Blog 10: Gattaca

In the essay “The Man on the Moon” George J. Annas writes that “The New ideal human. The genetically engineered ‘superior’ human, will almost certainly come to represent ‘the other’. If history is a guide, either the humans will view the ‘better’ humans as the other and seek to control or destroy them, or vice versa” (236). Gattaca is a futurist movie about how humans are genetically engineered to be perfect, so they aren’t born with any risks of ever being sick or even at risk of getting some kind of disease. I agree with Annas hypothesis because normal flawed humans beings would view the perfect humans as the other because they would be able to do the things we can’t even do. I sure the government would want to control them, use and bend them for their evil purposes. Then again I think as time goes by they might be a lot more perfect “superior” humans around and they might want turn against us, flawed humans and eliminate us because they might see us as the other and might think of us as incapable of doing every perfect. For example Hitler one of the most horrific devils of his time murdered millions of Jews. I think he felt that the Jews were somehow better than his own so he felt threatened by them; I guess he saw them as his other so he took action. Another example is the inventor of apple, Steve Jobs came out with the iPhone and the iPad, millions of people went crazy trying to obtain these items because I think they felt like the other around others that had these gadgets, so they went out all the way to get it to look superior. In some ways people like Steve Jobs is trying control everyone because he wants everyone to have his gadgets, so he might invent something else to make us nuts. In the movie Gattaca Vincent as a little boy was said to be flawed and he going to die when he thirty. The parents had another son which they had fixed him so he will be perfect in every way. As the movie progressed we see that he tried to be like a Superior human. He pretended to be someone else to get in. Vincent got to go up in space where he wanted to go, but his brother died because he wasn’t perfect forever. Something went wrong with him. Vincent proved that even a flawed human is very capable of anything just like a superior is. We humans are born flawed. We aren’t perfect, but that why each of us is different; we each can do something someone else can’t do. We shouldn’t play god and alter and fix every single flaw because sooner or later we all will get what coming to us. It might be good but it will ultimately defeat the purpose of being human, therefore we’ll be like robots walking around.

Blog 9: Hero "Are we that in need of a Hero"

In the movie Hero we see a perfectly illustrated fascination of what we consider a hero. I think a hero is someone who puts innocent lives first instead of his own, sacrificing himself to save people from dangerous and impossible situations. People come from all different backgrounds, but we as humans weren’t meant to be perfect. Sometimes people choose to live in their own fantasy illusions, when things aren’t so good. We believe what we want to believe, no matter how misguided we may seem. The movie Hero portrays two bums Bernie Laplante and John Bubber, Laplante being the real protagonist who saved the lives of the people on the burning plane and Bubber the homeless guy that pretends to be the hero. In the movie we see how the media portrays a hero and makes him America’s center of attention.

In the movie Hero, Bernie Laplante wasn’t perfect or respectable. He was a man that did everything he could to survive. He didn’t give a dam, but in some ways, he still cared about what his son thought of him. I think he wanted to be there for him, but he kept screwing up.

           Laplante was on his way to pick up his son when his old car broke down and suddenly a plane crashed right in front of him on the bridge. He went down to and opened the door to let the people out and he saved them from burning up. He asked his friend Chick in the bar “What would you say if I ran into a burning plane and saved a bunch of people and risk my life” Chick said that “you wouldn’t do it. It’s a character thing.” I think a hero is someone who would risk his life to save to save others, but I wouldn’t believe Bernie Laplante because he didn’t look like a hero. In the public eyes he wouldn’t be a hero because he isn’t good looking or properly dressed.

          John Bubber this homeless guy who only had his car was driving and he gave Laplante a ride. Laplante told him his story about what had happed at the crash site and he also gave him his one sided shoe since he lost the other side. Later America wanted to know who their Hero was, so I think that Bernie was afraid of coming out and saying that he was the hero who saved those people, then again it was clear that he knew that it was “a character thing” and he didn’t have the looks and charms to be that hero. I think people shouldn’t judge, it’s like the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover.” That’s exactly what people would have done if Bernie had being revealed to America as the real hero. I think that’s more of the reason he kept a low profile.
Gale Gayley the big time reporter was one of victims on flight 104, that crashed, but she wanted to know who saved her. Her television station wanted higher ratings so they offer a million dollars for an exclusive interview with the hero that comes forward. John Bubber came forward, because he had the other side of the shoe.
 
