Reflection

      Over the course of my critical thinking class, it is safe to say that my knowledge and perception of media has widened. Before this semester, I was just like any other typical teenager, who would consume hours of media every day. I was also quite oblivious of the many messages that large corporations try to send out to their consumers; before this class, I never really put much thought into how advertisements truly affect us and our society. Most of the times I tend to ignore the adverts that pop up on my laptop screen or on social media pages. I used to believe that large companies, such as Nike, would just put out whatever they needed to say about their brand and hope that consumers will purchase the products they're selling. However, now that I have learned the many manipulative techniques that media utilizes, I am somewhat skilled enough to apply what I've learned, to see beyond the surface level of what large companies are actually trying to say.

       With an innovative mindset, I have changed the way I view TV commercials and other forms of advertisements. I never truly noticed how large advertisement companies target specific audiences, such as teens or middle-aged women; I used to believe that companies target all kinds of people, but now I know that this assumption is false. I wanted to believe that advertisers sold their products to benefit their consumers rather than themselves. Until this semester, I did not know that many advertisement companies actually bought information about individuals from certain target market for research on what their target audience is interested in. It makes me feel like I am being watched 24/7, and it makes me more conscious of what I post and share on social media. Most of all, it makes me feel as if I have no privacy on media. What draws the line for these companies, in regards to our right to privacy? Recently, on the news, I heard that Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, had been sued; I didn't really understand how and why this social media company was being sued for. However, in class, one day, as we were watching Frontline's "The Persuaders", Mr. Maxwell had told the class that companies such as Facebook would sell advertisement companies their consumers information. This was so that the advertisement companies would, in turn, take your personal information and try to sell you something that they'd think you like or buy. Although I think this is very stalkerish, I find it fascinating that advertisement companies go to extreme lengths to try and sell products to a specific group of people. Now, that I have become more educated on the media world, I pay more attention and am more aware of the little things on the internet such as when a website warns me of it using cookies. I also learned that a lot of companies advertise based on our emotions rather than our minds. It makes me upset because this does the trick for a lot of people, and those people most likely will purchase something they will not use for another five years or so. It makes people buy products spontaneously, and it's unsettling to know that these companies are lying to consumers. Now, I know that companies' main goals are to make a profit from us.
      I've known for a while that our society is being engulfed by the media world around us, but I didn't notice how influential it really was. We use media almost every day in our lives, whether it's at school, home, or at work. "MissRepresentation" gave us statistics on the amount of hours teenagers spend using different forms of media. To me, it was kind of crazy to actually realize that teenagers around the country also use social media as much as I do. This made me reflect on all the media I consume on a day to day basis. Before we did our dissection of media, I typically watched two to three episodes of a show on Netflix, and throughout the day, whenever I am free, I am on my phone scrolling through my social media pages like Snapchat, Instagram, or Twitter. I felt as if caused me to become fixated on this false reality that media creates, and because of this, for a while, I tried to avoid media. However, from my critical thinking class, I learned that in the generation we are all living in, media is inescapable. Media holds a lot of influence and power over our society, and it is up to us whether or not we want to listen and cave into media's false stereotypes about women and men.
      My perception of media has altered quite a bit over the past few months, and I will take the information that I have learned and apply it towards becoming a more cautious and better consumer and media user. I think that our media usage should be something talked about more often because it is important to understand the effects of media on our society. I think that people should educate themselves on the truths behind media and advertisement companies because media will only continue to advance further throughout the generations. After learning about the world behind advertising, I know that having a basic understanding of the messages behind these ads go a long way and helps with being a smart consumer. We can buy the products we actually need, and we won't be wasting money on useless things. Media literacy is so important in our society nowadays; it allows us to recognize the damaging effects that long-term media usage can have on us. Overall, these media blogs and the critical thinking class have allowed me to take a new and different approach to media by opening my perception to all the various techniques/ messages that media puts out there.

Is There a Problem with Disney?

