Stereoytypes

Racial stereotyping has been around for ages. I do not believe stereotyping is necessarily okay, but I do believe that things have happened that make people believe that certain races fall into certain stereotypes.
Although racial stereotyping is not going anywhere any time soon, it appears that advertisements have gotten more subtle in their portrayal of it. Comparing the advertisements shown in class to the ones typically seen today, I can see a big difference in how blatantly stereotypical advertisements used to be. In times that racism was the norm, it probably would not have been unusual to see advertisements suggesting superiority of the white man vs. the black man. Today, although many advertisements may connote the same message, they are done so in a less blatantly racist way.
One of the stereotypes most people know about is that asian people can not drive. My roommates who are asian themselves often admit that most asian people are terrible drivers. Unfortunately in my own life experiences, I have to say that the bad drivers I encounter most on the road tend to be of asian decent. Now, this is not to say that ALL asian people are bad drivers. But this is a typical racial stereotype that has been made up because people choose to accept it.
This clip is a scene from the popular Television Series Family Guy. It shows their version of a "stereotypical asian driver". While this show is meant to be humorous, I can understand why people could take offense to a lot of the racial stereotyping mentioned in this series.

Semiotics

Print Advertisement Denotation:  This ad shows an image of a woman with brown hair. She has a slight smirk on her face and is running one of her hands through her hair. Her hair is extremely shiny and soft looking. There are two bottles of pantene hair products. "Erase the damage of 100 blow drys" is written between the woman and the bottles.

Print Advertisement Connotation: This advertisement gives women the impression that if they use these particular pantene products, their hair will look like hers. Not only will their hair look nice and shiny, but they will cary the same confidence that this woman does. The advertisement also states that this product will erase the damage of 100 blow drys. This leaves women with the impression that this product can heal your hair in ways that other products can not.

Outdoor Advertisement Denotation: This is a diamond shaped sign posted outdoors. The background of the sign is yellow and has an image of a deer.

Connotation: The meaning behind this sign is to be careful while driving because it is a deer crossing zone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1Vcbm-XWtg

Television Advertisement Denotation: An animated baby and dog are sitting on a couch. They are talking about the wheat thin crackers. The dog is trying to correct the way the baby pronounces the word wheat. An outside voice asks to join in on the commercial and the baby and dog unanimously say "no".

Television Advertisement Connotation: The baby and dog are characters from a popular comedy show known as Family Guy. People who watch the show know that the baby, Stewie, pronounces words that start with "wh" wrong. Since these characters like to eat wheat things, people who watch the show should eat them too. Maybe people who eat wheat thins will develop a sense of humor similar to these characters.

Brands

Brands say a lot about who you are as a person. Are you more willing to spend that extra cash on a name brand product or are you happier saving a few bucks and buying the generic version? Would you cash out and buy an ipod or buy a cheaper version that works just as good. When I think about the purchases I make, a lot of them are name brand items. However, there are many reasons why I choose name brand products. Sometimes, it may be because I want to look good. Other times, it is because I trust the quality of one brand over another. I feel that if I have worked hard for my money, I should be able to spend it on what I want, regardless of how little or how much it costs.
I would personally much rather save up and buy the $150 steve madden boots over a pair of target brand boots. In my opinion, certain items are worth spending the extra money on. I would rather purchase a pair of high end boots that will last me several years, over a pair of boots that are more likely to wear out. When it comes to food, I will usually spend the extra money on name brands that I am familiar with. My friend decided to save some money and purchase cheese from the dollar store rather than her usual supermarket. When she took the cheese home and tried to make a grilled cheese sandwich, the cheese never melted. After hearing this story, I have no desire to purchase cheese from brands that I am not familiar with. However, there are some generic brand products that work just as well as name brand products! I actually prefer the taste of Safeway brand water over brands such as fiji or crystal geyser.
To conclude, brands allow products to have superiority over other products. People are more likely to purchase products from brands that they are familiar with, whether it be because they care about the opinions of others, or because they trust it.

Guest Speaker

I usually like when a guest speaker comes to my classroom because it means that I can just relax. I typically zone out and just think about other things, work on homework, or play with my phone. However, when Dietmar Dahmen came to our class, I was intrigued by what he had to say. From start to finish, he was full of energy. The statistics that he used were all relevant, and I was surprised by a lot of the information he shared with us. When he stated that more people have smart phones than toothbrushes and clean water, I was completely shocked! It is sad to think that more people have access to technology than basic necessities for healthy living.
It is both exciting and scary to think about what the future will be like. I remember when I got my first cell phone in 6th grade. I pretty much only used it for emergency situations. There were no rules in my classes about cell phone use because at the time, phones were not even an issue. Now with smart phones, we have access to the internet and millions of apps. It is so hard for me to go throughout my day without pulling out my phone. I am literally glued to it. Its sad because I realize that it is a problem, but I have no intention of changing it. Dahmen explained that the cell phone requires low mental cost and low access cost. It is so easy to stay connected any place and any time. I use my phone for nearly EVERYTHING. While I love my phone, I think that it is important to learn how to function without it.