        The media instantly makes a big deal out of him by turning into a celebrity because he was a solider who saved people in Vietnam. John Bubber said “that we are all heroes if you catch us at the right time.” I think he was saying that you have to be where something terrible going to happen to play the hero role. The director made it very convincing that John was the hero all because he looked great and acted the part. Soon John Bubber was idealistic hero we all wanted, because people saw him as well dressed, good looking person who had great hair.
 In today’s society we would look at the news and believe everything they say. In the movie Laplante said that “you can’t believe everything you hear on the news.” Just like the media made it very believable, although we knew that Bernie Laplante was the real hero and John wasn’t, people wouldn’t accept Laplante because he didn’t fit the ideal image of a hero. In the movie his wife said “it’s against his religion to stick his neck out.” 
The media made John into this guy who could do anything. I don’t think it was fair for John to get the credit for been a hero, but in the movie we see that Laplante didn’t want to be in the spot lights. He wanted to be left alone, but he wanted the money so he could help his family, his son.

        We all want a hero in our lives that can save us from this world we live in, full of violent killing, cursing, lies and betrayal, sex and drugs. In the end of the movie John Bubber couldn’t handle lying to people anymore so he wanted to jump off the building to his doom. Then Laplante comes to talk him and save him from jumping off, but then it becomes clear to Gale who’s emotionally attach to Bubber that he isn’t the hero who save her. Then she talks to Laplante who confesses that he was the one who did. But she went along with the story because as reporter she knew that Laplante couldn’t be the hero America dreamed of having. She knew that people out there wouldn’t accept a person like Laplante.

Blog 8: Follow up

     A day I will never forget, I was in high school, going to my next class, the usually up the stairs when this girl wouldn’t let me pass. I didn’t understand the reason why she didn’t let me pass. I guess at the time I was too short and I didn’t dress as good as other students would. I would only get dressed up when I feel like. My mood reflects what I ware and how I feel. Anyways the other days were the same, she kept waiting there all the time and it was the same old song every day. There was only one entrance up to the attic. I didn’t hate her, I didn’t know her, and she kept pissing me off. One day I was heading up the stairs, but I was late to class, so I thought I was in luck, the crazy girl isn’t going to be there and I was going up and she still was there. I guess she was one of those girls that liked to cut class. That same day a guy was in a hurry running down the stairs and I was held there waiting arguing with her when this guy hit her by accident and she fell down the stairs. She was more on the upward position facing down towards me and she took a hard fall. I didn’t give a dam; I left her there because they were no cameras. I went to class as usually.

Blog 8: The Concept of Others

     My other would be my father. He is like a person who doesn’t give a dam what happens. Gets my mom knocked up and then, tries to kill her by chasing around to yard. What I can’t understand is why he drinks all the time and so much. Why is he being controlled by his mom, he gives her all the money he works for. He doesn’t give my mom anything. Locks her in the house all day and limits what she can do and what she can’t. I could never understand why old traditions die hard. I could never be like someone like him. I may look like him and have his genes, but never will I do what he has done. It’s like torture, I can see through my mom’s eyes like it was last week, what hell she has gone through her entire life. Growing up all my life, my father was never there for me. He never came to see how I was doing; he never came at all. He was a couple hours away, but he valued money more than his son’s life. Sometimes I wish I was never born. If I ever have kids I will always be there for them, no matter if the marriage doesn’t work out. Bringing a life into this world is easy, but you’re responsible for that child, no matter what the circumstances are. I can’t and will not be like my father. He is one messed up person, that why I will always hate my families traditions.

Blog 7: Outline and Annonated Bibliography

Thesis: Simon Cowell known for influencing, changing and contributing to mass communication throughout the years.

Simon brought a new kind of competition, American Idol. It’s a singing competition in search of the next best singer. American idol is one the most watch Television series according to Nielsen ratings. Simon along with the other judges of American Idol are responsible for finding and making some of the stars which we know today as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jordan Sparks, Fantasia Burrino, David Cook, Lee DeWyze and Kris Allen.

After the hugely successful hit American Idol he and his business partners developed Got Talent, which for us is known as America Got Talent. It’s a competition that is opened to any one that includes for example, comedians, magicians, dancers, singers, instrumentalists and any other talents there is.

He will also be launching the US version of the hit show The X Factor in September of 2011. It’s also another singing competition. We have to wait to see it.

Through him, fame from American Idol and the X factor franchise, and Wayne Brady fame created a program Celebrity Duets was a game show which combined different stars from different background with professional singers.



Annotated Bibliography

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/20/arts/television/20idol.html?_r=1

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20090707nbc03

http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s103/the-x-factor/news/a282815/itv-signs-new-x-factor-bgt-deals.html?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4cbcb4e68e741a0f%2C0

Blog # 6: Hero

A hero is someone who puts innocent lives first instead of his own, sacrificing himself to save people from dangerous situations. In the movie Hero, two guys Bernie Laplante and John Bubber, Laplante being the real hero who saved the people and Bubber the homeless guy that pretends to be the hero. In the movie we see they way the media and the masses really made a big deal about this guy who just save the people from the burning plane.