      After watching a few films and movies about the problems women deal with in the face of media, it has me wondering where I have actually seen these stereotypes being portrayed. In media, women are too often portrayed as being ignorant, sassy, or having super-human powers. Many women are also highly sexualized and are forced to have a certain body image that is deemed acceptable in society. Media projects this idea that women's jobs are solely to make a man satisfied and that their best attribute is their physical appearance. After much thought, it occurred to me that all throughout my childhood, Disney has been putting out princess movies that devalue women. It was hard to me to actually digest the fact that Disney does this to women because I love Disney, but after applying the different ideas and methods that I've learned in class, it became clear to me what Disney's hidden messages were.

       My favorite princess Disney movies would have to be classics such as Cinderella, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast. I have been watching these movies for as long as I can remember. I think it is crazy how almost all of these movies have very similar plot lines to each other. It is even crazier how I have never noticed how alike the hidden messages were until I actually analyzed each plot line and compared them. First, Disney displays the idea to young females that women are incapable of doing a lot of things independently, need to be reliant on men, and are quite ditzy/ lost. Second, Disney almost always includes the archetype of the "witchy" stepmother or old lady. It shows young girls that these are the only two types of women you can be. However, there are many more attributes of women that are not often portrayed in media. Women can be influential, empowering, intelligent, brave, etc. The list goes on. These Disney princesses are almost always saved by a man; this shows that women are supposed to be submissive to men and that men hold more power than women. However, women are equal to men, in the sense that we are capable of supporting ourselves and can do the same jobs; we are just as influential as men.

      In these films, Disney depicts the "princess" as having a beautiful physical appearance, with a slender and ideal physique that attracts men. She fits into the image that media is sending out to their audiences of young girls. She is supposed to be graceful and subordinate to a male figure- either a prince or father. Then as the plot of the movie continues, the stereotypical princess has to encounter an experience with the "witchy" old lady or stepmother, in which she cannot help herself. She has to wait for her prince charming to come and save her from the terrible accident (normally by kissing her). In the end, the prince and the princess live happily ever after and ride off into the sunset.
     I would be lying if I said these Disney movies didn't play a huge role in my life. Throughout my childhood, I felt as if I had a particular image I needed to fit into. I had to be graceful and mannered in front of men; I couldn't be my loud or obnoxious self. I also felt that I needed to uphold a certain beauty standard. My all-time favorite Disney princess is Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, and I remember that when I was younger, I thought that because I had dark-colored hair, I wasn't as gorgeous as the girls with blonde hair. These movies taught me that I needed a man in my life, in order to take care of me and "rescue me" because I am not capable of doing that myself. However, now that I am more aware of these hidden messages in media, I know that these are false stereotypes; I know that women have much more to offer to society than their outer appearances. 

Lady Bird

      The beloved movie Lady Bird has placed Sacramento, California on a map. The five-time Oscars nominated movie has brought immense pride and joy to those who live in Sacramento; it gives them a reason to show off the limited landmarks of our simple city. Lady Bird takes the audience through a young woman's- played by Saoirse Ronan- heartfelt coming-of-age story; it captures the bittersweet transition from adolescence to adulthood. The film also examines how one will come to recognize and appreciate the incomparable beauty of "home". There are many common archetypes used in "Lady Bird" such as the disapproving mother, the sad father, the mean girls, the strict teachers, the perfect boyfriend, and the "bad" boyfriend. However, Greta Gerwig, the writer and director, uses these archetypes as a building block for the main character, Lady Bird, to grow into a young adult.

      Personally, I think the experiences Lady Bird goes through are very real and relatable, making it easy for myself to relate to her character. I think this character is important because she goes through life experiences that are messy, but she is still able to pull herself through the foggy patches in her life. Out of frustration with her hometown- Sacramento, CA-, Lady Bird tries to find her own identity; she's a dynamic character that is seen being hypocritical and idealistic, self-absorbed and kind, and a conformist and rebel. Throughout the movie, Lady Bird is seen saying that she wants to move to New York or the East Coast and to just get away from California. Ever since I can remember, I've always found myself saying this to my mother because I've hated how small Sacramento is. New York is filled with endless possibilities; every corner you go, there's something going on. It's a bustling city filled with excitement, and I have fallen in love with the towering skyscrapers and the bright lights. I think that her character is very interesting because she is the ideal image of an American teenager. I think it's important for teenagers who are also struggling with their identities to see themselves portrayed on the large screen; it shows them that they are not alone with the experiences they face. I think that a lot of teenagers in high school, including myself, are at a stage in our lives where life becomes harder because we are all, in a way, trying to find ourselves in such a large world. Also, with college around the corner, we are dealing with a lot of stress and pressure with school and parents.

