Current Events in Media

What role has social media played in the Middle East revolutions?

This is the sort of thing I brought up before in a previous post. Twitter and Facebook played a HUGE role in Egypts revolution. Governments no longer have a monopoly over information. People are talking to each other about real events.

But now I worry about countries like China and North Korea where the internet is largely censored and social networking sites are on lock down. I worry because nobody is helping them as we have no political interest in the area. The middle east is hot right now because of 1) oil and alleged oil as well as 2) "Radical Muslims" were the ones who supposedly caused the 9/11 attacks and they "all" live in the Middle East.

I watched this video and it makes me very sad that the major world powers of the US, the UK, the European Union, etc. preach about democracy morning, noon and night, yet they fund repressive regimes in the Middle East and even South America due to commercial gains and "at least it's not Communism." It's sad. And extremely sickening.

The world needs to see more progress. More revolution. We can do this.

Image of the Moment

Before reading any more of my own words, I would like for you to look at the image below and really think about what you see.

What does this mean to you?

What I see is the spread of information at its best. I see Twitter functioning as the way it was intended. Information to and from Libya and Egypt are possible because of a widely used service like Twitter, where updates come straight to your mobile phone. This is information revolution, and we all know information is power. None of the tweets we make or retweet is particularly activism, but it's a step in the right direction.

The more I see about these revolutions around the world, the more I get worried about my own country: not because I see parallels to the violent protests, but because I don't see much of any similarities in the people's ultimate action. We are at an impasse and nothing is working because nobody is willing to consider the 'other side.' The keys are education and balance, but we need to do something to get to the point where we can rationally and clear minded-ly cooperate and talk about these things.

Unfortunately with how our society works, a real revolution will never happen again on American soil (so long as we're not invaded and taken over [which I doubt, considering we spend over ten times as much on defense than we do education {source}]). Majority of the population is too lost in their fantasy worlds, either through money or through television, to be willing to go out in hopes of making a difference. We are not willing to band together because we view ourselves as too different, and it would take a great deal of discomfort in order to make it happen (and we value individuality, and comfort/luxury over all). A people's revolution would require us to destroy our schedules and do something "dangerous." Practically nobody is willing to do it, not even myself (especially if I'm the only one).

At what point will we become so desperate that our only choice is to fight back? Or at that point, will it just be learned helplessness? Are we really just going to roll over and take it?

I, for one, love all the protests that are going on in Wisconsin. Totally barring unions is unnecessary in solving economic issues. People's jobs, their only means of survival in the land of the rich, are at stake. They are taking a stand. And it's beautiful. I want this momentum to keep going. We need real change and we need it now.

There are so many other problems I want to tackle, but I have to stop now. I get much too angry and, for my mentality's sake, I cannot handle anymore. All I can hope is that others will start thinking. And after some enlightenment, they will take action.

The Truth About ME

Many people who know me will tell you I can be really lively, bubbly, funny, smart and just overall great to be around.
Behind the scenes, though, I am very selfish, apathetic, depressed, angry and want to destroy everything around me.
Perhaps the real me is a balance between the two, but so long as I'm the one writing this blog, I'm going to assume everyone identifies me as the negative traits.

Two things I know I have are pride and passion (though usually when I don't need it). I am a Mass Communication major interested in electronic media, meaning I create and edit videos and care about what kind of garbage is being fed to us through television, radio and movies.

This is relevant as the main theme of this blog from here on out is to outline the idiotic injustices we are being subject to in regards to mass media and how we should be aware and stop it.

You know, we can revolt. And there's really no reason why we shouldn't. But usually people don't want to "work that hard" or leave the supposed comfort of what they already have. I understand. Do you think I like to be angry about this stuff? Not in the slightest. But since these feelings will not go away, I will do my best to inform the public and really try to take action instead of sitting around and taking it.

So, if you're wondering, yes, I'm becoming more and more anti-capitalist. Of course, living in such a country as the United States of America, I can't entirely escape the grasp of monetary value, but I can fight it. And I mean fight more in a college and post-college sense and not the whiney high school I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-talking-about sense.
I've been waiting for college to turn me into a pseudo-hipster know-it-all and now here I am. Only I'm going to try to be constructive about it at the same time as complaining.
What am I doing about it now? Well, first of all, I've always been suspicious of advertising and have never gotten into what's exactly 'popular.' Sure, that has roots in teenage rebellion, but I now see what those sorts of things mean. I cannot help what kind of gifts I receive from friends and family, all of which were probably bought from Meijer, but what I can help is what I buy for myself. My favourite store in the entire world is Salvation Army (not that corporate Goodwill poseur). I'm looking into tailoring my own clothes. I'm really interested in becoming a freegan. I could go on.

In short (TL;DR*), I'm a Mass Communication college student, I'm angry with how our society is being run and I'm going to complain about it loud enough for people to hear me. Or, rather, I'm going to present the realities and cross my fingers that people will get angry with me.

Let's start a revolution.

*TL;DR = Too Long; Didn't Read (because, come on, let's be honest)