In the movie Bernie Laplante a petty crook who pick pockets at every chance he gets, was on his way to pick up his son when his old car started acting up and a plane crashed right in front of him on the bridge. He went down to plane to open the door, but before he did he took his shoes off. So he open the door to let the people out and he saved them. When he was trying to leave, a little boy begged  him to go back and save his father. So he went into the plane and he didn’t find the boy father, but he found a lady stuck in between seats, so he saved her from the burning plane. So he went back to get his shoes, but only found one side. So he left the seen of the crash. Later he was driving on the high way and his car broke down. Then this homeless guy John Bubber, picked him up, and so he stated telling him his story about what had happed at the crash site and he also gave him his one side shoe since he lost the other side. Later on the lady in the plane Gale Gayley a reporter wanted the to know who save her, so she posted a picture of the hero on television and asked if they would come forward. Soon the whole America wanted to know who this mysterious hero is. So the news channel Gale worked at wanted higher ratings so they offered a one million dollar reward for the hero to come out and give an exclusive interview. Then she later said that they have the other side of the shoe and so many came forward, but John Bubber had one side shoe as well, so he came forward for the money. 

 
The media instantly makes a big deal out of him by turning into a celebrity who saved people in Vietnam and they boy in the hospital. Soon John Bubber was idealistic hero, because people saw him as well dressed, good looking person who had great hair. In today’s society we would look at the news and believe every thing they say. Just like this movie made it very believable, although we knew that Bernie Laplante was the real hero, and John wasn’t, people wouldn’t accept Laplante because he wasn’t this good looking, in shape and strong guy that looks like he could save people. The media made John into this guy who could do anything. I don’t think it was fair for John to get the credit for been a hero, but in the movie we see that Laplante didn’t want to be in the spot lights. He wanted to be left alone, but he wanted the money so he could help his family, his son. 

We all want a hero that can save us from this world we live in. Full of violent killing, cursing, lies and betrayal. In the end of the movie John Bubber couldn’t handle lying to people anymore so he wanted to jump off the building to his doom. Then Laplante comes to talk him and save him from jumping off, but then it becomes clear to Gale who’s emotionally attach to Bubber that he isn’t the guy who save her. Then she talks to Laplante who confesses that he was the one who did. But she went along with the story and never told the people who the real hero was, because she knew that people out there wouldn’t accept a person like Laplante and if she had said anything then the rating would of drop significantly.

Blog 5: Media Paper Draft

My  topic will be based on Simon Cowell. British producer

What did he do to change media lives?

What did he bring to America?

TO BE.....continued

Blog 4: Reflection

Writing blogs are not so fun for me, but I think that writing it helped me to get a deeper understanding of how to analyze the texts better. At first I had a hard time with it but then as I started to write more and more I got better at it. Some of the things I did, I already knew, but freestyle writing I didn’t have a clear idea of what it meant. I was thought to be critical about every little detail I wrote, kind of what I’m doing now. I was told that writing an essay, you can’t through anything in there, only address what the topic is asking you and include a lot of details and get to the point. Many things I did in this class was so different from what I have learned, that it made it difficult for me, so I wrote how I knew. Free style writing meant writing what’s on your mind but I overlooked it so much I didn’t really get much done. Writing can be tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing, which for me was difficult.

I thought that the interaction with the ENA 099 class was fun. It definitely help me to look at someone else writing, and there view of things, and be critical of their work. Interaction with blogging does make it meaningful. Writing to someone else in a different class makes it fun because it’s something different from that person’s point of view. Yes trying to critique on someone else’s summary makes me a lot confident.

I think that this class is the most annoying class I ever had. I didn’t like the idea of blogging.

Blog 3: The Matrix Analysis

In the movie “The Matrix”, we’re exposed to an alternate illusionary world called the matrix, which is a computer system. Its an illusion that humans live in, but fail to realize its not real. Its created so the machines would feed off of the humans as an energy source.

In Plato allegory of the cave, the prisoner was forced to go out to see what’s beyond the cave and he ran back because he refused to believe what he had seen or what he was told was a real.
In the movie, Neo is freed from the illusionary world by Morpheus. He who lives in the real world where there’s a war going on between humans and machines. Morpheus said that “most of them(humans) are so inured, so hopeless depending on the system, that they would fight to protect it”, because they refuse to accept reality. They only accepted what was in front of them. Morpheus said that “real is electrical signals interpreted by the brain”. Which brings us to Plato allegory of the cave where its says “if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away and take refuge in the objects of visions which he can see, and which he will conceive to be a reality clearer than the things which are now shown to him”.

In Today’s world people do all sorts of crazy things. Some overworked people would play video games to escape reality. Live in a world of shooting, killings and magic. Some would watch movies just to get away from things they don’t want to see. Just like the movie depicting how the matrix is fake, for example when Cypher in the matrix was having the steak, but he knew he couldn’t be satisfied with it because it wasn’t real.