In the Media

I know that the media is often criticized for stereotyping. Not all stereotypes are bad. In what ways has the media stereotyped your identity? You are teenagers, but you also identify yourselves by language, ethicity, race, religion, gender, cultural background, native country, or in other ways I have not mentioned. How has your group been depicted in the media? When we say, “the media” we mean popular culture forms such as movies, newspapers, magazines, television shows, advertisements and music (did I miss any?).

How are “you” represented in the media? Please be specific about identity and also about the media you are reflecting on. For example, if you choose a song, specify the artist and the title of the song to support your ideas. If you choose an advertisement, supply a link to it, or supporting information. If you choose a news article, quote part of it, and/or supply a link and credit to the author.

Image Credits: "Parabus Real Hip-Hop" by LiveU4
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/liveu4/134864295/)
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

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Technorati Tags: multicultural, media, identity, popular culture, race, ethnicity, teens, language, heritage, culture, advertisements,

Through Eyes Other than Your Own

I was struck by the notion of “fit” when Stefani wrote in her comments to the last post:

“After reading this passage written by Guillermo Gómez-Peña, I started thinking more deeply about how we are perceived as different things through eyes other than our own. Sometimes the images that other people make of you, don’t really fit what we really are. Because of this, I can say that two things control your identity, how you see yourself and how other see you.”

What is that “fit” or lack of fit about? It seems that sometimes there is a tension between how others perceive us and how we see ourselves. I would like to know more about how that plays itself out in your lives as teenagers. It would be interesting to learn if teens in other countries have similar experiences orif this is unique to being in the United States, being in New York City, or in the multicultural borough of Queens. Hopefully, our Dutch schools in our iEARN Learning Circle will comment here and also our counterparts in Connecticut and Staten Island as well. This blog is open to all.

Technorati Tags: multicultural, Netherlands, Holland, Dutch, iEARN, learningcircle, teens, race, heritage, identity, Connecticut, Staten Island, teenager, teens, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Learning Circle, international,

Who controls your identity?

“Today, eight years after my departure [from Mexico], when they ask me for my nationality or ethnic identity, I can’t respond with one word, since my “identity” now possesses multiple repertoires: I am Mexican but I am also Chicano and Latin Americanl At the border they call me chilango or mexiquillo; in Mexico city it’s pocho or norteño; and in Europe it’s sudaca. The Anglos call me ‘Hispanic’ or ‘Latino,’ and the Germans have, on more than one occasion, confused me with Turks or Italians. My wife Emilia is Anglo-Italian, but speaks Spanish with an Argentine accent, and together we walk amid the rubble of the Tower of Babel of our American post-modernity.”

–Guillermo Gómez-Peña

Guillermo Gómez-Peña causes me think about how one is named, classified and identified by others. Or I maybe I should say misclassified, misidentified, and misnamed by others. Who controls “your” identity?

We are looking forward to reading your responses.
Note for students new to blogging: Although this is the Internet, it is “not” a chat room. We urge you to consider that your readers may come from all parts of the world and it is best to construct clear and thoughtful sentences to express yoursleves.

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Technorati Tags: multicultural, Netherlands, Holland, Dutch, iEARN, learningcircle, race, heritage, identity, Guillermo Gómez-Peña