Miss Representation

Over the weekend I was lucky enough to catch a Documentary called Miss Representation. My initial reaction to the first few scenes (Oh no, another feminist flick) stands to validates the ultimate point that the movie sets out to prove: "There is a glaring reality we live with every day but fail to see". And that is: Main Stream Media and the advertisers funding it are affecting our society in ways we can no longer ignore. 

The film begins by stating the obvious: The Media has become a sensationalized, hypersexual carnival. We are all slightly aware of this but very rarely do we stop to think about the actual CONSEQUENCES of this phenomenon. People like myself, like to believe that because we take small, deliberate acts of defiance (I chose at 16 to not purchase or even open anymore women's magazines- even if I did have to wait half an hour to see my Dentist) that we are not affected by these covert, mysogynistic messages. The film does a great job at putting into perspective how much Media affects our daily lives and even scarier, how destructive and far reaching the consequences of this new "normal" have influenced not only the psyches of our men , women & children and our cultural identity - but ultimately our political landscape and entire society. I encourage you to watch the extended trailer I have provided here but I will summarize what I understood to be the important points made:

“The Media is delivering content that shapes society: It shapes our politics, our natl discourse, [our] lives and emotions” - Jim Styer 

• Between TV, Music, Magazines and Internet, American teenagers avg 10hrs & 45 min/day
• “People learn more from media than any other source of information; So, if we want to understand what is going on in our society in the 21^st Century, you have to understand media”  
• The Platforms today are more diverse and have less & less legal restrictions.

"From a very early age, the Message is clear..."

• The Message for girls: whats is most important is looks; your value & your worth depend on it 
• The Message for boys:  this is what is important about girls, despite her achievements. 
• ^For example: Hillary Clinton/Nancy Pelosi/Condi Rice
• There is very little to no appreciation for women intellectuals in society today

Derogatory portrayal of women in Media creates widespread biases

• Critics are all too quick to pin weaknesses on "PMS & Mood Swings" - this is offensive
• By portraying Women in Media/News in extremely derogatory fashion we create biases (among men AND women alike- I am guilty of this) that women are "not fit".
• This leads to very few women in high up positions; less than 3% of Women with clout positions in Telecom in the US and as we'll see later, gross underrepresentation in government. 

There is a political economy within the Media 

• The Media gets revenue from Advertising and….SEX SELLS a lot of stuff!  For men, Women and children.
• “This is all about capitalism. Exploitation of women’s bodies to sell products, magazines, etc."-Lindy Devokan, former exec vp of NBC
• “The argument that media outlets are “just giving people what the public wants” is false. It is 100% controlled by the advertisers. They give it to you and make you believe it is what you want

The effects of advertising are largely subconscious and very harmful

• Advertisements are intended to produce anxiety, insecurity to sell products.  This is most evident in school aged girls and adult women of all ages.
• In an attempt to "one-up" each other, advertisers must be more shocking with less words: more & more demeaning, shocking & violent images.
• We are socializing boys by presenting them with what is “manly”; they are bombarded by unnaturally hyper-masculine & misogynistic images earlier and earlier
• This translates into decline in female youth ambitions: statistics of # of girls & boys who "want to be president" is 50/50 in school age children but steadily declines with age

This results in a lack women’s voice in public forum

• Women comprise 51% of US population but only 17% of Congress
• The US is behind Cuba and China, Iraq and Afghanistan in women in government
• US is 90^th in the world in terms of women in national legislatures
• Our National Leadership is representative of only 6 % of the country: White, Married, Male,  Over 35 & College Educated

The effects are REAL and do merit further review. But all is not bleak; the movie does an okay job of picking you back up off the floor by asking the question: How can this change? They advise us to allow equal opportunity on screen to "See, Show and Appreciate Women Leadership" or at least announce the possibility (in movies, TV, News)!!! Geena Davis shares how inspirational the film ‘A League of Their Own’ was to young girls who reached out to her, sharing that the movie inspired them to fulfill their passion and purse sport. We also need to elect positive female leaders and paint a more realistic picture of society for our kids. 

As far as I am concerned, the most important way to change this is to stay grounded in my true-self that tells me 'I AM ENOUGH' and never play into the hedonistic treadmill of materialistic consumption or self-esteem bashers I see and hear on TV. Oh, and run for office someday!!!!  :)  Thats enough for today, Im out y'all!

