Sun Flower Seed #4: Myths about Weddings

This week in class we have begun to talk about weddings. People spend thousands and thousands of dollars on weddings but there are a few things people really know about the truths of marriage. In the tv show Adam Ruins Everything, one of the episodes he talks about is weddings. Adam the main character in the shower discusses the myths that people commonly assume that are true about weddings and marriage.
One common myth that Adam addresses in the show is the myth of soul mates. In fact if you believe that someone is your soul mate you actually are more likely to break up sooner than those who believe people can grow. If individuals knew this before getting married it could defiantly be a positive factor. Believing that people can grow instead of believing that they are your soul mate will help you understand that people can change over time and sometimes its for the better. It will allow individuals to be more flexible and understanding that people don't stay the same.
Another myth that Adam discussing in the wedding episode is the myth about divorce rates. People often think that over half of all marriages end in divorce but this is in fact a myth. Adam states that the divorce rate has never succeeded over 41%. Even I thought this myth was true! But there is something that people who are getting married can learn from this, its that divorce doesn't happen as often as we think. This fact that divorce happens may scare may people into thinking that marriage is a horrible idea but thats not the case. Knowing the fact that marriages don't all end in divorce gives those who do believe in it a sense of relief that marriage can in-fact last a long time!
The finally myth that I took away from Adam was the myth that divorce is a bad thing. People always think that because two people get divorced that the worlds ending or that the children are in jeopardy but that is not the case. In fact divorce has done a lot of good to the mental health of women. The suicide rate of women has been reduced by 20% because women do not feel trapped anymore. Although divorce can be hard for many couples because lets face it, its not easy there is a bright side to every struggle. Couples who are looking to get married can rest easy knowing that if things do go south in a marriage that divorce isn't always a bad idea.

Sunflower Seed #3: Cultivation Theory

On this weeks Sunflower Seed we are going to discuss cultivation theory. George Gerbner a graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in communication, developed the cultivation theory. His interest in it began to evolve throughout his life. Gerbner was born in Hungry in 1919. He became a spy later on in life, where he made his way behind enemy lines by parachute. During his time as a spy if Gerbner saw a Nazi he was ordered to kill them and that's what sparked his curiosity which lead to the cultivation theory. As a student at the University of Pennsylvania Gerbner conducted a study of how the television influences humans and his results fascinated him. Gerbner would soon come to create what we know today as the cultivation theory. The cultivation theory is an hypothesis created by Gerbner that television influences individuals thoughts and ideas of reality. His hypothesis also states that over time due to repetition of repeated visuals on television it can lead people to reprieve things that are not true as being common reality.

In the Cultivation Theory video of John Oliver explaining torture, we can easily understand how it is an example of cultivation theory. John Oliver discusses how if a human were to continually watch repeated acts of violence on television, such as news reports, that they are more likely to become scared of their environment and alter their idea of what common reality is. This is known as Mean World Syndrome. Oliver stresses that because a majority of what we see on television is violence or torturous acts that occur people have created false ideas that the world we live in today is a bad place. This is exactly what Gerbner was trying to get at when he developed the cultivation theory.

Sun Flower Seed #2: Moral Panic

Many of us have seen moral panic but not all of us know what it means. Moral panic is a fear that something is threatening society. Karen Sternheimer the author of Media Phobia talks about moral panic and its relationship to parents. "These and hundreds of other stories nationwide imply that the media are a threat to children, and more ominously, that children are subsequently a threat to the rest of us" stated Sternheimer. Parents are often the creators of moral panic because they feel as though they must protect their kids. We firmly witnessed this is class with both the Dungeons and Dragon panic and the "Momo Challenge". 

Dungeons and Dragons began to become a moral panic because one person who played it went missing and instead of finding the exact reason for his disappearance they linked it to the game he had begun playing, Dungeons and Dragons. The media had released that he had been playing that game and it left all the parents in a freak to protect their children by not allowing their children to play the game. This is an example of moral panic because the game itself had no threat to society but because of the media and parental influence the fear became real and spun out of proportion. There was absolutely no correlation between the game and the missing player. The "Momo Challenge" was also a similar incidence "Momo" a Japanese sculpture hit social media and almost instantly evolved into moral panic. People had begun a rumor that "Momo" was out to get their kids which was absolutely not the case. Media also got a hold on to the talk of  "Momo" and begun to warn parents about children's access to the threat that "Momo" was linked to and discussed how if children were watching Youtube "Momo" might make an unannounced appearance. This was all exaggerated fear because "Momo" is just a sculpture but because of parents fearing for their children's safety it evolved into something much bigger than it ever should of. Moral panic is a real thing but its only real if we let it exist. 

Sun Flower Seed #1 : Timothy Caulfield

In Timothy Caulfield’s interview The Cult of Celebrity there are three very important points he discusses. Caulfield begins by talking about how children thoughts of what they want to be when they grow up has shifted. Children used to desire to be astronauts and vets but now they want to be celebrities, singers, sports stars, and dancers. Another very important thing Caulfield addresses is media. Caulfield believes that media has been the cause to why children have a desire to seek these new professions. In his interview Caulfield states points like the value of celebrity has begun increasing and that people now want to be social media famous which has lead to our youth's change in career choices. These two points are very important because they go hand and hand.Children have begun to notice media more and more and because of their age they are blind to the actual chance they have of becoming a celebrity or singer. They just simply don't see how unrealistic these dreams are. The last important point that Caulfield discusses is how people are bad at accessing their talent. In his interview Caulfield talks about his tryout for American Idol. During his tryout Caulfield discovered that the contestants genuinely thought they were talented but not everyone there was. 

Furthermore, when Caulfield talks about how people are bad at accessing their talent it ties in closely with our reading earlier this week, Celebrity Culture Viewpoints. The article Celebrity Culture Viewpoints discuss how a celebrity is someone that is actively seeking to be a celebrity. While having fame on the other hand “is something one earns--through talent or achievement of one kind or another.” These individuals that Caulfield has observed during his American Idol Audition are blinded by the eyes of bliss that they create an illusion that they have a true singing talent. Caulfield recognizes this right away and states in his interview that these people think that their so called talent will bring them fame but that’s not the case because they have none. They also believe that their so called singing talent (that most of them do not have) will change their lives and social situation but the truth is without a talent or achievement there is no way this will happen. Caulfield saids in his interview that for some of those who where auditioning for American Idol that, “celebrity was their vehicle to happiness.” This is the most important point Caulfield makes because people now a days are so driven by material things and the desire to be seen in the public eye that they forget what really matters and that being a celebrity isn’t everything its cracked up to be. They almost think like stated in Celebrity Culture Viewpoints that being a celebrity is the closest thing to god on earth.