PAF494 Final Project Blog 5: Learn Frequently, Love Always, Live Free, and Laugh Often

Sometimes what we think we know is laughable when we find out what we don't really know. I learned so much in Media and Public Affairs that I can't even remember what I thought I knew about politics, media, and public policy before taking the class. The three big lessons I learned from this class are: 1.) The media helps to keep the government in check by being the fourth arm of the checks and balances system through information dissemination on government policy and political figures, 2.) There is more to a presidential election or political campaign than meets the eye, and 3.) Whether right or wrong, accurate or inaccurate, the media influences public policy, the public's perception of political candidates, and ultimately can influence the outcome of an election. 

Since this is my final blog entry for my Media and Public Affairs class I wanted to post something that would make at least one of my blog readers laugh. I may only have one reader, and that is pretty funny in itself. Nevertheless, I will share the rude and the crude hoping that one little piece of this political blasphemy causes that crack in the face known as a smile. Enter into the remainder of this blog at your own risk, and if you do I hope you enjoy the quotes, cartoons, and possibly inappropriate wit. Why even have a blog if it doesn't include a little bit of mischief to make it both interesting and promising? I now turn you over to quotes on the laugh and cartoons with a political aftermath if you dare to proceed. Here are 11 political laughs for 2011. 

1. "The most wasted of all days is that in which we have not laughed."  ~Nicolas Chamfort, translated from French

 

Hey people...this is actually out there on the Internet. Do you think this is a motivational or demotivating  poster? Do you think it is funny, not funny, or just plain distasteful? 

2. "Laughter is an instant vacation."  ~Milton Berle

Oops!

3. What monstrous absurdities and paradoxes have resisted whole batteries of serious arguments, and then crumbled swiftly into dust before the ringing death-knell of a laugh!"  ~Agnes Repplier

"Sometimes the candidates are just screwing themselves." ~ Deneene A. Collins

4. "So many tangles in life are ultimately hopeless that we have no appropriate sword other than laughter."  ~Gordon W. Allport

Mitt the Mormon might want to try praying next time.

5. "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people."  ~Victor Borge

"Call 999 I mean 911." ~ Deneene Collins

6. "What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul."  ~Yiddish Proverb

7. "I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose."  ~Woody Allen

"Would you like a side of fried Democrats with that?" ~ Deneene Collins

8. At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.  ~Jean Houston

9. "Even if there is nothing to laugh about, laugh on credit."  ~Author Unknown

10. "Mirth is God's medicine.  Everybody ought to bathe in it."  ~Henry Ward Beecher

"Laughter really does do the heart good like a medicine, but politics can make one sick." ~ Deneene Collins

11. "Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis."  ~Jack Handey, "Deep Thoughts," Saturday Night Live

A bonus laugh thrown in for 2012 ...

12. "The most wasted of all days is that in which we have not laughed."  ~Nicolas Chamfort, translated from French

Well, I hope you laughed while reading this blog entry as much as I learned while taking Media and Public Affairs. I think the course number should be changed from PAF494 to PAF911 as I feel it is an emergency that all American citizens should know what is taught in this class. I say so long but not goodbye as we part for only a moment to catch our breath between laughs until the next time Deneene Says...

"Stop, stop, please stop showing me campaign ads, I can't breathe!" ~ Deneene Collins :) LOL! I hope that something about our political system makes you laugh until you cry and cry until you can't laugh both of which being things that spark an active change in your own personal politics. 

PAF494 Final Project Blog 4: Camp Pain - A Political Drama Coming To An Election Near You

My professor at Arizona State University for a class I am taking in Media and Public Affairs asked me the following question, "How will the media play a vital role in the 2012 elections and subsequent elections?  Please provide thoughtful examples of how the media may influence the outcome of the next general election." To professor Dana Berchman the answer I have constructed is in a blog as follows:

In 1789 the first presidential election of the United States took place putting into office the Father of Our Country George Washington as president. Since Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press which ushered in the era of the modern newspaper occurred in 1447, there has never been an election in this country that the media did not play a role in. Over the years the media has evolved and so has the use of it by political candidates. Forward looking to 2012 I also look back and see how campaign media has gone from ink on newsprint to persuasive voices on radio to compelling images on television and the Internet. There is a story told by the media that is sometimes fact and sometimes fiction; whether projecting fantasy or reality", the media has been somewhat of a leading lady in the drama I like to call "Camp Pain". 

Political candidates have setup camp in the news media as they work to establish themselves in hopes of becoming the next political victor. Every political victor must first be a political vector, and alongside the gladness of glory there is always the pain of the campaign. The pain I speak of is the agony of a merciless agenda, the scrutiny of the spotlight, and the critical analysis of the American public. For all political candidates especially those involved in a presidential election being in the media means having to put your best foot forward even when you're at your worse, having to deal with controversies gingerly while displaying competence and charisma, and knowing how to strategically and tactically leverage your media coverage. 

