The topic of my research paper is to discuss and extract the causes and consequences that the media has on the stereotype of athletes, Hispanics, and college students in our modern culture. For my research paper, I plan on interviewing either a collegiate athlete, college professors, or a Hispanic college student, if not all of them. One student athlete that I would love to interview is Myron Rolle, an F.S.U. Football defensive back who graduated as a Junior and was awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. It would be to get his perspective on the Dumb Jock Stereotype. Another person I would like to Interview is Dr. Billy Close, a current F.S.U. Professor and former F.S.U. student athlete. I would like to see how he stands on this stereotype since he has experience both aspects of the argument. To interview a Hispanic student athlete would be a great contribution for my research paper as well. Some questions I would ask include:
Where do you think the student athlete/dumb jock stereotype derives from?
Do you believe that student athletes get treated equally to their non-athletic counterparts? And if so, in a positive or negative way?
Do you believe that student athletes who perform in the class room as well as on the field get a bad rap due to other student athletes that fulfill the dumb jock stereotype?
For the professors and non athletic student who have a negative perception of student athletes, is their negative perception of jealousy of their own athletic inabilities?
Why is it that Hispanics are the largest minority in the United States and yet are under –represented in the media?
Can their lack of media misrepresentation be because of the language barrier?
Why is it that the few Hispanic characters represented in motion media have specific and negative stereotypical characteristics?
As a college student (or former college student), what was the ratio in percentage between the time you spent in scholarly work and partying?
What role did the school’s party reputation have in choosing to attend F.S.U.?
Are these stereotypes fair?

Fraternity interviews

I was thoroughly impressed with how well my interviews came out. My original plan was to interview only fraternity members and they pretty much reiterated everything that I have said already. It was the people I interviewed in my dorm that weren’t in a fraternity. Their responses to my questions were all diverse because they all have different opinions of fraternities because they’ve either had different experiences with fraternities or they believe in all these different stereotypes in the fraternities. I also interviewed my dad who went here to Florida State University, but never went Greek and he had some interesting opinions that he shared with me. Of course I had to interview my mother so that she wouldn’t feel left out , but she kind of just talked about my fraternity and how she loves that I’m involved with them. Anyway my interviews did broaden my horizons on the topics I should cover because since I’ve been involved with the fraternity my perceptions have changed and I’ve forgotten the stereotypes that I used to hold over fraternities so much. So in other words these interviews brought about those old stereotypes that I had lost from being in my fraternity.

Interview Results !

I am happy to say that my interviews were extremely successful. The results of the responders provided me with a lot of information, insight, and made my mind think of new and interesting topics. First I interviewed 10 "average" Americans. Five of the participants were my friends( college students) and the other five were my parents and their friends. I took Kacie's advise and interviewed people from different generations just to see if the results were different. From this survey I gained the knowledge as to what the average American thinks of the stereotypical family. All of them, no matter what age, described the stereo-typical nuclear family. They said 2 parents, kids, a dog, all living in the suburbs. They even described details such as the bread-winning father and the stay at home mother. Jonathan Donnelly included extreme detail like "there must be homemade apple pie on the table at all times." I found this interesting because the media has painted such a vivid image in our heads as to what American families are. When the participants were asked to describe their own family,not one of them matched the stereo-typical nuclear family presented in programs such as Leave It to Beaver. Their families were extremely diverse, including divorce, gay parents, step fathers, grandparents as their guardians. This proved even more how the "real" American family has changed through out time. My second interview was with family therapist Beth Ridgeway. The results from her interview were extremely helpful and useful as well. She said that families are in constant transition and have changed dramatically since the 1950's. For example two decades ago most American households included children, today kids are in just 38 % of homes. She also told me about the common problems in American households. One of them is that the wife spends too much money and another is couples fight when there children do not succeed. This led me to research sitcoms that depict "dysfunctional" families. Married With Children presents both of these problems crystal clear, and Americans enjoy to laugh at them. These interviews were extremely helpful and led me to come up with a variety of new topics to research.

Gat-noles? Semi-tors? o_O

Possible People I May Interview

I wouldn’t mind getting as many people’s views as possible. I sort of need the perspective of a lot of people to get an idea of why they feel stereotyped against or feel like stereotyping students at UF. If at all possible, I wouldn’t mind interviewing a few UF students as well. Possible people would include:

Laymon Hicks (current student body president)
Geno Hill (my roommate)
Random student on Landis
Jon Starr (UF Student)
Jordan Loar (UF Student)

Just to name a few…The president might give some insight on to what the rest of the student body thinks or feels. Geno is a longtime friend and could give me some straight answers. Random students could provide some useful info and insight as to how the felt with there choice in coming to FSU, whether or not it was the right choice for them, and how they view our neighboring universities. Then I could learn a little from the opposite side of the fence and ask the same things to people I know at UF.