      Lady Bird focuses closely on the difficulties of a mother and daughter relationship. I think that the relationship between Lady Bird and her mother, Marion, is raw and genuine. Their arguments felt very real; their exchanged lines sounded like something an actual person might say. Lady Bird struggles with trying to satisfy her critical and disappointed mother- which is difficult because her mother's standards are set very high- and being true to her own self. Personally, I struggle with this because I always strive to be the best version of myself, but I constantly worry that it won't be enough for my mother. Just like Lady Bird and her mother, although we argue, my mother and I are never complete without each other. The film displayed and emphasized that there is no such thing as a perfect family; every family goes through some sort of problem.
      Because her character was so relatable, I found myself viewing my own life through her lens. I think that this proves the idea of the feedback loop that the Frontline "Making Cents out of Teens" film was talking about. The media puts out an image that they perceive us as- whether it's true or not- and as a result, teenagers start viewing the image of what they see portrayed in media as themselves.

MissRepresentation Pt. II

       Another idea that I found intriguing in the 2011 documentary "MissRepresentation" was how destructive these false expectations are for women of all ages. I knew that numerous of women feel insecure about their bodies and appearances because of the standards model set. We see women on magazine covers and on television with slim, curvy bodies, and although a lot if its photoshopped, everyday women can't help but also feel that they need to match a certain image. However, the movie had listed shocking statistics that I was not aware of. 78% of girls by the age of 17 are unhappy with their bodies. 65% of women have eating disorders. 17% of women have engaged in self-harm. The documentary points out that media portrays women's values and worth to be based solely on their outer looks. This, in turn, leads women to feel subconscious about the way we present ourselves in society, and women become pressured to fit into society's standards of beauty, in order to be deemed "good enough for a man". Women are constantly judged for their height, body types, and the list goes on. These built-up standards of our society will lead to women experiencing many health issues such as anxiety, depression, anorexia, PTSD, etc. It's sickening to me that advertisement companies will continue to sell and push these stereotypes on women, so they can make them anxious. According to the movie, anxiety makes women purchase things to not feel insecure. Also, the sexualization of women in Hollywood has left its impact on our society. It is proven that 20% of women have sex before the age of 14. This was especially surprising to me; I don't think that flaunting your sexuality is needed in order to attain power. There are many other ways for women to gain power in society. I feel like when women do give into these unrealistic expectations of society, the media is winning and making more money.
       It was also interesting for me to learn that just like women, men also have societal standards placed on them. According to "MissRepresentation", men are "emotionally constipated", which means that men are not allowed to show their emotions outwardly in society. They are supposed to show that they are physically and mentally strong, while women are seen as weak. Because men are not supposed to truly express how they feel, it can manifest itself in violent, unhealthy ways. Men can take their frustrations out on others around him and that includes females. It is stated that one in four girls experience sexual abuse.
      Because media has highlighted these stereotypes for many years, it can cause a lot more harm to the members of society than expected. Women and men are more prone to inflicting harm, whether that harm is on themselves or others.

MissRepresentation

        After watching the documentary "MissRepresentation", what had particularly stood out to me was that after so many years, women are still struggling with their image in society. "MissRepresentation" includes the perspectives and stories of many female celebrities in the entertainment industry or in politics who have dealt with sexism in their professions. In our society,  media and its advertisements have created a world where unrealistic expectations exist for men and women; this had resulted in such a deep gender bias. Personally, I don't even know if we can ever escape this gender bias. "MissRepresenatation" heavily touches on the fact that media sends out the message that a women's body and outer appearances are their best asset and more important than their intelligence. If media is sending out this message to girls, it distracts them from facing the real struggles women deal with in society. Statistics used in the documentary proves that women will begin to care more about their outer appearances in order to look desirable in the eyes of society. It shocked me deeply to find out that U.S. women spend $10,000- $15,000 a year on cosmetics. This distracts women from feeling empowered so that they cannot stand up to the problems and make a difference in society. 