In the 2012 and all subsequent elections the media will play the role it has always played. Holding the power of mass communication in its hands, the media will broadcast advertisements for those running for office in their favor, it will report authentic news about their lives, who they are, and what positions they take on issues based upon their beliefs, and it will attempt to inform the American public on the attributes of the candidates to help them make a decision on who they should vote for. The media is almost like a third invisible running mate for presidential candidates. Television will be used as always just like newspapers will be used, and now the advertising options, broad partisan appeal, and power of social media communities on the Internet will be widely adopted and applied for campaign success through mass media. 

With free media comes the influence many are bound by. The outcome of the 2012 general election will with no doubt be influenced my the media. The next president of the United States will most likely be a candidate that has survived the press of the press, received the positive media coverage that helps to secure votes, and has used the many facets of media to their advantage in establishing their political brand. Below I have posted videos and commentary on political media influence and I've also posted some ads for the 2012 U.S. presidential election/general election.  The media may influence the outcome of the 2012 general election with persuasive advertising messages that tap into the human psyche, images that shape the human perspective, stories that arouse human emotion, and campaign coverage that profiles the negative and positive aspects of the candidates showing that they are indeed only human.

Murdoch of Fox News Admits Manipulating the News for Agenda

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K2pLo8JV5Y&feature=related

Fox News - Media Control over election process

In the following video about media control over the election process Bill Moyers says that to Rupert Murdock, "Politicians become little clay pigeons to be picked off with flattering headlines, generous airtime, a book contract, or the old fashioned black jack that never misses, campaign cash." Veteran journalist Bill Moyers goes on to talk about how ruthless and powerful Rupert Murdock is and what this type of power can do when it comes to media influence. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQbXXSOQWNY

First Obama 2012 Ads - JoinObama.com: A Movement Starts With You, call (888) 705-0047

In this ad Obama talks about how everyone can make a difference and states, "It starts with you." Obama makes a moderate plea for people to join his movement, and he asks people to call a number so that he can know their name.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HwvnR1tuBI

Misleading Romney Ad Draws Criticism for Distorting Obama's Words

"Let the games begin!" Romney started his campaign with an ad that quoted President Obama out of context. I didn't know mud would fly this early. Did Romney really think the truth regarding his ad would not come to light?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjco41RIthw

Vote for the Principles that once made our country great: Ron Paul 2012

In this ad Ron Paul proclaims, "I am the champion of the constitution." This ad is fueled by patriotism and emotion. The background music sets the mood of the ad and Ron Paul even uses an image of himself composed of the faces of the public laid over the constitution of the United States. I think it is a powerful ad that quietly yet profoundly addresses unity, community, justice, and family. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cODFGWporQ&feature=pyv

Herman Cain 2012 Presidential Campaign Ad

Herman Cain's ad starts off by talking about political scandals which is funny considering he is dealing with a few scandals of his own right now. The ad talks about pursuing the American Dream and states that he is a new voice for America. Before America chooses Herman Cain to help facilitate the American Dream they must first know who it is they are getting in bed with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANa5kLnhOMw

Rick Perry 2012

This ad for Rick Perry for president is what I call all drama and no depth. There is nothing in this ad that gives anyone a reason to vote for him. What a waste of campaign money. See for yourself. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUuUs1_B29g

Michele Bachmann: Television Ad: "Waterloo"

Michele Bachmann gives a lot of information about herself in this ad and about what she won't do, but she doesn't say what she will do. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0J1EhOKvtI

I'm going to stop right here even though there are a lot of other 2012 campaign ads out there and many other candidates that I didn't evaluate here. I just wanted to share a little bit with you about how media influence is everywhere, especially lurking around every corner of American politics. The media continues to be a place where the names have not been changed to protect the innocent nor the guilty, but sometimes the stories have been changed to influence both. Striving to impose a positive influence are the words Deneene Says...