Operation Freedom Paws

Wow. Once again, CNN's 2012 Heroes special leaves me BURSTING at the seams with emotion. This annual special televises the stories of ten extraordinary individuals who are making huge strides for social change. The stories told range from that of Raiza Jan, a fierce fighter for young girls and their right to a competent and compassionate education in the remotest of villages in Afghanistan to the story of Wanda Butts, a passionate mother who rose from the despair of losing her 16 year old son after he tragically drowned and is now teaching, what she says is a basic life skill often ignored, to over 1,000 children in her home state of Ohio through the Josh Project- a life saving nonprofit she named after her son. These heroes come from as far as the majestic peaks of Kathmandu in Nepal, the once poverty stricken slums of South Africa, not too far in states like Ohio and even the classrooms of my home state of Florida. This specials serves to shred any possible doubts one may hold that one person can make a difference. The winner of the 2012 Hero of the year was Pushpa Basnet, a humble 28 year old young woman who houses, feeds, clothes, educates and truly loves nearly 150 children of incarcerated women; women who, left with no caregivers for their children, must serve their jail sentence with the child in the prison. The kiddies lovingly refer to her as "Mamu", or mother. She has clearly done more than save them from a miserable life behind bars, she has gifted them with freedom and motherly love.

I challenge anyone to watch this program and not be moved; it's next to impossible. What's more, this year CNN added a few stories highlighting children, some of who have, unfortunately passed on very recently but are as young as 7 years old and have already changed their communities forever by calling upon their wee-peers to selflessly serve the less fortunate. They are each reminders of how powerful we can be should we take a page from their book and preserve innocence in our judgments, naivete to our limitations and dedication to a cause. I have no doubt these kids will be invaluable leaders one day.  

I want to narrow my focus on one "hero" in particular so unfortunately I won't cover all of the men & women featured in the program but I urge you to check them out on the CNN HEROES homepage. You can hear more about their stories, their missions and even how you can get involved should you feel the calling. These are truly amazing people and before I continue I just want to point out more thing: the notion of resilience. Yes, some of these individuals are doing amazing work- true expressions of empathy & service, but not before having suffered devastating, personal tragedies. As I hope to go on and share Mary Cortani's story and her important work with war veterans, I will mention Post Traumatic Stress Disorder commonly known as PTSD but also introduce a lesser known consequence- Post Traumatic Growth. But first let's watch Mary's story ...

Now, let me begin by saying that, there is no way I can see this clip and not feel compelled to act on it. Wheels are already in motion in my brain and contacts & resources being pulled from the dusty file cabinet that is My Memory to bring Operation Freedom Paws to South Florida. What better way to kill 2, 3, 4? birds with one proverbial stone by engaging canines idly waiting for a loving home and master, truly desperate combat veterans in need of innovative coping strategies and lastly, other veterans looking to get involved and can help their fellow soldiers by volunteering to serve as trainers once they have completed training themselves??? This idea excites me, to my core. And I think it's doable- with help from various community members here in Miami.

Specializing in Behavioral Neuroscience, PTSD in returning soldiers is a huge concern of mine. Having straddled the, oftentimes, shady line between the isolated laboratory research & development of psychiatric medicines and the frustrating reality of their effectiveness (or lack thereof) in the clinical setting I can tell you that psychiatry will be forced to face an inevitable paradigm shift. I am talking about the need to supplement existing pharmacological treatments with autonomously motivated, cognitive behavioral exercises like the ones Mary attempts to offer these patients by engaging them  in their own recovery process. If we fail to value the significant, long-term, fundamental healing that takes place when we empower people to understand, accept and work through the psychiatric pains that ail them we will surely be committing a huge disservice to this sub-population 

I've written too much so I will touch on Post Traumatic Growth and the science behind it in another post very soon; scientists have quantified significant changes in psychological growth in a variety of subjects following traumatic events and these findings are worthy of mention. So, another day :]
Feel free to share your comments, suggestions or feedback and I look forward to updating you on the progress of said project.  

Salud!
Arielle KT

"Yeah, you, sorority girl. Just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there are some things you should know..." Will McAvoy

Its not necessarily news that Television Programming these days leaves much to be desired. Most of it has become a cluttered, chaotic circus of hyperbolic distraction, sensationalizing, gossip and sometimes, I think, just flat out noise pollution. This is most evident to me when watching the "News" or certain talk shows; have we become so enamored with the mere sounds of our voices that we ignore the content of our speech? 