       From the documentary, it made me realize that there still needs to be equal representation of women in the United States and elsewhere in the world. There needs to be more female rights in our world, and this starts with removing society's perspective on women. When people, especially men, start to question if a woman even has her credentials, it is de-humanizing and very disheartening to hear. Hollywood and Washington D.C. need to be the ones to change. In Hollywood, a majority of the films produced still consist of the same stereotypes of women; they either sexualize women or portray them as not normal human beings (with superpowers). Washington D.C. needs to allow more women into office and to accept that women are just as physically and mentally capable of doing the same jobs as men. Just because media portrays women to be quite emotional, women are a lot stronger than they seem. It makes me sad that we live in a world where women are looked down upon just because of their gender. I have always wanted to become a CEO of a large company, but even to this day, there are not a lot of women in authority. Hopefully, one day I can become a CEO and add to the numbers of women in charge; I would want to demonstrate to others that women can be leaders. From media's depiction of women, men believe that women need to be taken care of, for they are emotionally unstable. This thus causes the idea of power being placed in the hands of women to be viewed in a negative light by society, especially men. 

       "MissRepresentation" gave women a platform to share their stories which counteracts the single story that media has put out for many generations. Women are indeed strong and powerful for being able to put up with all these stereotypes that media continues to create. 

Making Cents out of Teens

       Another idea that I found intriguing in Frontline's "Merchants of Cool" was the concept of Mooks and Midriffs. Marketers have focused on appealing to teenagers because, in the U.S, they are the hottest consumer demographic. Marketers have created these two stereotypical characters and have used them in different advertisements, in order to appeal to teens. A "Mook" is a crude, obnoxious character, and commonly expressed as the stereotypical daredevils and frat boys, while a "Midriff" is a highly sexualized character used to appeal to teen girls. By using Midriffs in ads, companies are teaching girls to "flaunt their sexuality" and that "[their] body is [their] best asset". I believe that this character is expressing the same sexual stereotypes that have been placed on females for centuries. The concept of a Midriff angers me because younger girls, who are watching shows with Midriffs, are prone to be influenced by what they see. Younger girls start to believe that it is okay to become sexual objects and only focus on outer appearances. Women should not only be known for their bodies, in the face of media. I think that media should focus more so on other attributes of women such as their intelligence; the same also goes for men because not all men are "crude and obnoxious". The Mook and Midriff objectify men and women, and although this video was aired back in 2001, this idea of the Mook and Midriff is still apparent in our media world. For example, one large celebrity, Miley Cyrus, has gone from being on the hit Disney show, Hannah Montana, to exposing and flashing her body on social media. She is one of the many celebrities that has definitely flaunted her sexuality in front of millions of people and fits into the stereotypical "Midriff".
      Frontline has brought my attention to the idea of a feedback loop; I had found this to be quite interesting. The feedback loop is a savage cycle where large companies, such as MTV, examine all sorts of teenagers and show them an image of themselves on media. Even if teenagers do not see themselves as these images, companies believe that it is the image they want to become. This results in teenagers becoming the image of what they see portrayed in media. For example, I know that some of my younger cousins religiously watch Disney Channel, and Disney has definitely influenced them to act a certain way. On a lot of Disney shows, the parents on the shows are irresponsible and are portrayed in a lower light, and the children tend to talk back to their parents or don't respect them. Therefore, my cousins think its okay to act ill-mannered to my aunts/ uncles, and they act like spoiled brats sometimes.

It saddens me that there seems to be no way out of these stereotypes. I think that these strong concepts in media will continue to influence our future generations. Large marketing companies see that these ideas sell to a large crowd, and they will continue to enhance these ideas further, in order to target teenagers and generate money.

Discovering Our Own Identity Through Music?

