Response to Yesenia's Post

My presentation is going to be on the television show Duck Dynasty. I did not put it as on of me topics because I completely forgot about it; but I am a huge fan of the show.

I did not think that analyzing the show would be hard since it is a reality TV show. Thinking of the show as more than…

-I was also with you on the idea that it would not be that hard because it is a reality show, but at the same time, there are no planned lenses so it might be a little more interesting. I am also doing my presentation on Duck Dynasty so it should be interesting to see the similarities and differences.

Presentation and Process Blog Post

This presentation was not super hard, but it was not super easy either. It was a little bit challenging to actually choose which lens would be the best to analyze the show, as well as organizing my thoughts and editing them down into what can only be three minutes. The fact that we have been discussing the different lenses in class does help a lot. The problem is the time restraint. Three minutes does not seem like that much time to analyze the show extremely in depth, so choosing what exactly to include is pretty interesting. I am also trying to include a video so making sure that will work is also a little bit nerve racking. The actual analysis of the show, however, is very much aided by the fact that we have analyzed so many different things in class. I did find it difficult to be objective about a show that I really like, as opposed to a piece that to be perfectly honest had no real relevance to my daily life, other than the fact that I needed to learn about it. The thing about knowing, and liking, a show so much was the fact that it was easier to pull ideas and lenses from the show because I am so familiar with it. It is rough sometimes in class to try and analyze things when you do not really know what exactly the author is trying to say, although it is helpful to have your classmates to bounce ideas off of. The good thing about it not really being a huge group ordeal though is that your ideas can really shine through and you really have to think about the lens as opposed to letting your classmates answer for you. Essentially, it creates more of a critical and deeper thinking process. The whole objective part, however, was rather challenging. Since I really like the show, it is hard to try to point out some of the flaws, especially because they do not really jump out at you. This meant that I had to really focus on what was happening and why it was happening, as opposed to just laughing the entire time. I did do a fair amount of changing and revision in my mind so that when I went to actually do the assignment I had a general idea of what exactly I wanted. As for the different pieces of media I included, it did take me a good amount of time to pick exactly what I thought would represent the show the best as well as what was best for what I was trying to prove. Overall, this presentation was at about the difficulty level that I was expecting when it was first assigned. It was very helpful in allowing me to obtain a better understanding of not only my show, but certain aspects of society as well.

Firefly Female Characters

The female characters in Firefly do represent both of what Cracked was saying and what Joss Whedon were saying. Although there are both what are considered "stronger" and "weaker" women in Firefly, I think that most of the female characters are stronger, just as Whedon said in his speech. They all possess some level of strength inside of them. All of the women seem to know what they want and they go after it. It takes a strong woman to survive in a spaceship day in and day out, let alone to thrive in that situation like all of the women do. Sure the show is written from the male perspective and there is a male lead, but the way that they seem to value the women on the ship is what really makes Whedon's speech convincing. Also, many of the different websites seem to always want to criticize people, making the Cracked article seem less reliable. Ultimately, it is the characters themselves that tell the real story. Zoe is  a strong and independent woman that does not seem like she would let anyone harm her, or what she holds dear. She may not fit the mold as what is classified as "feminine," but she could probably kill anyone that told her that. Zoe is extremely calm under pressure and is a very capable fighter.  Kaylee may genuinely love everyone on the ship and seem to be the innocent and wholesome one, but she is still incredibly strong. It would be difficult for anyone to live on a spaceship and do as good of a job with mechanics as she does without being strong and independent. Inara is simply a business savvy woman. She knows exactly what is best for her business and how to keep it successful. She knows just how to "play the game" so to speak in order to get just what she wants and continue to life the lifestyle that she choses. River Tam is also strong in the sense that, although she has had so many different things done on her brain, she still continues on. Yes, she did seem weak and dependent on her brother Simon in the beginning, but then the audience learns that she, in fact, is strong and independent. She found out a way to get decoded messages to her brother while she was in the facility, as well as being able to resist some of the Alliance's control on her brain. Even Saffron is presented as a strong and independent woman. She does play the part of a weak wife, but later on the audience learns of that scam and she is seen as one of the most quick thinking, albeit evil, women on the entire show. Joss Whedon was on to something when he said that he modeled the show after his strong and independent mother, and his father and grandfather that valued that in a woman. These female characters seem to know exactly what they want and how to achieve it. They are portrayed as smart, witty, perfectly capable, and just down right tough.

Mini Blog Post (My Favorites from Pop Culture)

Duck Dynasty: This show is just straight up hilarious. They are always up to some crazy adventure and it is a great show when you just want a good laugh, especially Uncle Si.

 The Big Bang Theory:This is another great example of an extremely funny show. The characters are so extreme and stereotypical in a lot of their actions that it is just great, not to mention, you learn a fair amount of random facts.