Interviews might start out a little like this.
1) What are the coolest college colors?
2) How do you feel about choosing (your college)?
3) Did you feel any outside influence while picking your respective college from other people? How did they influence your decision?
4) What are some general college stereotypes you feel come from living in this environment, where Universities are constantly in a state of competition?
5) Does rivalry affect you/or your community?
6) Does your family have history with any University? Did you feel as if you inherited the rivalries?
7) What kinds of things do you think a good school should be judged on?
8) Is this all just fun and games or do we really take on the view that the people at (opposite college) are bad people?
9) What sorts of emotions arise from you when you think about the other school?
10) Where do you think these stereotypes came from and why?

Interviews...

My topic is about the stereotypes of homosexuals in film and how they have had an effect on the way society views them. So, it is only appropriate that I should interview people that are active in the Gay Community and have a knowledgeable view on the subject of how stereotypes act in the real world. Naturally, my first thought is to find people who are in clubs such as The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Student Union right here on campus. Within this group, there is a program meant specifically to provide a “Safe Zone” for such individuals, and the coordinator’s name is Gail Palo. Given her position in the organization, I’m positive she will be useful in an interview of this kind. Another such member of the Gay Community is Jack Wickam, who is currently attending Macalester College in Minnesota. I’ve also noticed that within the “Youtube Community,” as they call it, I subscribe to several members of this community. If I make a video and send it to these people, they are likely to respond either by message or video response. These are prominent “Youtubers” that have thousands of subscribers and are very open about their sexuality, so I have little doubt they’ll be reserved about the issues they face on a day to day basis. The user names of these individuals are: whatthebuckshow, disneykid1, and tyleroakley.
The ten questions for my interview will likely be some that are, or are very similar to the following:
1) Do you think the way homosexuals are represented in film have an effect on the way society views the community?
2) How do you think the stereotypes have changed?
3) Do you think the situation for homosexuals today has improved or gotten worse in the past 50 years?
4) Have you been offended at a specific representation of homosexuals in film or any media?
5) If so, what exactly was it that offended you?
6) Have you ever been discriminated against because of your sexual orientation?
7) What’s the most common stereotype that you encounter?
8) Do you find these stereotypes to be a pressing issue, or something that will pass in time?
9) Did California's Proposition 8, Florida's Proposition 2, and Arizona's Proposition 102 in this past election change or strengthen your views in any way?
10) What do you think can be done?

Interviews on stereotypes

My research paper is about racial stereotypes in the television show Family Guy. I have been thinking about interviewing some people for my paper. I want to interview a fan of the show, someone who might be offended by stereotypes, and someone who finds the show offensive. I think that someone who was a fan of the show would provide an interesting point of view. They would definitely be more bias to defending the show. But they may find the stereotypical jokes to be not as funny as other ones. I want to interview someone who is offended by stereotypes because that would give me a little perspective. Then I could ask them if they have ever seen the show and been offended by a stereotype on it. One person that I definitely want to interview is Dan Harris. I want to interview someone that dislikes the show and finds it offensive because it would really open my eyes. I really enjoy Family Guy and do not see a problem with the show, but this person that dislikes it would help me to be a little less biased towards the show.
1. What do you like (or dislike) most about Family Guy?
2. What is your favorite type of humor used in the show?
3. Has the show ever offended you?
4. Would you say that the show uses a lot of stereotypes?
5. If these stereotypes were about you, would you be offended?
6. Do you believe stereotypes depicted on the show are true?
7. How offensive do you think others perceive the show to be?
8. If the show no longer used stereotypes, would it be any better/worse?
9. What would you say concerning the stereotypes used and if you would still use them if you were the show’s creator?
10. In general, do you find stereotypes offensive?

Darletha Destine 360

Being that my paper is about stereotypes of black relationships in film I would direct my first interview to someone (particularly African American) in the theater school on campus. I believe that since this is somewhat their focus they could give a helping hand and some insight into my topic. I would also interview a member of an organization we have on campus called the Black Actors Guild. I would specifically ask them what made them aspire to act and how they feel about the films and shows that are being released and how they are portraying black relationships. I would also actually like to interview several black couples. Im currently not in one : ) and I would like for them to compare and contrast their relationship to those represented in the media.
My questions would go a little something like this:
1.Do you think that black relationships are accurately portrayed to the media?
2.Are black actors simply not given roles with more depth or are the producers and writers responsible for not making better films?
3. Do you feel that black relationships are shown as being intimate? Or do they tend to be a little more violent,physical and shallow?
4. Does the portrayal of these relationships, in your opinion, have an influence on the actual community?
5. Would you agree that the lack of black married couples getting exposure in the media results in the youth not having an example of marriage in their lives?
6. Is Tyler Perry helping with this situation or is he somewhat hurting it with his comedies. Is there a balance?
7. How many black couples (not will and jada or beyonce and jayz) can you actually think of who are married?
8. Are there, in your opinion any shows being televised that do black relationships justice?
9. Who do you feel is responsible? The writers, directors, producers, actors for accepting the roles, or the audience for responding to it?
10. With the election of President Obama into office will this be what black America needed to have a positive example of a black family in the media?
11. Is my paper gonna be boss or what????!! ;)