       After watching Frontline's "Merchants of Cool", one specific moment that stuck with me was when a guy interviewed fans of an uprising rock band called Insane Clown Posse in Detroit, Illinois. This genre of music is known as "rage rock", and personally, I have never heard songs from this genre before watching the video. The fans in line had their faces painted like clowns, but they used black and white paint to represent the band's colors. These teens said that the reason why they were so dedicated to this band was that it gave them a place where they felt belonged and felt free to express themselves- without being judged. This band made them felt as if they had something of their own because Insane Clown Posse's music was not mainstream or played on the radio. I, too, feel that once a song is played on the radio, it becomes overplayed, and it no longer feels special because everyone else will know it. For me, I become annoyed with the songs on the radio, which is why I do not listen to pop music as much anymore. When millions of people start to listen to the same songs and listen to the same artists, I think it takes away this connection you feel with the lyrics. I believe that when you listen to non-mainstream artists, you are broadening your perception to other artists out there. As human beings, we all naturally try to find things, whether its songs or clothes, that make us unique and "cool" from everyone else. In society, people categorize others and place labels on them, so they have something to compare their own identities to.
       Music is a very important aspect of people's lives, for it is a way in which we can express our emotions. I listen to music before school, during passing periods, and through the long nights of doing homework; it has played a large part in my life. Through music, we try to find our own style and identity. For example, my friend Stephanie and I recommend new songs to each other, every month. One day, she told me to listen to "Saved" by Khalid, and I was immediately intrigued because I have never heard of Khalid before. When she had introduced me to Khalid, he was not a mainstream artist, and his songs were only on Soundcloud. Khalid's music meant a lot to me because not a lot of people knew him at that time. However, just in the last few years, his fame had exploded; today, he has more than 35 million monthly listeners on Spotify. I was very proud because he gained the recognition he deserved for his heartfelt songs. Before discovering non-mainstream artists, I used to always listen to what was popular on the radio, but now I realize that I take pride in discovering new artists who are just as talented. t

This Is America- Childish Gambino

        In just a week, Childish Gambino's music video for his recent song "This is America" has more than 97 million views on Youtube. After watching this video, it became transparent that the message Gambino wanted to portray is that America is becoming a prevalent place for racism and gun violence. I agree with Gambino's image of America; there have been way too many instances where unjust acts have gone unnoticed in the face of media. Over the past couple of years, there have been many videos uploaded to Twitter, Instagram, etc. that show the horrid police brutality towards African-American people, especially in the Midwestern states. Although these videos are shared throughout social media with millions of people, large news outlets such as FoxNews or KCRA do not cover these issues unless there is death involved. How is it that discriminatory treatment towards African-Americans are not discussed as much in media as it should be? Is it a taboo to talk about the reality of our once beloved country? One "good" aspect of media is that messages and information could be spread to a wider audience. Media is supposed to benefit the community by keeping each other updated on the many events happening in the world, but when large news outlets shy away from certain issues that have impacted our society for years, is media truly doing its job?

        There is no doubt that racism and gun violence is an ongoing issue in our country. In the video, there are many specific references to mass shootings that have occurred, and the video depicts gun violence, in general. The opening scene includes an African-American man sitting down and playing a guitar, but as seconds pass, his head is covered in a burlap sack, and Gambino pulls out a gun and shoots him. After firing the gun, Gambino carefully hands the gun to another guy who wraps it in a red cloth. I interpreted this as Red America valuing their rights to bear guns over human lives. In addition, at 1:47, there is a church choir signing in an upbeat tone, and Gambino quickly comes into the room and fires at all of them; once again, the gun is afterward wrapped in a red cloth. This scene is clearly a nod towards the 2015 Charleston Church shooting. I found this to be one of the very graphic parts of his video. Also, from 2:44 to 3:01, the video goes completely silent for 17 seconds, which implies that the silence is an honor for the 17 victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS shooting. All of the murders and shootings in the music video allude to gun violence in America nowadays.

