether or not this trend will live on, or whether the rise of the TV drama this year, and the major box office hits as of late, will bring the talented celebrities back into the spotlight.

Consumerist Christmas

Christmas. Who doesn’t love christmas? Spending time with family, hot cocoa, putting up the christmas tree, baking cookies…what am I forgetting? Oh yes. The PRESENTS. The consumer culture we live in makes Christmas the most wonderful time of the year, for this one reason – the presents, the shopping, and the spending of your hard earned money. Everything that we’ve known to be associated with Christmas does not come without gifts. Kids traditionally make their christmas wish lists, and as a matter of fact, so do adults. They write letters to that guy who brings them whichever toys they want every year. Regardless of who is buying the presents, Christmas time is all about consumerism.

Every year we are bombarded with the top 10 Christmas gifts. We go out and kill one another to get that last Tickle Me Elmo or that last Xbox 360. Is that really what Christmas is about? Are we really teaching youngsters about giving when the holiday season is sold to us as a time to WANT everything. I don’t think we are. Though there are Toys for Tots programs, and donation bins for sick kids, they are not nearly as much in the limelight as those overpriced Transformers that every kid is asking for. In order to paint an alternative picture to the conspicuous consumption that Christmas is so eloquently adorned with, we need to focus more on giving to those in need, rather than those who merely want. Give toys to the Sick Kids donation bins, Salvation Army, and Toys for Tots this Christmas!

A New Age of PR

As most of us are aware of, Twitter has changed the blogging atmosphere, making it quicker, reaching a wider audience, and creating relationships between people you wouldn’t normally hear from. One of the biggest impacts of Twitter has been on celebrity PR. Recently Stephen Fry, a prominent Twitter user and actor, stated that “Like with the printing press, Twitter has changed the situation. People like me, Twillionaires, we can cut out the press from our PR requirements.” – Telegraph.co.uk Celebrities are finding it convenient to inform the public of what they are doing without having to go through the press. When doing interviews, celebrities frequently complain of the strife they have to go through when meeting with the press who insist on delving into their personal lives before asking about their professional endeavors. With Twitter, they can reach their followers (who would be the ones who are genuinely interested in what they are up to) without that third party interference.

I agree with what celebrities are raving about. It is much easier to reach your target audience on Twitter, as your followers are your specified target audience. In addition to this, if I am looking to gage a response from the public, the Twitter response is instant and direct, as opposed to say qualitative or quantitative research methods that take much longer to conduct. Many film directors on Twitter have posted trailers of their new films to give their followers a first look, and have generated great feedback through Twitter. Musicians are also known to post sound clips of their new songs to see what people have to say about it. But most importantly, twitter is a great PR tool. By eliminating the press from the equation in many cases, PR requirements are being carried out much quicker and much easier. Twitter is literally the king of PR.

Role Models

In a recent interview with WWD, a fashion news website, Kate Moss made some bad choices of words. She’s already known for her stick figure status and her very public drug use, but now she’s decided to go on to endorse anorexia…at least that's the way it sounds. A particular quote of hers is being widely documented in the media, and being used by anorexia sufferers and get this, Pro-Anorexia websites (should there really be such a thing as pro-anorexia?). Moss was quoted in the interview as saying that one of her mottos is, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” A comment on the BBC News website referred to Moss not realizing how dangerous her statement was. I somehow find that hard to believe, considering all of the hype around stamping out size zero models, and supporting young girls against eating disorders.

Now the media is reporting that Moss’s quote will negatively affect young girls who look to her as a role model. Although I can’t believe she would be quoted as saying something like that, and it is quite troubling to hear that girls are using this quote as their motto as well, why are people still looking up to Kate Moss as a role model? Aside from the body image that she supports and conveys to young girls, for a more important reason, Kate Moss should not be a role model for young girls. People seem to forget that Moss has publicly abused dangerous drugs, and it has been captured in the media several times for all to see. Countless magazine covers have featured Moss abusing drugs in a very public manner. As far as I’m concerned, whatever comes out of Kate Moss’s mouth in an interview should already be dismissed from people’s minds beforehand, considering her irresponsible past and her likelihood to be irresponsible again, just as in this situation.

