Kids react to Gay Marriage

 

 

 

Kids react to gay marriage proposals. It was interesting to see how the kids reacted to the proposals. The first proposal we see is an elaborate dance mob at a hardware store. At first the kids aren't sure what they are watching. Then we see family come out and the man standing on the ladder is happy. The last person to come out is a man holding a sign. Then he asks the guy standing on the ladder to marry him, they seal the deal with a kiss.

This little girls face says it all, you can tell she doesn't know what to think when she sees the men kissing. It might be the first time she has experienced it. I think her reaction is very normal and  fair for the circumstances. Later during the questioning section, she seems fine and doesn't think it is wrong for the same sex to be married.



The girl above was very confused by the video that she watched. She just keep saying "This is crazy!" Her reaction to the proposal was dramatic, she also said "a boy and a boy!" She was clearly very surprised and wasn't expecting to see two men together. Later during questioning she said that people should be with whom every they want.

 

The second clip was of a woman proposing to another woman. The one proposing was standing outside of the other woman's office on a bus holding up a sign. All of the kids were instantly worried about the woman's safety while standing on the bus, it appeared dangerous. But in the end the woman slides off the bus and runs to her fiancé, where they seal the deal with a kiss.

 This little guys reaction was the one I remembered most. During the first clip he kept asking if they were gay. During the second one he was singing along to the song and then said "Are they gay too?" He needed to make sure he knew. He didn't like the idea of gay marriage, he said marriage was for a boy and a girl. He also made it very clear that he was not gay.

This girl was very happy and excited for the couples. She thought that they were doing a good thing and she was happy for both couples. She said that we should be able to love who we want without limitations. The little girl thought that both couples were really cute and that they looked happy together.

 

It is interesting to see the reaction of children to the current gay marriage issues. Most of the kids that were interview thought that gay marriage is okay and they wish more people supported it. When they found out that only 14  states in the country support it, most of them were upset. This insight seems positive about our future generation. They seem ever excepting. 





 Legalize it or Not?

 

 

Miley Cyrus has been a big topic in America for the past few months. Some consider her rapid downward spiral as leaving her with much negative press.  From her reveling outfits and provocative dance moves, is she destined to be one of those kid stars that go crazy and fall off of the popular train? Her most recent act was caught during the MTV EMAs (European Music Awards) on November 10^th in Amsterdam.  While onstage Miley takes a joint out of her coach bag, lights it up and begins smoking it. Although the consumption on marijuana is legal in Amsterdam, the act behind it seemed more direct. Was Miley giving her opinion about legalizing marijuana sales in the United States? It seems to me that it could be her under lying message.

 

Legalizing marijuana sales in the United States has been one of the most talked about issues for several years. It has already been legalized in Colorado and Washington state. Other states have approved the sale of cannabis for medical use only.

  State with legal medical cannabis

  State with decriminalized cannabis possession laws

  State with both medical and decriminalization laws

  State with legalized cannabis

 

The legalization of recreational and medical  marijuana in Colorado and Washington, shows that this country may be moving into another era. Do you think because two states have legalized it, more will follow? We are seeing masses of citizens unopposed to the thought. For example take a look at some of these protesters.

 

 

The thought behind the signage is very interesting. The sign that says "legal marijuana will bring tax relief" is a main stream way of thinking. If  more states legalize the sale then suppliers will be able to make a legal profit and the state could collect taxes on it. In turn possibly creating more jobs, which is still a big concern, as more Americans  can't find decent jobs. 



 

The image of the women comparing marijuana to the prohibition of the 1920s is another vision into what average Americans think. She is suggesting that people are in possession, and consuming marijuana whether its legal or not. I think that is probably an accurate way of thinking about the situation. People are going to do what they want.

 

 

The Kid President

 

 

When I came across this video last year it made me so happy. This little guy is really inspirational. But I don't really want to focus on his cuteness. I want to take a look into the images that are used during this video. Does it feel like this boy is being groomed to be a future politician?
 



 

The first image we see of kid president places him on a football field, holding a ball. Across his body is a quick drawing overlaid on the image that says "A Pep Talk." To me this opening image shows an all American boy. A kid on the football field just having a good time. But he is in a suite and tie which suggested that he is older or more mature in some way. 