Fraternities

Well because I am writing my paper on stereotypes in fraternities I figured I would interview some of the brother’s in my fraternity and even though I am not sure who I am going to interview yet I have a choice of over ninety people so I won’t have difficulty finding people to interview. And the obvious reason for interviewing brothers in my fraternity is because they know first hand, like me, that the stereotypes of fraternities in the media are way off and that those stereotypes come from fraternities that are now probably off campus of FSU meaning they were kicked off for being caught doing illegal things. Individually though I think the answer’s I get back will be different because everyone has their own opinion of this topic, because at times yes, some stereotypes can be true, but at other times they are way off and some brothers have been around longer and their opinions will vary depending on how educated they are with experience. For example some brother’s were around when my fraternity was really bad and we had to drop brothers so we wouldn’t be in danger of getting kicked off campus. But all in all I believe their answers will be unchanged in the fact that the stereotypes are wrong of fraternities.

Since my topic is high school cliques, and more specifically “Girl World” and female aggression, I think that the type of interviewees who would add the most insight into my paper would be teenage girls, or people who were recently in high school. Their opinions and stories about cliques in their own high schools, and what they have seen in the media, would give a personal feel to the way high school – or even middle school – really was. They did not need to conduct scientific research to know how things worked, to know how groups were divided, and how these groups saw each other. I would interview both guys and girls – maybe someone from my dorm – to get a good idea and range of opinions.
If I were to interview a professional on the matter, I would probably go to the Psychology department and talk to an expert in social or child psychology. The social psychologist would be able to give a broad range of information on the way groups interact, in general, while a child psychologist could narrow the focus to the specific age group.
As I am planning on interviewing students rather than adults, as I have a number of peer-reviewed journal resources for expert opinions, here are some questions that I would ask teenagers about the cliques in their school.

1. First of all, how would you define a “clique?”
2. When you think of cliques, do you only think of girls, and especially popular girls? Or do you put other groups of people into categories as well?
3. If you have seen the movie Mean Girls, you probably know the expression “Queen B” and “teen royalty.” Did any of particular girl, or groups of kids, fall into these categories? What did you think of them? Did everyone (or anyone) have a positive opinion about them?
4. Do you believe that by dividing groups into cliques, that they provide a sense of structure to the scary, disorganized world of high school?
5. Do you think cliques lead more to popularity, or to ostracism?
6. Have you ever heard a lecture, talk to an expert, or read anything on people working against cliques?
7. Do you think the idea of female aggression – less physical, more emotional – is what actually leads to the forming of cliques?
8. What is your opinion on the idea of the “wannabes,” or a misfit clique? Do you think it’s good for kids who may not be popular to form their own group for acceptance?
9. After leaving high school and coming to college, do you feel like cliques still exist after high school?
10. Do you have any stories about cliques from your high school that you would like to share?

Why hello there pink panther would you like some applesauce?

My topic is the stereotype of a hero, im doing more of a investigative report. I will interview my friend Bruno who happens to be lifegaurd, My mom, and my little cousin Madison who is around 10 years old (give or take 8,760 hours, I really dont know how old she is). I will interview the lifeguard because I want to know weather he has ever considered himself a hero, if anybody has called him a hero, if hes ever felt heroic in the line of duty, what he would have to do to consider himself a hero, and if the whole saving lives things is a reason he took the job. I will ask my mom who were the heros in her life and why, and who she consideres a hero, and ask her what it takes to be a hero. I will then ask a person from a different generation aka Madison the same questions as my mother and then I will proceed to compare and contrast just like the FCAT taught me. I will use these testimonies and varying opinions to derive meaninful insights which I can use in my paper to make whoever is reading my paper believe whatever I want. BUT, im not trying to brainwash people, at least not this time... My goal at the end of the paper is to have THE GUIDELINE FOR HERO STATUS (said in a big ultra cool voice).

Greek Life Interviews

Want to be greek? There are four different forms of national greek organizations. Interfraternity Council (typically white male fraternities), National Panhellenic Conference (typically white female fraternities), National Pan-Hellenic Council (African American fraternities and sororities), and the Multicultural Greek Council (fraternities and sororities of a mixture of nationalaties). I am thinking about writing my paper on just the IFC and the National Panhellenic Conference, but researching what it is like to not be white and be accepted or not accepted into these fraternities, and also what it is like to be homosexual in these typically straight communities. Furthermore, is hazing worse for those who are different in these greek organizations when you are accepted but different.

I am thinking of interviewing a couple people in Greek life and some who are not involved in these organizations and what their input is on the situation and how the media portrays these groups of college students.

1. Jerrell, he is one of my good friends in one of the IFC fraternities, he is african American and homosexual and has agreed to particapate :)
2. Laurie, a friend in one of the National Panhellenic Conference Sororities
3. Brae, my roommate not affliated with a sorority
4. My mom, a sorority almunae
5. Corinne, a friend who pledged a National Panhellenic Conference sorority and dropped from pledging.
6. Hunter, a co-worker who is a brother of an IFC fraternity.