The Office 2.0

Television shows come in different formats, and those formats are used internationally to adapt to different markets. Taking certain formats and adapting them to international markets have proven to be successful as the shows being formatted are already successful in that country. Take for instance, American Idol, which emerged from the British Pop Idol which has been adapted in many countries including India (Indian Idol) Canada (Canadian Idol) and France (Nouvelle Star). This is just to name a few. Formats have proven to be successful. But television program formatting, especially when the formats are international, have to be changed to suit the culture, and this poses problems in regards to respecting the original format of the show.

One of the most popular shows right now, The Office, is a formatted show that demonstrates how formats have to change to suit the culture and in the case of The Office, the show has been fully 'Americanized'. The original show, was a BBC UK comedy that only lasted for 2 seasons but was very successful in that time. But when the show was made into an American version, it became clear how the British origins of the show had been completely masked. Though the American version of the show was created by and still associated with Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant, both of British decent, the only hint of British origin we are exposed to is the Union Jack which sits on the main character’s desk.

Individually, all characters on the show have been Americanized in detail, including the office staff, the boss, the setting, the dialogues and the plot. If the pilot episodes of both the American and British versions of The Office were to be compared, we would see that they are almost identical in nature. Same exact script, and plot, but different character names. However, the reaction to the American version was not the best, and at the beginning the show was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, when the British pilot episode aired years earlier, it was incredibly successful in the UK and immediately took off. So, after that pilot episode, we then see the American version begin to stray from the original and that is where the show began to meet with success. It can be argued here that in order for The Office to succeed it needed to adapt to the American culture, which makes us question what makes a show successful...Is it its' ability to adapt to the culture its catering to, or its format?

Away We Go

For the past few years I've watched people around me take off to the farthest destinations in the world. My best friend took off to Japan to teach English, my cousin left to Rwanda to work for the UN, my other friend moved to England permanently, and the list could go on for days. Yet, here I am watching them all fly away as I sit here, in Hamilton Ontario, where I've been all my life, without moving an inch. Sure, I've done those 3 month trips to Trinidad, those minor vacations to Cancun and the Dominican - But where is my purpose? Why haven't I done the thing I want to do most - fly far away, and do something meaningful for people around the world...? The answer to that escapes me. Could it be because school has been my priority since the age of 5? Perhaps. Could it be that I'm so scared to leave what I know best, to venture out to unknown places? Maybe. but the truth is, I am still searching for the answer.

For the past 2 years I've been looking into travelling to India to volunteer in an orphanage I've been connected with for sometime. It has been something I've wanted to do for the past 4 years. In India, a common practice is female infanticide. Another common practice is the orphaning of baby girls. This is because of traditionally held views in most of India, that a girl child is inferior to a boy child, so much so, that people often have abortions based on the sex of the baby, or the baby girls are left to die in the most devastating circumstances. Ever since I learned more about this practice, I have wanted to travel there to work in a girls orphanage and make their lives better however I can.

However, the cost to volunteer, whether in India or another part of the world, is extremely expensive. When I looked into travelling as a volunteer with various programs, the cost to volunteer was over 5000 dollars. Yes that's right, over 5000 dollars to VOLUNTEER. Now, you would think that the bulk of this cost is attributed to food and shelter. But no, I know for a fact that the cost of living in India is very low. The bulk of the cost goes toward placing you in an orphanage as a volunteer, and keeping the program running. Of course, I can understand this, since these are non-profits, they need to make their money somewhere. However I find it hard to swallow that I am unable to volunteer and help people in another country because it costs too much.