       Throughout the video, Gambino is "oddly" dancing and keeps an energetic and positive vibe despite the chaos and atrocities that are occurring around him. Gambino's movements symbolize how the entertainment of media (or social media) provides the citizens of America with a form of distraction from the bigger issues at hand. I think that Gambino represents and plays the complex role of our country from the violence he committed in the video to the use of eccentric dancing as a large distraction. Another thing that I noticed was that Gambino's backup dancers were African-American students who also had the same positive energy as he did. Since Gambino represents America and these dancers are never injured in the video, I think it implies that as a society, we are quick to support black culture, but when it comes to the terrible incidents they face, we fall ignorant and turn our backs.
       Some lyrics that stood out to me were "We just want the money. Money, just for you. Girl, you got me dancing. Dance and shake the frame." I believe that "girl" represents America, and the "money" is what our society tends to put emphasis on; making money is a form of distraction and entertainment. When Gambino sings "Shak[ing] the frame", he could be implying that the distraction of media is blurring and distorting the background of what is really happening in America. The "frame" alludes to the real-life inequalities that are occurring. Throughout the video, we see people in the background on their phones or are dancing, who are ignoring the fire, riots, and atrocities that are happening behind them. This indicates that many people utilize media as a way of remaining ignorant towards the gun violence and race issues that plague America.
       Because Youtube is quite a large media platform, Gambino's hidden intertextuality and message in the "This is America' video can be spread to millions of people around the world. From his implied message, many people can understand a different perspective of America that is typically not shown in large media outlets. Maybe people can start to recognize that there needs to be a change in our country and actually become more proactive and aware of this issues happening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOjWnS4cMY
* This is a link to the music video.

Fornite

       A notification pops up on my phone screen from my friend, Sam. "Hop on?" Many people would probably not understand what she means by this. It is a term used by those who play Fortnite: Battle Royale. Over the past couple of months, Fornite has gone through some impressive growth. It has attracted over 40 million people worldwide, and it is quite an accessible game- one can play through multiple platforms from mobile to PC or PlayStation. After playing Fortnite for about a month, I have learned that it is a way that you can interact and connect with your friends; personally, it has made me closer to some friends that I have not seen in a while. You can also become friends with strangers and chat with them through headsets and microphones whilst playing the game. I recall from the first Frontline video we watched, Digital Nation, it discussed the gaming epidemic that occurred in Korea. Children had spent all day playing video games on their computers; their addiction to technology was treated as a psychiatric disorder. The children were sent to week-long camps that would forbid any use of technology, and they would spend their time outdoors. Although my friends and I are not that addicted to Fornite, it is safe to say that this video game still had an impact on our lives. I think that for many, video games, in general, fill this niche that satisfies our boredom and fulfills our need to be social with other people.

       Fornite has become a prevalent form of entertainment in our society for most eight to eighteen-year-olds. I think that it appeals to millions of people because it contains graphics that are bright and cartoon-like despite it being a shooting game; in a way, the unrealistic style makes it uplifting. To summarize the basics of Fortnite, it is a match where 100 players jump out of a plane onto a small island, and players kill one another until only one is standing; there are weapons and tools- such as rifles and grenade launchers- scattered around the island. There are also materials, such as wood, that one can collect to help protect oneself or hide from others. With all this said, Fornite has become a fun game to play and also watch. There are many video game YouTubers and Twitch streamers that many like to watch, in order to learn how to improve their own skills. These streamers broadcast many hours of themselves playing Fortnite; Fortnite is the most viewed game on Twitch- a major streaming platform. For example, Ninja is a popular Youtube and Twitch streamer, who uploads content on Fornite. He is considered to be the best player by the Fortnite community, and each video he uploads receive millions of views. In my opinion, I think it's crazy how millions watch his videos because I never would've thought that many people would find someone else playing a video game to be entertaining. I think that Fortnite videos are now dominating the media world because a lot of younger generations are more interested in watching gameplay of video games. Also, one thing that I have noticed is that on my explore page on Instagram, there are a lot of random Fortnite clips. I've never watched videos of Fortnite on Instagram, so I think it's kind of funny how much buzz this one video game has caused on all social media platforms.
       Whether someone views video games as positive or negative, I think that with technology and media, Fortnite and other online games will still have an influence on our younger generations.