10 questions I will ask:
1. What is your perception of Greek life versus how the media portrays it?
2. Do you believe most gay/lesbian greek members will keep their sexuality a secret because they believe they will be ostracized by their "sisters" or "brothers"?
3. Do you think the stereotype of fraternities is accurate?
4. Do you think the stereotype of sororities are accurate?
5. What first comes to your mind to the word sorority/fraternity?
6. Why did you decide to rush/not rush?
7. What is your input/opinion on hazing (anything that shows the difference between a sister/brother and a pledge)?
8. What do you think the disadvantages of Greek life are?
9. What do you think are the advantages of Greek life are?
10. Would you accept challenges/hazing for acceptence into the sorority/fraternity? Why or why not? What does it mean to you?

get your pen & paper ready!!!

1. Dr. Schwabe - Social Problems Professor

I would like to interview Dr. Schwabe because she has an interesting view on how marijuana affects people. She shares the belief that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol, and essentially less harmful than peanut butter (because of high peanut allergies). She also knows people who smoke marijuana that are productive members of society.

2. John - Vice President of SSDP

John has great experience in the field of dealing with people who smoke marijuana. He has been to a National Conference where most people lobbying for change smoke marijuana. I've learned a lot from him about marijuana reform, and I think he would have a lot of information to provide.

3. Lauryn  - President of SSDP

Lauryn is a potential candidate for Medical Marijuana, if she lived in a state where Medical Marijuana was allowed she would receive it. She has stomach problems which are soothed by marijuana. She would provide the non-recreational aspect of my paper.

4. Matthew - President of NORML

He would be great to interview because he is faced with stoner stereotypes on a daily basis. Being President of NORML comes with a certain social stigma. He would be perfect to interview because he could tell me first hand how these stereotypes affect him. 

Questions:

1. What is the most popular "stoner stereotype" you have heard?

2. How do you think these stereotypes affect a person's view of marijuana?

3. What do you think about the D.A.R.E. program?

4. Have you ever smoked marijuana? If so, what were your SAT/ACT scores?

5. Do you know the dangers of alcohol to your body compared to those of marijuana?

6. How do you feel about the drug marijuana?

7. What do you think about anti-marijuana movies such as: Marihuana, Assassins of Youth, and Reefer Madness?

8. Have you seen the AbovetheInfluence Stoners in the Mist campain? What do you think about it?

9. Do you have any ideas for alternatives to the D.A.R.E. program?

10. Did you know that Bill Gates and Carl Sauer (the guy who calculated the temperature of Venus) smoke marijuana?

Typical American Family?

I will be researching and analyzing how American families are portrayed in the media. I will study how the image of families in the media has changed over time. I will distinguish the difference between regular families and those in the media. I also plan to describe the difference between American families and those from other countries. For my interviews I hope to find out what regular people think the stereotypical American family consists of. 

I will interview Shane Connelly, Sean Gantner, Jonathan Donnelly, Elen Baglierie, Kristen Antle, Bianca Osorio, Rebecca Poe, Sean Simpson, Paulina Crownwell, and Heather Harris.

All of these people are from different races and ethnicities. I believe this will lead me to accurate results about what the general public thinks about American family stereotypes in the media.

These are the questions that I will ask...

1. What is your idea of the stereotypical American family?

2. Would you prefer to watch shows such as Family Guy and The Simpsons or shows like the Brady Bunch?

3. How do you think American families differ from those in other countries?

4. Describe your own family.

5. Do you think that the typical American family has changed over time?

6. Do you think that it is entertaining to watch shows about disfunctional families such as The Simpsons?

7. Do you find the show Family Guy offensive?

8. Do you think that your own family is similar to The Brady Bunch or The Simpsons?

9.Is your family similar to your friends families?

10. What is your race/ethnicity?

Along with asking the genera public those questions, I will also interview Beth Ridgeway who is a family/marriage psychologist. I will ask her the questions above, along with a few extra questions.

-How are the families that you consult different from families in the programs like The Brady Bunch and The Stepford Wives?

-What are common problems that families are faced with today?

Potential Interviews

For my paper on Drug and Alcohol use by celebrities, movies, and television, interviews would definitely be a good insight to help me to write my paper. One person that I could interview is my Dad. He works for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in the narcotics section. He catches people who deal drugs illegally and puts them in jail. I could ask him questions such as: What type of devastation do you see drugs do to individuals? How about their family? What long term effects do you see drugs do to people? What is the most common way for you to catch someone dealing drugs? Are there usually more than one person involved in the dealing process? Do you see that people using drugs in the media is similar to everyday people using drugs? What made you decide to go into this field of work? Does it take a lot of time before you can actually arrest someone for dealing drugs? How many officers are usually undercover for a drug bust? Do you usually bust more guys or girls? Are the people you bust usually drug users themselves, or do they just deal?
I could also interview some of my friends to get their perspective of how they think the media portrays the use of drugs and alcohol. I can see if their view is similar to mine, or if they are completely opposite. Questions I could ask them are: Do you think media portrays alcohol and drugs positively or negatively? What examples do you have to support this? Do you think that celebrities drink or do drugs to show class status or to look glamorous? Do you think that the media would still be popular without presentation of drugs and alcohol? Do you think the use of drugs and alcohol is over exaggerated in the media? Do you know of any celebrities that participate in campaigns against drug and alcohol use? What are some consequences you know that come with drug and alcohol use? What percentage of celebrities do you think use drugs? Do you think a celebrity’s location (Ex: NY or LA) influences their drug and alcohol use? Do you think that less teenagers would use drugs and alcohol if it was not so heavily used in the media?