 Harry Potter: This movie is a classic and, even though the series is over, it continues to remain my favorite movie series. I pretty much grew up with this movie and the mix of intense battles, difficult choices, and lasting friendships makes it incredible.

That's My Kind of Night (Luke Bryan): Every time this song comes on, no matter where we are, everyone just breaks out singing and dancing because it is so exciting and energetic . My suite mate plays this song at least five times a day and it has quickly become one of our favorite songs.

Beneath Your Beautiful (Labrinth feat. Emili Sande): For some reason I am obsessed with this song. It is slow enough to really feel the emotion and catchy enough to sing along, making is one of my personal favorites.

Firefly Genre Post

It is quite evident that Firefly does not have one distinct genre. Rather, it is in a category that is all its own. Firefly seems to reflect what was popular on television at the time it was produced and not adhere to a specific genre. Firefly does possess several elements of science fiction, western shows, and cultural aspects, but none of those can accurately sum up exactly what Firefly is. Firefly is so unique because of the fact that it is a mixture of all of these genres and that is what it was believed that the audience wanted to see. There are no aliens. It is not entirely western. Culture is just one aspect. The main focus is on character development and interaction which is what audiences tend to really enjoy. The fact that there is no specific genre illustrates that the producers and the network of this show were trying to appeal to a larger audience, not just science fiction fans or fans of westerns. Firefly was on Fox and, therefore, ratings and viewers had a large role in how a show was portrayed. It is also an important aspect of the show to point out human follies. The episode "Our Mrs. Reynolds" showcases just how sexually driven society is and how much that can impair judgement. Not only does it illuminate greed, violence, and corruption, but the main characters are outlaws! Firefly is rather complex in what it is trying to accomplish and therefore is difficult to put into any one genre. Essentially, Fox tried to give people what they wanted to see in a television show. They tried to make it as entertaining as possible, while appealing to the largest audience possible. It is this, however, that seemingly led to its downfall. No one group identifies strongly with it, making it difficult to keep everyone engaged. On a major network like Fox, that is a huge problem.

Firefly is experiencing what many old shows are going through. There are still some intense fans, some have even so far as creating cults, and those fans are the ones that really want to see the show brought back. The more casual viewers do not really seem to care that much that Firefly is not on the air anymore, even telling people to calm down about it and that it has been cancelled for years. If it were loved by so many people, it would have been brought back, even if it did not come back on Fox. There is just some dedicated followers that are making a huge deal about bringing it back. That happens for every series. Some people get hooked, while others do not, and if not enough people tune in, then it gets cancelled. That is just how the industry works. Ultimately, although some people do have an intense following, television is all about ratings and viewers, and Firefly just did not achieve that standard.

Nerdburger Blog Post, Prompt 1

Nerdburger is an extremely effective communicator in this video. Not only does she get her points across, but she is enthusiastic and informative while doing that. She utilizes fun and exciting colors and narrations to keep the audience actively engaged throughout the entire video. There is never a dull moment. Even when Nerdburger is talking about the comic books and you have never really read a comic book in your life, you still feel like you know so much about comic books because of all of the information she is providing. The information is presented in such a way that makes it easy to  comprehend and makes you look forward to learning more. Nerdburger is just so excited to tell you about these comics that it makes you excited to learn about them too. It is also great that she includes the different individual comics from the books that she is talking about so if you have never read that comic, you still feel like you know what is going on. The fact that Nerdburger includes some of the history of the comics is also effective because, once again, it ties everything together and gives the audience a better overall idea of why she is making some of these comments and thus, how one should interpret some of the information that is being presented. It is also interesting that Nerdburger is so lively and animated herself. All of the vibrant colors surrounding her, and even her light blue hair, make the whole thing seem almost animated as well. The audience knows from the beginning that the video will be about comic books just by the setting of the video. Also, the fact that so many aspects of current pop culture are included keeps it light and helps appeal to many different audiences. The various pop culture references also help her really convey exactly what she is trying to say. The reference to Fifty Shades of Grey about "She-Hulk" helps the audience fully grasp what the comic is like, in a way that just commenting on it really could not. The pop culture references also add a level of humor that should be expected when dealing with such a fun thing such as comic books. There is also a level of seriousness  though that Nerdburger does display. For example, when she is talking about the "Batgirl and Robin" comic, she gets into the deeper issues such as how Batgirl continued on despite what people are saying about her size. Nerdburger then seems to connect it to her own life, allowing the audience to do the same. She points out the real meanings of the comics, therefore helping the audience really feel inspired and connected to what she is talking about. How informative Nerdburger is and how much she really thinks about what she is reading is just good writing. The liveliness and some of her comments, however, display how good of a blogger she is.

My expectations from this class include:
1) To gain a better understanding of the different methods of the various bloggers in order to become a more effective communicator.
2) To truly understand and appreciate what underground/indie/ etc. is and what role that plays in society.
3) To learn new things that I have never really thought of before, as well as gaining new perspectives on how to look at various things.