Media Writing Lab

By Ryan Smith In today’s world, we are accustomed to seeing and hearing about protests constantly. It seems that everyone has an opinion on every social issue, and in a culture that holds athletes in such high respect, athletes are urged to voice their positions. Although LeBron James “is widely recognized as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, his brand has expanded far outside of that” (Coombs, 430). He has signed a lifetime deal with Nike worth over $1 billion, starred in Hollywood films such as Trainwreck (2015), and he even produces television through his own production company (Coombs, 430). With his hand in almost every facet of popular culture, LeBron could be considered the most prominent celebrity on the planet today. LeBron’s enormous presence both on and off the basketball court positions him incredibly well to speak out on social issues that he cares about. LeBron was once quoted saying, “For me, I’ve never shied away from something that I feel for...

By Ben May For some reason, the media nowadays portrays the middle class as people who are rather well off economically. This is compared to the societal norm where the middle class is a group that varies in economic and social status ranging from those just getting by to those who are living relatively comfortably. Misrepresentation in the media in terms of class is oftentimes overlooked despite the fact that it is a relevant topic. One of the most common forms of media that are guilty of misrepresenting class are the film and television industry. For many, television provides a lens into “the lives of other people, providing ample opportunity for viewers to form social reality judgements about others’ lifestyles and possessions (Yang & Oliver, 2010, p. 119). In other words, television and film give the consumer a chance to take a closer look into an aspect of society that they may have not been previously exposed to. In terms of class, the way that the middle class is rep...

By Maggie Wagenbrenner Over the past few years, we have seen some big changes in the political world of the United States.  With the advancement of technology and the rising popularity of social media, many people are able to voice their opinions for the world to see and reflect on, some of those people are celebrities. We are constantly hearing and seeing celebrities endorsing politicians of their liking, but the question must be asked: do these celebrities actually make a difference? I argue that the rise of social media has led to celebrities having a far reaching effect on voters  due to the social identification theory and the parasocial relationship construct. Social identification theory is defined as “people adopt[ing] attitude or behavior from another person because they associate it with a satisfying, self-defining relationship with that person” (Um, 2018). A similar concept is touched on in Dustin Kidd’s book, Social Media Freaks: Digital Identity in t...

By Griffin Spurgin The Hunger Games is an action-packed fiction book that was also turned into a movie. Throughout the series, main characters, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are fighting for their lives in a tournament where they battle to the death of all but one tribute. They don't have much to lose as they are from District 12, the poorest district of Panem. The winners of the game get showered in riches from the Capitol and live the rest of their lives as if they were kings. A constant theme throughout the film is how the wealthy don't have to work as hard as the lower class to maintain their status. The upper and middle class are more prepared for the games just like their respected classes are in life. Class representation in film is a popular category among filmmakers. The Hunger Games portrays class in a way that resembles a lot of social systems in the world. The Hunger Games was published in 2008, at the very moment that the financial crisis was p...

By Georges Azouri Breaking Bad was a critically acclaimed television series that aired from 2008-2013. It was show that was based around the life of Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher turned methamphetamine producer. Walter turns to a life of violence and crime due to a cancer diagnosis and the desire to provide for his family. While the show touches on masculinity and similar perspectives of family and providing, it also makes an interesting choice with setting, making Albuquerque, New Mexico and the class representation of the community a central role of the show. Class representation, or rather misrepresentation is a common characteristic of American television and cinema, Breaking Bad is no exception to this. Albuquerque is a city riddled with social problems and struggles with poverty and unemployment, along with crime and drug issues (Cook & Ashutosh, 2018). The real city of Albuquerque is one that struggles from these very real issues. Breaking Bad , ...

By: Leda Turpen Throughout this week, my group is examining how politics have grown with the introduction of modern popular and celebrity culture in our society. While this is our main focus, I would like to shed light on an activism from the perspective of minority professional athletes, specifically the consequences they face when exercising their constitutional right to voice and demonstrate their political stances. I argue that minority celebrity athletes face a social identity threat when protesting for or against current political events, thus, are hesitant to speak up about them. Undoubtedly, our society is no stranger to the kind of reactions and responses celebrity activism can create. One prominent example being the case of Michael Brown, an African American who was shot in killed by a white police officer (Sanderson, Frederick, and Stocz, 2016). Shortly after the incident, the officer was not prosecuted, causing tension immediately (2016, p. 302). After the verdict, fi...

By Natalie Raskas Social class identification has become increasingly vague in recent years. Most Americans consider themselves middle class whether they technically qualify or not (Martin, 2018).  However, the lower class, making up around 29% of the population, is still the socio-economic minority in America (Geewax, 2015).  One could argue that most middle- and upper-class Americans have no clue about the common struggles and daily challenges members of the lower-class face. Popular culture, specifically television is one of the primary ways people are exposed to different classes, other than their own.  Sadly, such entertainment can propagate broad misconceptions about the lower class, as is evident in the wildly popular  Shameless  television series. Shameless , developed by John Wells is an American TV show based on an original produced in the U.K.  The show depicts a family, “The Gallaghers,” with six children ran...