On that note, I'm really digging HBO's Series "The Newsroom".  A real Aaron Sorkin gem, the first season retrospectively follows the cast and crew of a prime time news broadcast team led by Senior anchor Mill McAvoy (played by Jeff Daniels) as they boldly commit to reporting objective, factual news "in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles and their own personal entanglements". The character development is rich and genuine, conveying the conscious and subconscious consequences familiar to anyone who has ever attempted to counteract injustice or fight for integrity while still being subject to human fragility. The diversity in age and experience of the cast members allows for empathy from all sides; you can relate to the frustrated and jaded senior correspondents just as much as you would the young, naive production assistants or interns eager to attach themselves to something revolutionary and just. The content is relevant, thought-provoking and witty. Here is a short promo:

Im no eloquent critic so I'll leave that to someone who is better suited for the job. But I do want to elaborate on the importance of the issues this show highlights. It is a bittersweet victory, at most, for champions of Truth when factual evidence emerges to shed new light on tainted political motives or deceitful engineering of half-truths or misinformation. I applaud the show for tackling topics that are controversial and even some that were once dismissed as "conspiracy theory" territory. I enjoyed watching the characters take on these "messy" topics and attempt to conduct meaningful investigation in a way that preserves integrity, rejects hyperbole, values facts and asks the right questions. The show may seem slightly biased to the left at times despite McAvoy's character constant reminders that he is a registered Republican who only "seem[s] liberal because I believe that hurricanes are caused by high barrometric pressure and not by gay marriage". This is, after all, a dramatization of the "truth"; luckily a good portion of that "truth" checks out. There is an entire site dedicated to fact checking each episode: The Newsroom Fact Check. 

Topics discussed in the first season include the following and are arranged by episode:

1. Explosion of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig, rampant corruption and ineptitude of the Minerals Management Services (MMS), the unclear relationship between Haliburton and BP regarding safety reports and the gross underestimations of the actual damages being reported for up to three months following the catastrophe. 
2. The constitutionality of Arizona's SB 1070 Bill 
3. The 9/11 Commission, the platform of the Tea Party as being distinct from that of the Republican Party, the link between Americans For Prosperity (AFP), the Tea Party and The Koch Brothers- not to mention the lack of awareness among Tea Party members of the mere existence of this affiliation. Finally, the historic 112th Congress.
4. The steep reduction in funds alloted to the US Attorney's Office to specifically fight financial crime following the shift in power in the 112th Congress, the media's ability to repeatedly ignore proven facts and disseminate false information; for example, the price tag on President Obama's trip to Mumbai or his voting record in regards to gun laws. This episode also touches on jeopardizing accuracy for increasing need for speed in journalism as it relates to Congresswoman Gifford's tragedy and the botched news reports that followed.
5. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's controversial "Budget Repair Act" and his funders, the incoherent and offensive rants of Rush Limbaugh, the importance of the enactment and subsequent repeal of the Glass-Steagall Actt and finally the failure of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' spouse to report $680,000 income from the Heritage Foundation, a Koch Inc. funded Think Tank.
6. The misrepresentation by right-wing media of the proposed Islamic Community center near ground zero and the controversial views of Rick Santorum on sex, birth control and the role of religion in government.
7. The capture of Osama Bin Landen
8. The Debt ceiling, poorly informed understanding of the Fiscal Cliff and the NSA's freedom to conduct wire taps.
9. Dichotomy of Character vs Policies evident in 2011 GOP Presidential Debates and petty distractions from real issues
10. Truth about alleged voter fraud, proposed voter-ID legislation. Also explores separation of church and state.

All in all, I enjoyed the series- even after indulging a few less-than-glowing criticisms. Is it drama? Sure! But I can certainly appreciate Sorkin's attempt to raise some valid points about the way the media chooses to handles the news. p.s. I will definitely be elaborating on some of these topics mentioned above in later posts. 

-AKT

Happi Sansgeebin!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving or as we Cubans butcher all that is American: "Happi Sansgeebin" :]

Here are some fun facts that I quite enjoyed learning about the holiday......... 