Although he is in a suit and tie, it is soon revealed that this kid is just that. He gives us a wrong quote from a Journey song. Even though it is wrong, the way he says it and places it in his speech makes the viewer chuckle. Overall what Kid President is saying is incorrect, however, still entertaining and makes the viewer feel good.

Kid president says that we need to give the world a reason to dance. He tells us that we are all important and that we shouldn't give up on our dreams. The speech he gives is very inspirational to me.  What he is expressing are words that he truly believes and it makes me happy knowing that he thinks he can do whatever he wants. It's important to believe in yourself and that is the impression I feel this young man has of himself.

At the end of the clip, Kid President say that his video has been dedicated to a girl named Gabby who is fighting cancer and loves pancakes. I think this is an important part of the video besides the speech itself.  During the speech there is no mention of Gabby. If you didn't watch the whole clip you might even miss it. It was a thoughtful insert, but it wasn't well executed. 

After doing some research I found out that Kid President actually meet President Obama. Obama gave him a tour of the oval office and even let him sit at his desk. The images of the President with the Kid are very interesting. Obama is giving him advice about how to do good, and to always keep a positive attitude, so he can some day achieve success. 

 

 

 

Halloween Horror 2013 

Get The Door, Chad - Creepy Uncle Sam

I find the clip above to be every interesting. There are several things being implied about the current issues with Obama Care. Negative advertising is a big part of campaigning during elections. But now we are seeing negative advertising against policies and laws passed while in office. 

How do we know that this is a negative advertisement, against Obama Care? Besides the snap shot I took from the clip (left) that says "Obama Care; Pay more, get less!" I come to this assumption that this is a negative advertisement by other things. The person that made this clip, made it seem like a horror movie. Represented through the darkness and the creepy music soundtrack. 

The Obama Care commercial that Chad can't get away from is very unattractive. The guy trying to sell Obama Care doesn't seem like a trust worthy person. A person in my class called him a sketchy used car salesmen type, and I would agree with that. Who would actually take this guys advice? 

Also Ted is standing in from of a green screen of random medical references that looks cheesy and unrealistic. It's insinuating that the government doesn't  care about our medical health, because they don't have any real life examples to show.

The target audience for this clip are young people. I come to this conclusion by the fact that Chad is a fairly young guy. But there are also things that stand out to support that besides Chad. There are references to Facebook, email, and cell phones. Things that have become very popular among the new technical generation. 

Ted added Chad's mom on Facebook.

Ted has Chad's cell number.

A line that sticks out to me in the clip is when Ted says "Come on Chad, even your mom likes me on Facebook."

He also knows his email address.

There is also an implied idea that the IRS is watching because Ted is standing in front of one  their buildings. Re-enforced through  Uncle Sam showing up at the door. It is trying to tell us that they know where we live and how to track us down. It screams YOU CANT HIDE FROM US!!

They are watching you!!

In the end Uncle Sam has all of Chad's candy and is watching his television. But where is Chad? The absence of Chad implies to me that the government got him. He has been locked away in some Obama Care policy wasteland. Poor Chad.

Miss America 2014

 

Nina Davuluri is crowned

 

Nina Davuluri is a 24 year old American of Indian descent. She represented the great state of New York in the 2013 Miss America pageant and won. Nina is the first Indian American to win Miss America as well at the Miss New York title.

 

Nina was attacked on the popular social media website, Tweeter. Although Nina received a lot of support from people around the world, the ignorant comments made on Twitter caused an uproar. Several news stations and talk shows reported the reaction of Americans around the country.

 

After hearing about the reaction on Twitter, I investigated to see why people were so upset. I pulled up a few photos taken during the Miss American show. I found a few photos of Nina during the talent portion of the show. She performed a fusion of classical Bollywood dance and wore at traditional sari. The dance was beautiful, fun and energetic, it was the first appearance of Bollywood in Miss America history. 