But, I can only look around me for continued motivation. I look to my cousin, who always imagined himself working in Africa with refugees, but never thought it would come to pass, until this past summer when he received the acceptance letter, telling him that he was accepted as an intern for the UN, working in a refugee camp in Rwanda. I'm still working my way up to that point, but for now all I can do is keep working to ensure that one day I'll be able to help those people I've been waiting to help. Maybe before that, we'll find a way to volunteer for free? Maybe? I know, its a long shot but who knows.

Girls on Film

In Hollywood, specifically in Disney films, there have been various works of the past that highlight the female character as being the protagonist. This placement of female characters in the lead role can be misleading. In these Disney features, the heroine is idealized at the height of puberty, the evil queen is a middle-aged beauty at the peak of her sexuality and authority, and the elder mother figure is a pear-shaped, old woman representing sacrifice and nurturing. More recently, Pixar has produced various films such as Cars, Toy Story, and The Incredibles, which feature male characters in the lead role. The characters in these films are all striving to become the alpha male, experiencing individual struggles, most of which having to do with competition and power. This difference in gender representation seen in Disney films leads one to speculate on the representations seen in other Hollywood films.

Films that target an older audience also seem to convey a distorted representation of women. Films targeting teenage girls seem to demonstrate similarly unflattering representations. A socialization that occurs at a young age with Disney films, continues at the teenage years. In films and TV targeting young girls, media heroines are increasingly filling role-model functions previously provided by families or churches. Rather than depicting young women in films as being troubled, and irresponsible, it is necessary for these depictions of girls to be as strong, capable and competent women. If teenage girls are looking to films and heroines as examples, then it is the responsibility of the film industry to provide these girls with a strong model of femininity, in order to socialize them positively. As we move increasingly toward a world in which media holds more and more power, it should be understood then that the media holds a certain social responsibility, especially to their most vulnerable audiences; youth.

Make Trade Fair...

I’d like to invite all of you to take a minute out of your busy schedules to put the world into perspective. When we imagine the world, there are two things that can come to mind. The idea of the rich living in wealth, and the idea of the impoverished, struggling to live while surrounded by fear and death every day of their lives. When we live in a society that we as Canadians do, it is easy to ignore the idea of the third world, hunger and extreme poverty. But it is up to us, to say WHAT CAN WE DO? It is up to us to explore the causes of this global inequality in which we live. By exploring the causes, we can easier find a resolution.

Now more than ever, the gap between the rich and poor nations of the world is wider. If the two categories of these nations were to be compared, the difference in economy, living conditions and quality of life would be uncanny. The living conditions in the poorest countries are becoming increasingly worse. With factors devastating their quality of life, it is hard to say if they can ever recover. But, there is a way for these nations to recover. The process seems impossible in the state that we live in today, surrounded by war, natural disasters, and epidemics. But, it is up to us, the developed nations, to make a change and look at the possibilities that lie ahead. Global inequality is as much of a tragedy as any of the natural disasters that have so recently taken place, but there are factors that contribute to this global inequality that can and must be eliminated.

"Rich countries dump subsidized produce on developing countries, driving down the price of local produce - with devastating effects on the local economy. This unlevel playing field has made many poor farmers even poorer, or forced them off their land completely." (www.maketradefair.com)

The trade rules that have been regulated against farmers in less developed countries affects the living of the farmers themselves as well as the entire local economy. These rich countries export subsidized produce to these nations, which eliminates the jobs of the farmers as their locally produced goods have decreased in price and demand. Also, the local economy suffers as the demand is placed on more expensive imported goods. As a result, the cost of everyday living increases, making it hard for most to survive.

Along with the dumping of subsidized produce on impoverished nations, another devastating factor is that some of the richest countries control poor countries' share of the world market by implementing higher taxes on imports. Because of this, a large fraction of poor countries can only afford to export raw materials, allowing for a far lower income than the finished goods exported from industrialized nations. Have you begun to ask yourself how this is fair? Well the answer is, it is not.

Visit www.maketradefair.com to find out more.