• Tryptophan levels in turkey are actually lower than in other food items like chicken breast or cheese. The most likely explanation for the post meal snooze may be more related to high consumption of carbs, alcohol and actual physical labor that goes into preparing the meal

 Cranberry:Vaccinium macrocarpon 
aka  Marshwort, Fenne Berry

• 1784 Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to his daughter in which he laughably rejects the Eagle as the national bird claiming that it was a symbol of European Monarchy and that it was "dishonest, lazy and had bad moral character". He joked that it should be changed to a Turkey, "a bird of courage";  he figured if we should have a national bird at all, it aught to be a tasty one! 

• Early American colonists noted that the flower blossom at the top of this vine resembled a Crane; the berries from these vines were then named Crane Berries, today we simply call them Cranberries. 

• Communal Rule Principles as well as Wompanoag teachings helped Puritan Pilgrims survive first year of settlement.

• Edward Winslow's letter is the only first hand account of the "First Thanksgiving" Feast following the Bountiful Harvest of 1621, a one time event forgotten about until the letter was recovered 200 years later.

Winslow's Letter

• Historically celebrated as a regional Harvest Celebration, Thanksgiving has only been recognized as a national holiday since 1941. Beginning as far back as 1836, Sarah Josefa Hale, known as the Martha Stewart of her day, labored and lobbied for 2 decades to establish a National Holiday; recognizing the polarizing tensions of an ominous Civil War, she thought establishing Thanksgiving as a national unifier.  Her inspiration may have come George Washington's 1789 Proclamation for a national day of Gratitude which was dated November 26, 1789 the last Thursday of November. 

• Abraham Lincoln finally proclaimed Thanksgiving as an Annual, National Day of Gratitude and Praise on October 3, 1863 

• In 1939 in an attempt to support merchants and boost Christmas sales during The Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving one week earlier; this was a wildly unpopular move resulting in many families celebrating on either dates or sometimes even on both days. "Franksgiving" angered enough people that in 1941 Congress made Thanksgiving Law of the Land to be celebrated every fourth Thursday of November. 

• The last fun fact just might be my favorite because it sheds new light on one of my least favorite parts of this holiday- The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade (Booooo-ring!). The parade has been a standing tradition in my father's home every year but they just don't do anything for me. I learned that the helium filled balloons used to be released into the open sky until 1932 a passing airplane had a dangerous encounter nearly causing an accident. The interesting twist is that the balloons were called to serve a "higher purpose" during World War II. On Nov 19, 1932 Jack Strauss of Macy's presented the balloons to Mayor LaGuardia to be donated to the Rubber Drive, later becoming tires and life rafts to serve the soldiers abroad. 

Wasn't that fun??? 

Here are some pics of my family and I this Thanksgiving. Hope you learned something new!!! 

Evolve.

e·volve  (-vlv) (verb) e·volv·ing, e·volves 1. To undergo gradual change; develop, mature. OK I'll admit it!!  I have been hesitant and a bit resistant to embrace technology.  No, I still do not own an iPod. No, I am not particularly interested in owning a Nook. Yes, I prefer taking notes with pen & paper and quite frankly I am not entirely sure what a Blog is or if this experiment will be successful; is the word Blog a noun? I digress. . . The key, then, lies in how I choose to define success and so for the sake of setting an clear intention here it is: ☺ To keep a current, quasi-organized record of my thoughts, experiences, interests & insights.  � Offer up questions that I, sad to report, usually ask myself in hopes that readers (if any) might  contribute their own perspective on the topic...respectfully, I hope. ✍ Lastly, to exercise my right brain, rarely accessed or exercised writing abilities.       I hope this can be an improvement, dare I say, the evolution of what used to be my journal. Not your everyday "Dear Diary",  I am no longer satisfied with just watching a movie, just reading a book, just listening to the news. As a researcher I enjoy going beyond, sometimes too beyond perhaps, the obvious. I am annoyed with the media for gross oversimplifications, premature and poorly informed conclusions and most of all lack of relevant, contextual insights; we do not live in a vacuum!! These journals eventually evolved into an unabridged, random collection of those elaborations: I watch a movie, I want to watch the Extras on the DVD to hear the Producer explain how the script was born- even retrospectively this makes the movie more pleasurable J. I read a book, I want to summarize and extract all the useful information to cross reference later a.k.a probably never. I say "useful" because I also have not read Fiction in over 10 years. I am trying to change this; I was uncomfortable "wasting" reading time by not "learning" anything. I now understand how silly that notion is and that fiction does and has throughout history taught many, many important lessons.  Alas, I can change! Evolve even!    -AKT