Potential Interviews

I think that interviews may be intimidating, however are a great addition to a research report on a particular subject. My paper is focusing on stereotypes of female adolescents in television programs, so who better to interview than young women? One of my potential contacts would be a close girlfriend, who regularly watches teen television shows. I think having a person who may not be an expert but has a strong opinion or view of how television portrays young females can be reliable in the sense that what is shown in the media affects its viewers. I want my second contact to be someone who has basic knowledge of self-image of teenagers, so I would like to interview my psychology professor from last semester. Although she may not have specific knowledge about female adolescent stereotypes, she may have insight as to how these stereotypes mentally influence young viewers. My third potential interview is still in the works, however I am thinking of using a parent as my last source. I think this would add yet another perspective to my research paper because parents may have a completely different view on teen stereotypes on T.V., or that adults actually create some of these stereotypes. My ten questions are as follows: 1) What do you think is the most common misconception about teenage girls? 2) How do you think shows like Gossip Girl or shows on MTV portray stereotypes about female teenagers? 3) (For parent) Do you allow your teenagers to watch these kinds of shows? 4) Do you think stereotypes about teen pregnancies could be true? 5) As women, how are you affected by the stereotype that young women are irresponsible when it comes to sex? 6) Why do you think these shows that distort reality of teenage girls are so popular (ex. Gossip Girl) 7) Do you think these stereotypes have changed in recent years? 8) What do you think are the most well known stereotypes regarding teenage girls? 9) Do you think television networks will ever stop portraying these stereotypes? 10) How do you think these shows are affecting young girls who watch them?

Oh, Those College Students

Hey, what do all FSU and UF students have in common? They ALL got accepted to Florida State!

Im sure you have all heard this joke. If you haven't, its not a new one. There are many stereotypes and I feel that they are all-inclusive, unavoidable and cliché. It just fits in with human nature. In an environment full of worldly views, societies have made them up. Groups have invented them about other groups. Peoples have joked with them about other peoples. Some stereotypes are based on truth while others distort reality.
The fact is, some people find them offensive and thats where it starts to cause a problem. So what better place to research them, than a college university...LIKE FLORIDA STATE!!! Its an environment full of wordly views and where stereotypes are commonplace. More specifically i am going to tackle the rivalry between UF and FSU students. This is just a window view into my experience with picking Florida State.
I am going to be completely honest with you. Before I applied here I used to think that FSU was just an average university campus with tons of average students that just never made it into UF for reasons like, admissions is harder to get into UF. There is some truth to this, but I really have to say, just because admissions at UF is harder, it doesn't make it better. I find that UF, is not a bad school, but its just not geared to what people, like me want to do with there lives. Each school has their strengths and weaknesses. UF's main attention is focused on engineering, while FSU can help you in other specialties such as medicine business and biology. You can't say that either or is more of a party school than the other, even if there is a poll out there that says that UF is the number one party school in the nation. College is a new beginning with different people who will influence your life more than anyone ever did in high school, and if you have the discipline to engage yourself and,at least limit yourself to the distractions, you can achieve lots and lots!
Here is my personal oppinion of FSU. It has a campus that is in tip-top shape and there are tons of new research facilities and even more friendly, helpful, and just straight up GREAT people. I LOVE FSU. Now I think some one could say the same thing about UF, but would that make them more correct than me. Maybe...but its all just an oppinion.
I guess the whole point I want to get across is, just because a school is more talented in football, or has a higher standard to get in, doesn't mean they are better. In fact, there are tons of things that FSU is better than UF. Their track team just got done being the NATIONAL CHAMPIONS three times in a row, and they are close to doing it again this year. FSU has the highest rate of African-Americans graduating than any other school in the nation. These are just a few examples of things you can say about FSU, but one shouldn't put a friend down over it. It is ok to lose your pride over the people you care about, but it is not ok to lose the people you care about over pride. I think that all those kids who are going to there respected colleges will relish there experiences but there is a line that needs to be drawn when you think something is superior than the other, especially when all you know is very little. Don't be ignorant. Do the research and you will go far! And always remember to uphold failures. You can really learn much more from failure than you can ever learn from success. And one more thing. GO NOLES!!

