Accepting Reality

It seems like inspiration always hits me after my Black Media screenings. Very surprising considering I can't stand sitting in a lecture hall for 3 hours after an already full day of classes! But even if I don't enjoy the class, the movie we watch is usually very thought provoking. 

Tonight we watched Dancing in September. It was a movie based on the racial problems in television when it comes to stereotypical portrayals of black characters in sitcoms. While it was a very good movie, the overall plot is unimportant to what I'm going to be discussing. 

I used to be the girl that was so caught up in the romance of movies, that I sort of lost track of reality. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, I would watch EVERY movie with a very critical eye, setting up characters to fall in love just because "they would look soooo cute together!". While this was a little ridiculous, I have suddenly realized my views on movies have changed.

Dancing in September is not a very happy movie. It's filled with angst, drama, and a lot of uncomfortable issues all crammed into a two hour film. Yet, I found myself being happy with the way the movie ended. It didn't end in a happy way, the main characters that "looked so cute together" didn't end up together, and there was far too much death and violence to be considered a happy ending. 

For some reason though, I found this fitting.

I sometimes think I've grown up a lot in the past few years. I've seen more and experienced more, and I believe this has contributed to my changing views. But then I think that I have so much more to experience...I live in a tiny college town, and while I see one hundred times more here than I did at home, it's still a very small part of the world and I know there is a lot more.

I think though, that I've come to accept that the world is not filled with happy endings. There is a harsh cruel aspect to life, that I have discovered, and wondered about all at the same time. I think this is why I've come to accept sad endings of movies. 

Sometimes, sadness is fitting.

I hope everybody can learn to accept new and different things that are outside of their comfort zone. It's extremely difficult to do, but once you accept the world for the way it is, rather than your hopes and illusions, it's easier to move on. Once you see the world in all of it's harsh and cruel and disillusioned facets, the beauty and the warmth that exists may be easier to see.

 Instead of pushing reality away, we should accept it, move on, and focus on the positive. That's really one of the things that I have found most important to me in my short time here so far in college.

Exploitation vs Entertainment

While I have time to blog due to the rain that suddenly hit after my Black Media class, I was still unsure about what to blog about until about two seconds ago.

Then it hit me. This week in Black Media we watched a documentary called Dreamworlds 3. I had also seen this in my Sociology class a few weeks early and you'll understand my weariness at watching it twice once I explain what it is about.

Dreamworlds 3 is basically slide show of scantily clad girls, rappers, rock stars, and champagne. A British man narrates and examines the objectification of women in music videos in a monotone voice. While this is a topic of extreme importance the way the video went about dissecting the issue could have been handled better. 

In fact, I believe the last ten minutes were the best part. At the end of the video, statistics about sexual abuse, sexual assault, and objectification of women were displayed on the screen along with testimonies of college men talking in a horrifying manner about women. Real life footage was shown of riots in New York City and Seattle where men took advantage of women at rallies and parades. 

This real life objectification of women was much more effective than the first 50 minutes of the documentary. 

While the video had a purpose to show and explain why the music industry is a good example of women being objectified, it went a little overboard. While I believe that no woman should ever be put in a situation where they are uncomfortable or assaulted, these examples were not necessarily the best way to get across the message. 

In reality, women in music videos audition for the part. They know what they are getting into, and they believe in what they are doing, because it's a means for money. While some people may believe that these dancers and sexualized women is degrading to the entire sex, I believe that it is mostly in the sake of entertainment. 

I understand why music video directors and producers cast beautiful women in their videos--sex sells. Why wouldn't you exploit the number one way to get viewers?

It may be morally wrong, or go against people's beliefs. But then why are there so many women still auditioning for these videos? Why are there so many women still watching these videos? It's part of our culture. I don't see how we could get rid of the exploitation of sex completely.

Many people disagree with me...and it is true that some men take what they see in videos literally and then try to live their lives like what they see on the screen. 

Just in my last post I discussed making sure you were ready to make decisions of importance. While these two posts may seem contradictory, I hope that people can see both sides. It's not as though I'm trying to tell you not to do something. I'm just encouraging using your brain to think things through. 

If the majority were opposed to these music videos, they wouldn't be around. Now, I ask everyone to just think about this objectification of women. Is it a horrific display of exploiting sex or is it purely entertainment?

You have heard my side, and now it's up to you to make your own opinions. If you're for or against these ideas, stand up and speak out. 

You'll never know who will hear you. 

Body vs. Heart

Tonight, I attended the weekly Campus Crusade meeting called 180. I am not a super religious person...I have my own views and I don't try to explain them to people. But I feel as though the Christian community is a strong group of people and they closely resemble the thoughts I feel about life and the world around me. Sometimes it's hard to accept the things that are said at these meetings because they can be hard to swallow. But I try to keep an open mind and I try to see all sides of the issue. 

Something tonight though, stuck in my mind and am so glad I heard it. Tonight we had a speaker who spoke about the sacredness of marriage, and the importance of a spiritual connection between married couples. What inspired me tonight though, wasn't what was said on a religious level, but more of what was said on an inspirational level. 

"Don't let your body make promises, that your heart isn't ready to keep."

Does that mean something to you? 

Sex is something that for some people is sacred, and for others is just a fun past time. What I took this quote to mean, is that we have the decision to make in our lives whether we want to share something so intimate that it's hardly talked about in day to day life, with someone that we care deeply about. I'm not condoning premarital sex, but I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Some are ready before others, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

All I'm asking of people living in this world today, is that they take a moment before they engage in sex, to ask themselves the question above. Can you let your body make a promise to your significant other if your heart isn't ready to keep it? 

It's a tough question to answer, but I believe it's an important one. The heart holds everything that is you, and your heart is ultimately your truth.