 

Nina's Bollywood performance

 

The performance that Nina gave was a mix between traditional Indian dance that she studied every summer in India, and Bollywood. Bollywood dance is a dance the is modeled after tradition Indian dance, mixed with western styles. The sari Nina wears is traditional dress foe women in India. It's patterns and color mean different things in her culture, as well as the jewelry she wears.  When preparing for the competition, Nina was originally going to sing. But later she decided she would like to dance because she had been dancing her whole life. She was advised not to dance but she said it was something she was passionate about and stuck with it.

 

After Nina was crown Miss America 2014, on September 14, 2013, she was attacked on Twitter. A few of the tweets that I came across are listed below.

 



 Nina was attacked on Twitter, for her ethnicity. As you can see people were upset that she was representing our country from the Twitter comments. Nina was born in the United States, so she is an American.

 

The comment about Nina being part of Al-Qaeda, made me do some research. The map below is of the middle east. As you can see the red represented Al-Qaeda influences, the green is Taliban and the yellow dot is where Nina's family is from. Even though India is near Taliban and Al-Qeada activity, they are not active anywhere in India. Indian is not in the Middle East, it is considered to be in South Asia.

 

 

 

So why were American's so quick to associate Nina with these terrible allegations? I can't speak for the people who made the comments, but my own idea behind the matter has to do with the 9/11 anniversary. Nina was crowned 3 days after the 12th anniversary, a day that most American people are still very sensitive about. I'm not making excuses for these tweets as no one should be attacked for their ethnicity, religious practices or sexual orientation. I just want to understand why these people were so quick to judge, besides being ignorant to the facts.

 

 

I believe the 12th anniversary surrounds the back lash that Nina received. Our country is still upset, even after all this time. 9/11/01 was a traumatic day for us all. It's sad to see the way some people handled the situation. It just shows that people need to get the details correct and think before they speak.



 

 

9/11

 

EarthCam time lapse of Ground Zero

 

September 11, 2001 was the most traumatic day in American history. At 8:45am in New York a plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center, eighteen minutes later the second building was hit. At 10:00am the South tower fell, thirty minutes later the north tower also fell. Not only did terrorists attack the World Trade Center, they also flew a plane into the Pentagon, killing 145 military personnel. A fourth plane connected with the terrorist threat didn't make it's destination and fell in a field outside of Pennsylvania. George W. Bush addressed the American population at 9pm and said "Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve."  After 12 years the USA is still trying to grow and cope with the lost and fear that we all encountered that day.

 The time lapse movie above shows how ground zero has been rebuild and incorporated with a memorial and museum to represent the lives lost. In the clip as the music grows stronger the building gets taller, as if saying you can knock us down but we will always get back up.

Symbol: Ground zero has become a symbol to Americans, it has a deeper meaning larger than steel and concrete. The new memorial and museum represents what used to be a workplace, business relationships, friendships and also, unfortunately a gravesite.  To remember the day, we honor the people we lost, the war against terrorist, and the hope to stand strong as a nation. 

 

Icon: The old twin towers were an iconic part of the New York skyline. Without them it seems strangely empty. The new tower  has been nicknamed Freedom Tower (Tower One) and has the likeness of the old world trade centers. Freedom Tower has been build to insure its security, so although the building is not identical to the towers, it is similar. Which makes it a new icon in New York.

 

Index: Every time we look at the new world trade center towers, we will always be reminded of the twin towers. It's cause and effect. The people in today's world will continue to relive 9/11, it has left a indelible mark on the city.

Before the attack on September 11, 2001

 

The clip above only shows Tower 1 or Freedom Tower being constructed. You can also see the 4th tower coming along near the end of the clip. Tower 4 should be done by the end of the month. Two more towers are going to be built in-between 1 and 4. The second tower has been delayed due to economic issues. The third will be completed by 2016. All of the new buildings have been manufactured and tested to ensure the maximum strength possible. It was important to the architects that the buildings design was reinvented to support all safety measures.



What the skyline will look like when all four building are complete

The new skyline has been reinvented. Many people came together to rebuild what was lost 12 years ago. The memorial and museum have been completed. Now people around the world can visit and remember the civilians, military and the scores of dedicated city employees who lost their lives that fateful morning.