Southern Men

For my paper i am thinking about doing on the stereotypes of southern men in film. Just like all other stereotypes a group is made out to be all the same, in this case southern men are made out to be dumb hicks in movies like Forrest Gump and My Cousin Vinny. But after looking around the web at different blogs my results were mixed. When i first looked up blogs of southern white men i found most people supporting my claim that southern men are stereotyped as hateful people who say offensive things like in this blog http://choptensils.blogspot.com/2008/08/on-stereotypes-my-own.html

for no other reason then what they have come to expect out of these men. I think like other stereotypes its unfair to categorize southern men this way. Another blog that i visited dealt with old fashioned stereotypes about what a southern man "should" be like and while this is a little more extreme case of the masculinity that the average man must deal with it still applies to points i will be focusing on in my research paper. http://books.google.com/books?id=PqWR2y-FKfYC&pg=PA114&lpg=PA114&dq=stereotypes+of+southern+men&source=bl&ots=qe795OAv_E&sig=aW3LeV_mTu2rYL-MPieGJmbWmtE&hl=en&ei=uw-RScTnINe4twf4zeTQCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result

I am very interested to see some of the things i may have missed in the movies i will be watching since the first time around i did not really focus much on teh stereotypes that may have been present.

Woahhhhh duddddeeeeee

For my research paper I plan to uncover the truth of "stoner" stereotypes in film/music/media. People who smoke marijuana in movies are portrayed as lethargic, up to no good, and a disgrace to society. I believe this general accusation to be incorrect. I smoke marijuana and I am very productive, and for the most part I keep up with my tasks. My GPA is right up there with the top of the class, and I am in the Honors Program at our school. So to the stoner stereotype I say, PFFT. One blog I came across was: http://forum.grasscity.com/general/302573-fuck-stoner-stereotype.html. This blog was completely opinion based on one person's point-of-view. There are no records and no name was given so the reader cannot be sure that the blogger is not exaggerating his achievements. But if the blogger did not lie about his GPA then it shows that people CAN smoke marijuana AND be productive. Following the first post in the blog there are 18 other comments with all but 3 attesting to their good grades and high GPA's. This blog does not allow you to comment unless you have an account with the website. Another blog I found was: http://marijuanacannabis.wordpress.com/tag/politics/. I read the second piece titled "The Dogmata of a Plant". This blog seems more reliable because it is not one kid's opinion on a random message board. This blogger used detailed and embellished language to get his point across. This blog also required an account to leave a comment on the blog. The website I came across was: http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/93253. This website seemed the most legitimate. It had quotes from government websites, etc. This article was actually published in the national magazine High Times. This was my favorite article because it took the government’s propaganda and slapped it in their face. This blog points out some of the misinformed “facts” that appear on some of the government sponsored websites. All of these blogs/articles were very helpful on my quest for righting the wronged stereotypes of “stoners”.

Dumb Jocks???

Everyone has heard the stereotypes about the air headedness of the jock and "bimbo" population. According to films, T.V. sitcoms, and news shows, many athletes tend to be portrayed as air headed Greek god-like people who only serve the purpose of being complete assholes and put points on the score boards. Many athletes are seen as stupid people who are allowed more tolerance on academic activities and feel superior towards everyone else. Many movies portray student athletes as just athletes that take snooze classes just to get by with a C and just make the grade in order to be eligible to perform on the field.
However, many people don’t realize that much of the time, there is a strong correlation between athletics and high performances in the classroom. Study halls and mandatory study hours actually propel athletes to succeed in the classroom contrary to the stereotypical idea that they had someone cheat for them in order to make the grade.
Many teenage based movies hype up the stereotypical characteristics associated with athletes. The news media is another enforcer of this stereotype seeing as when a riot breaks out in a college campus, it headlines the national news but when an athlete makes the All-Academic and the All-American teams in the same year, the news is just a quick news flash that airs for a whole eight seconds.

Family Guy

So far the topic that I am leaning towards for the research paper is the TV show Family Guy. This show catches a lot of “heat” because the jokes that it uses are, in some cases, found to be offensive. The show has been around for quite a while. After its first few seasons, it stopped making new episodes and reruns were just shown on TV. But now Family Guy is back in business with episodes on FOX at 9pm Sunday nights.
I found a few blogs on the net about Family Guy but most were pretty outdated. One, dated May 5th of last year, talked about the deal that FOX made with Family Guy. It talked about how FOX and the show’s creator, Seth Mcfarlane, had been under negotiations for two years about this deal. The blog says that the deal is expected to eclipse the 100 million dollar mark. Mcfarlane makes other shows like American Dad and the Cleveland Show, which were in the deal also. I would like to think that this information is reliable, but I’m not sure. To verify the information found in this blog I could check other websites and news. Fox.com would probably have some information on it, even though the story is pretty old.
I checked MSNBC.com and they have a story about the deal. They provide much of the same information that was in the blog. Their story is much longer than the blog is though. They also go into much greater detail than the blog does.

"Keep It Gay, Keep It Gay, Keep It Gay..."