Crazy Rich Asians

       "The First All-Asian Cast in 25 Years" struck many headlines on news outlets and was the topic of many social media posts, after the official trailer for Crazy Rich Asians was released. There is a lot of buzz going on about this romantic comedy, especially in the Asian-American community. The author, Kevin Kwan, claims that this had been "long overdue". To give a summary of this novel and soon-to-be movie, Crazy Rich Asians does not examine the issues that the Asian-American communities face or how the West influenced Asian countries. It is also a movie where Asians are not portrayed by their stereotypes: being good at martial arts or nerds. Instead, it takes a deeper look at the small fraction of the super rich Chinese population in Singapore- told through the journey of an Asian-American woman. Although this movie will not tackle any issues of racism of colored people in our society, it is still a very important film. It is a huge milestone and stepping stone for Asian-Americans in Hollywood because finally after a quarter of a century, there is Asian representation on the large screen. I think that Asians are finally getting the representation they deserve.

        Growing up, I have always watched films and TV shows where the actors and actresses were predominately Caucasian. This caused me to believe that the entertainment industry was only for Caucasians and that I could never pursue a career as a film director. As a Chinese-American, I feel that Asian-Americans are not correctly portrayed in media; Asians are stereotyped as being nerdy and introverts or are martial arts experts. There are much more to Asians than these stereotypes that others place on us; like all humans, we have different interests and come from all different backgrounds. I believe that this is a correct step for Hollywood because they have been criticized for not casting Asian-Americans in lead roles and 'whitewashing' Asian characters. I definitely believe that Asian-Americans should be represented more. I am hopeful for the future of the entertainment industry; maybe more directors will be willing to cast Asian-Americans into their major movies.
        Crazy Rich Asians deserves to be celebrated and recognized in media because it focuses on different Asian experiences. There shouldn't be a single story about Asians or any person for that matter.

Ricochet - Bas

"Reached into my mind for reflection

The truth is obscuring my perception

So take a hit on this shit feel the resin on our fingertips

And watch it billow, billow, let it go" 

        These are the some of the lyrics to the song "Ricochet" by Bas ft. The Hics - off the album Too High to Riot. I love these lyrics because there are many ways you can interpret the meaning of them. When my sister first played this song, my initial reaction was that this song was about the artist reflecting on his past relationship that ended badly and him smoking in order to get his ex off of his mind. However, now that I've listened to this song multiple times, I've come to recognize that the first two lines- "Reached into my mind for reflection, The truth is obscuring my perception"- are actually discussing how our society is very contradictory. Many people talk about how we have the freedom to speak out about our ideas, but are these ideas really our own? Everything in our society has some sort of impact on our lives and our perceptions. What we believe has to stem from something or someone; this can come from institutions (such as schools & churches) or our parents/ friends. I think what Bas meant by "The truth is obscuring my perception" is that as we grow older, it becomes more difficult to find the confidence in our own beliefs, for our perceptions have already been blurred by what we observe and experience in the world around us. This line can also be seen as an oxymoron because normally, the truth is supposed to clear one's perception, not hide our perception. 

        Drugs in our society are normally seen in a negative light, but people often oversee the benefits of them. For example, marijuana is used to decrease anxiety and to aid in chronic pain. When Bas sings "So take a hit... feel the resin on our fingertips, And watch it billow, billow, let it go", he is trying to portray the message that by getting high, he was able to step away from his mind and his thoughts for a quick minute and see life from another perspective. He could escape his worries and let himself relax from the issues that were shrouding his mind. I think that a lot of people are afraid of the potential dangers of drugs, so they are scared to talk about it. However, through songs, rappers are opening up about their experiences with drugs, which can help others not seem alone in this world. 

        I think that despite what musicians sing about, whether it is about sex and drugs, there is always a significant meaning behind it. Music has multiple dimensions to it, and at a surface level, it could be portrayed one way, but once someone actually takes the time to analyze the lyrics, one could find that the musician was trying to portray a different message. I believe that certain genres of music should not be looked down upon because music is an emotional outlet for all artists.