Here’s the deal, friends: Every. Last. One of us. Is DIFFERENT. Exploring and examining difference doesn’t have to be a big deal; it just has to be acknowledged as an inherent and integral part of our existence. If we can achieve that – if we can truly see and appropriately value that fact – and then pass that understanding and its significance on to our students – I honestly feel that the “battle” is almost won. Once our students truly understand that no two of us (let alone faceless millions) are really alike, they can begin to place their own value on difference, to value the richness of culture, wisdom, and experience that comes with these differences, and to begin to negotiate the differences to which they have access – to tap into the differences all around them as a means of gaining (albeit at second-hand) insight into and knowledge and wisdom from those experiences that are foreign to them. In the end, difference can and should benefit everyone, broadening our knowledge, understanding, and capacities far beyond anything any one person could ever hope to achieve or experience on their own. Difference should be celebrated and sought out not simply for difference’s sake or even by way of celebrating diversity in terms of inclusion; it should be celebrated for its ability to expand each and every one of us individually. If we (and our students) can learn to truly value and embrace difference in this way, we will find that our entire world is a very different place than we thought it.
Media (at least, I believe, popular media) have a tendency to exploit difference more than to explore it. Things – and people – that/who are “different” from the “norm” are presented in popular media as scandalous or shocking; indeed, stories of “difference” are often picked up and disseminated by these media specifically for their “shock-value.” As educators, we must take on the responsibility of shattering the shiny façade of pop-media spectacle; we must lead our students to the tools they need to deconstruct the messages, ideals, and metanarratives with which these media present them. Without these tools, our students will never gain the skills they need make critical decisions in their chosen level of media and civic participation – they would be “blown about by every wind” of whatever pop-media happens to be current at any given time. This is not to say that all media, or even all pop-media, is irresponsible, dirty, or underhanded; media creators simply have an agenda (whether it’s making money, selling something in order to make money, selling something in order to facilitate change in the world, informing citizens as honestly as they know how, or whatever else may drive them), and they use the tools available to them to reach their goals – some more or less ethically than others. As we integrate all kinds of media into our classrooms, we will be uniquely placed to help young people acquire the critical skills that will enable them to make thoughtful decisions in all aspects of their experience – skills they will come to use consistently, capably, and constantly throughout their lives.
1 comment:
Monica - It's ironic that you discuss how we are all different as individuals, but it seems that no matter who we are, we can't avoid the manipulating influence of the media. Through something as simple as a photograph or a one-page advertisement, media has an impact on how we think, feel and act. This concept was powerfully reinforced in the essay "Never Just Pictures." The essay "Cool Like Me" also showed that blacks/niggas and whites/wiggas all are susceptible to the few cool blacks who make a dollar out of fifteen cents. While our students might all be different, one thing they have in common seems to be the media, so maybe instead of dwelling on differences, we can focus on the common experience of media consumption. While various students might have different reactions to different types of media and their messages, having a common starting point is something that can create a feeling of unity, which is much better than a room full of splintered factions that might result if students don't break down the cultural, socio-economic, or emotional barriers that divide them.
I definitely agree with you that as teachers, it is our job to help students navigate the deluge of media. I was already cognizant of this fact, but I guess I didn't realize how much power media has on our students. The "Never Just Pictures" and "The Story of My Body" essays really struck me in this regard: the authors opened my eyes to how powerfully people, especially adolescents, can feel about their bodies. Now that I've realized the power of one image or one experience, it has become all the more urgent to me to teach my students understand what is real and what's not real in the media.
I think that a good way to do this is to teach students to see things from multiple perspectives. Heather's post contained a lot of good ideas and thoughts on this topic, and I like how she stressed the need to teach our students to see the multiple perspectives while consuming media AND while creating media. While we are on the defensive now against manipulative media, our students are future media makers, and they have the opportunity to one day go out on the offensive and change the way media is made and presented. What an excited and heavy burden all at the same time!
Finally, I feel that up to this point I've been referring to helping students to wisely consume popular media. I really do want to help students to see the reality and perspectives of MTV shows, hit singles, advertisements, and magazines. But Hobbs hits on a very important category of media: the news. I guess I imagine that it is difficult to get kids to really engage in analyze conflicting news reports from Fox and CNN, but I feel like I will have a much easier time engaging them in analyzing models in advertisements or the glorification of violence or pranking in MTV shows. I don't want to stoop to analyzing "Britney Spears and Boob Job" news (as someone else mentioned) just for the sake of engaging kids in "news." I want to teach them HOW to consume news, WHAT makes "good" news, and WHY it's even important to pay attention to news. I feel that in this category of media, I'm not just helping students to become good consumers, I'm helping to create good citizens. And I saw Hobbs reaffirming my viewpoint as she described journalism as "citizenship training." I'm grateful for the breakdown that she gives of news (i.e.: "New is a business," "News is constructed," "News has many purposes, etc...). I feel that this gives me a clearer idea of what I need to teach when it comes to consuming and creating journalistic writing. It's one thing to teach students how to read a news article; it's another thing entirely to teach students to evaluate and analyze a news article and to teach them what to do about it. And thanks to Hobbs, I now know better how to go about this.
Post a Comment