For my research paper, I’m considering looking into the stereotypes that are portrayed in “The Producers,” the 2005 version that came out on DVD. This production was originally a play and the first film featuring it came out in 1968 and was written by Mel Brooks. Here I’ve found both approving and disapproving reviews in the form of blogs, though I tend to agree much more with the ones that found the film to be comical, rather than dull. On this blog: http://clashofthetitans.wordpress.com/2008/02/06/the-producers-1968/ , the author describes the original 1968 film to be funny and entertaining, whereas the author of this review: http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/The-Producers-2005-1279.html claims to have loved the original film and felt the newer version was simply a disaster. This thread: http://sulatkaisipan.wordpress.com/2006/07/27/trivia-for-the-producers/ also commented on the humorous nature of the film saying that “if you enjoy musicals and are aching for a feel-good movie then this comedy will make your day.” None of these however, address the real point at hand. They merely summarize the films rather than analyze them, which I plan to do myself. From what I can remember of the 2005 version of the film, every single character is a stereotype of some kind, and each is exaggerated immensely. Max Bialystock, for example, is a slimy Broadway producer with no morals or consideration for anyone else, at least in the beginning. Leo Bloom is a socially-inept accountant that is nervous all the time. Franz Liebkind is the only German on the set, so he obviously loves Hitler. These are only a few examples of the stereotypes presented in the film; I’ll also be discussing the topic of homosexuality’s portrayal in the film in my paper. I believe I’ll end up looking at the differences between the original version of the film and the newer version, contrasting them, and figuring out why they differ in certain ways based on the audience of the time.

ENC1102-39 Spring 2009: Ghetto Lovestory???

ENC1102-39 Spring 2009: Ghetto Lovestory???

Ghetto Lovestory???

The year 2009 is truly going to be a year of change. Besides the impact that our president is going to make on the economy, and overseas, and taxes and all that, he will also be making a HUGE impact on the way black couples are portrayed in the media. Before Obama and his lovely wife Michelle stepped into the spotlight, there really was not a black couple that represented all the aspects that they represent. Here is a man and woman, who are successful, driven, they are great parents and so genuinely in love. And whats the best part is that they are BLACK. In the media black relationships have usually been depicted as violent, unstable, scandalous and lacking intimacy. Think about The Notebook. Its one of the most loved romance stories in our culture and it truly is a a beautiful movie about two young people and their summer love. However I couldnt think of one movie that is similar to The Notebook, played by black characters. Black movies fall under the same 3 categories: Bio, Violence/Action, and good old comedy. Which is fine because that is part of our community, good or bad. However the world doesnt get to witness that in all actuality there are black couples who are very intimate, romantic, committed, and very much in love. I looked at a few blogs and one that caught my attention was the posting of a list of a womans favorite 15 black famous couples. The list was good to see because its rare that black couples are actually recognized (aside from Jay-Z and Beyonce, Chris & Rihanna) and at the end the blogger made a great observation: only 3 of the listed couples were actually married. Even Oprah and Stedman are not married. Its my belief that the lack of romance in black relationship portrayals does have an influence on the society as a whole because people dont ever aim for more than a baby momma or daddy. This is a lot to think about!


bandugn1955.wordpress.com/2009/02/07/the-top-15-black-celebrity-couples/#1comment

Manhattan Teen Stereotypes on Gossip Girl

I have a couple topics I am considering for my research paper. My biggest idea follows the stereotypes portrayed in Gossip Girl, a current teen drama on the CW. The most obvious stereotype in this weekly drama revolves around its cast of extremely wealthy minors. For viewers who have no idea what Manhattan teenagers are really like, it gives off a huge stereotype that the average Upper East Side Manhattan teens are very arrogant and wealthy, have no real consequences in their lives, are allowed to publically drink under-aged, and have parents that are ignorant socialites. My goal for this paper is to find the truth within this stereotype. These stereotypes about these alleged NYC teen socialites may very well be fairly accurate or could be extremely false.

I went to wordpress.com to search for blogs relating to this particular subject, and found a more specific stereotype relating to the typical Yale student. During one episode, Gossip Girl’s cast distorted not only the admissions process of Yale, but its current students. This episode created a stereotype that teenagers, regardless of their academics or personal responsibility could simply receive admission to an Ivy League school like Yale so long as they have money and manipulation to back them up.

It is difficult to tell if the information found on blogs is factual or opinion-based. The only real way to find out is to properly research the topic, not go searching for truth on blog postings, which could very well be people’s biased opinions.

http://minaretnews.wordpress.com/2008/10/20/gossip-girl%e2%80%99-plays-on-yale-stereotypes-inaccurately-portrays-campus-life/

Greek Life Stereotypes

I am choosing to write about the stereotypes portrayed against fraternities in the media. Most people, when they think of fraternities, think about guys al dressed the same in boat shoes and polo’s or other stuff like that. Well yea there are some of use that wear that kind of stuff and I admit I do at times myself, but we don’t all dress up like that. I know plenty of brothers in my fraternity that despise boat shoes and the high khaki shorts. Another stereotype portrayed in the media about fraternities is that we throw these huge keg parties. For example in a new movie that came out not to long ago called College, three high school kids go to a college campus and go to a fraternity party and there are kegs and people doing keg stands and all that good stuff. Well f.y.i. FSU has made it illegal for fraternities to have kegs on their property and if caught you could be kicked off campus so I know we don’t throw keg parties, at the house that is. Finally the last stereotype that isn’t true is that fraternity houses are always a mess. That’s definitely not true. We always want our house to look presentable so we have days where we all have to come to the house and clean. Fraternities always want their houses presentable to any women that come by the house.

The Way Drugs and Alcohol Are Percieved in the Media.

I plan on researching for my next paper, the promotion of drug and alcohol abuse in the media. I plan to research how the media positively influences using drugs or alcohol to fit in or make yourself look “cool” to others. I plan to discuss the misconceptions this presents to the public, and the false ideas the public receives from this phenomenon. The media’s representation of drugs and alcohol hides the negative effects that it can have on one’s relationships, health, appearance, and life.
I looked at a blog that was related to teen drug abuse. The blog explains that more and more teens with depression are resorting to drugs as a form of comfort. Teens see their role model celebrities use drugs to relieve stress or problems, and they think that drugs will calm them and do the same for them. http://www.teendrugabuse.us/
Another blog that I looked at was updating the public with stories of drug or alcohol abuse in the news. A recent story is about the multiple Olympic Gold Medal Winner, Michael Phelps, who was suspended for having a picture with a bong. Many athletes looked up to Phelps for inspiration in achieving goals, but this picture destroys many people’s thoughts of him. Also, a former Cowboys receiver was also arrested for drug and alcohol related issues. http://alcoholism.about.com/b/2009/02/09/alcohol-abuse-in-the-news.htm
The blogs seem to be very credible because many people have posted comments back and forth discussing the topics and telling what they think.
The point that I am trying to make in this research paper, is that the way that media displays drug and alcohol use is not reality. The public needs to know the real disasters that come from using drugs and alcohol.

Greek Life

Greek life. What comes to mind? Fratastic boat shoes, polos, croakies, coozies, hazing, assholes, parties, beer & lots of liquor? Sorority sluts, dumb stuck up blondes, superficial bitches?

Almost every form of multimedia such as tv, movies, etc. give me this impression. But is it real?

Animal house, house bunny, ABC Family's Greek, Revenge of the Nerds, Accepted, Old School, legally blonde....

the list goes on of different forms of greek life media.

I was reading The Lantern which is Ohio State University's student online paper and a journalism major wrote about the positives of Greek life hidden from the stereotype. I agree with the writer. Though I am not greek. I grew up with my entire family being greek. I know the advantages and disadvantages of joining.

While the stereotypes are pushed way beyond the limit I do see some truth behind them. I feel like the stereotype given to students in greek organizations is the everyday common college kid, greek or a GDI, but they label it as greek life because it is a big group of students put together with a name.

So, is the media's perception of greek life legit? I already have an opinion but who knows, maybe this research paper might change my mind.

Mean Girls

I’m currently planning to write my stereotypes in the media paper on high school cliques. I’m going to base the paper off of the movie “Mean Girls”, which was inspired by the book Queen Bees and Wannabees. Basically, the overall argument is that high school cliques, and especially how the “in crowd” is emphasized in the media, ultimately leads to negative results.
In looking up blogs, I basically ran into personal ones… people ranting on about how either high school sucked or how people from high school never change. There was one girl from “Contessa Confessa” that was talking about how she recently joined Facebook, and all the girls she went to high school with started friend requesting her. People still fake their comments on how “noooo, so-and-so hasn’t gained weight” … when they have, or how “so-and-so” has the cutest kids” … when they don’t. Also, people seem to ignore the fact that other people can see “activity” between two people on Facebook, even if the nasty comment they write about someone isn’t meant to be seen. Even though I could comment on her blog, it seems to personal for a completely stranger to do so. I really agree with her though. Some people are just destined to be mentally stuck in high school.

http://contessaconfessa.wordpress.com/2009/02/07/just-like-fcking-high-school/

“Girls Just Want to be Mean” was an article published in New York Times Magazine in February 2002. It covers Rosalind Wiseman’s class, author of Queen Bees and Wannabees, as her students go through Apologies Day. Wiseman knows the Alpha girl dominance a Queen Bee can have over a group, and she knows that not everyone can be everyone’s best friend if she’s going to get chucked out of the popular girl group by doing so.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E5D81E3FF937A15751C0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&&scp=1&sq=Mean%20girls%20and%20the%20new%20movement%20to%20tame%20them&st=cse

Typical American Family

After thinking about which stereotype I would like to focus my next paper on, I came up with a few ideas. I narrowed it down to study the stereotypes of American families. I will look at how families in America are portrayed in a variety of different movies and shows. For example the difference between the Stepford Wives family and the family in Malcom in the Middle. I will also explore the similarities of the "disfunctional middle class families" portrayed in shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy. I decided to search blogs about what people think the stereotypical American family is. One blogger described the average American family as

-Two parents happily married

-Smart, responsible, obeying children

-Living in a friendly suburban neighborhood

-Dog

-White picked fence

This is a common stereotype for American middle class families. This family is a lot like the family in the Brady Bunch. However, most of us know that not every family is like this, especially not anymore. This blog later on describes a certain family that is very disfunctional and has many problems. (Kind of like the family from Weeds). I would consider this source reliable only because I am looking for peoples opinions, not factual information. I was searching newspaper articles and found that majority people view the typical American family as the one described above yet also agree that it is not true for the majority of the country.