PAF494 Final Project Blog 3: From the News You Can Use To the Cable News Blues

The Changing Purpose of News:

The most accurate and concise definition of purpose I've been able to mesh and mold from all of the explanations out there is that purpose is the reason a thing exists. Chairs exist to provide you with a place to sit, cars exist to provide you with a mode of transportation, food exists to nourish your body, and so on and so on and so on. Everything that is in existence has a purpose; if something no longer has a purpose it will cease to exist. The purpose of the news is supposed to be to provide people with accurate information as to what is going on in the community and the world. When news outlets fail to do this appropriately it doesn't mean they no longer have a purpose, it just means that their purpose has changed in some way. An example of this change would be some cable news networks reporting biased stories to inform in a specifically opinionated way in order to boost ratings. In this video clip which is part one of former president Bill Clinton's interview on Fox News, Clinton sets things straight on how things he has said and done have been falsely interpreted. Former president Clinton says, "You asked a question so you're going to get an answer." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DI7u-TytRU&feature=related

News As An Endangered Species:

Few cable news networks are as sly as Fox which has several journalists setting their own traps. Time after time I've seen Fox News journalist go in for the kill in their interviews with presidential candidates. This next clip shows Ron Paul responding to what he considers a stupid question: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8bPfzIF8Qg.

Really? When did news you can use turn into cable news blues? Sometimes watching cable news journalists is like watching a character in a play perform a soliloquy.  Though I believe that fair and unbiased reporting still exists to a certain extent I also think it is on the endangered list due to a devouring beast called cable news. More accurate stories are broadcast on traditional network news programs. It is a must to have news we can trust, and it is pretty bad when the news becomes a fad. 

Armed and Dangerous:

The question has been proposed by Professor Berchman, "Are we more informed and armed with more information or is it media overload?" I think the answer is a little of both. Citizens of this nation like you and I are armed by the news with the information reported by it. In this day and time we have news on demand by way of cable news and the Internet. News is constantly in front of our eyes with the click of a remote control and at the tips of our computer touch, the question is, "Is it too much?" Like I said, the news arms us, but is it placing the right weapon in our hands? Most of us are familiar with the Bible story of David and Goliath when the little shepherd boy took on the great giant. King Saul's armor was put on David for the battle, but the armor was too big and heavy for him so he took it off and still defeated the giant.

The armor we are clothed with is only good if it fits us properly; the news is only as good as the accuracy and truth it places upon us. With all the news available to us today we can find ourselves at times being overloaded with the attire composed of biased fact and opinionated fiction. Real people need real news they can use and not heavy fabrications highlighted with fragments of truth that will surely cause the blues. Some cable news networks may want to hire a violinist to play the sound of sad music in the background as they broadcast the stories that murder people's hope in the news media. 

I do think that we have more non-useful and less useful news than we can use. We have become like camels carrying loads that will cause us to be spanked across our knees so that we fall down to gain entry to a city of reality threaded like thin rope through its needle-like eyes of entry. OK, maybe that last statement was bit deep and a tad bit dramatic. The simple truth of the matter is that information overload is ever so present in the realm of 21st century news. We instinctively gravitate towards the familiar while we progress along the pathway of the popular casting away the safety of insight in this god-forsaken news evolution.  It is a shame to have to follow clues like Sherlock Holmes to get to the truth when it comes to reported news. Cable news is like an opera where we have paid the high price of sacrificed perceptions to view. With opera glasses in hand we view like an opera what we once turned on the TV to see in our own plain eyesight. If the news was Madam Butterfly it would be married to the hope to come of what it once was and then end up stabbing itself in the heart with the dagger of truth that represents what it truly is. 

Does fair and unbiased reporting still exist? Yes. Is it harder to find? Yes. Are we products and/or victims of information overload? Yes. Will the news again become something we can use with trust, objectivity, and reassurance? I don't know. 

Until next time Deneene Says...,"Stay informed, keep your options open, keep watching and reading the news, and go see an opera if you can to help you decipher reality from fantasy as the news has become a dramatic stage setting for the performance of real life dramatized." Keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming play Lady Sings the News Blues. (Not really)

PAF 494 Final Project Blog 2: How Sweet is the Tweet?

TWEET! TWEET! TWEET!

With more than 119 million account 85 million of which have at least one follower people are flocking to Twitter to express themselves along with seeing what others have to tweet. Twitter is a pretty sweet setup and if your tweet is really sweet it will probably get re-tweeted (tweeted again on someone else's Twitter page). You can view everything on Twitter from what someone is doing, what they've done, what they plan to do, thoughts, opinions, and even political activism. Twitter is one information superhighway in the cyber sky that has more than the average social media user singing like a bird. Special interest groups are voicing their cause, businesses and entrepreneurs are pushing their products and services, journalists are reporting news, celebrities are hyping up fans, and politicians are campaigning through the medium of social media. Imagine the ripples that come from a single drop of water or the splash from a bird's wing in a birdbath. Now imagine over one million birds diving into a huge lake all at once.

The use of social media is creating perpetual waves when it comes to political influence and public opinion. Even those who don't trouble the water see and feel the effects of the ripples. This is one way that social media influences politics and public opinion. Many of the thoughts and opinionated expressions shared are embraced by those who they are shared with, and this can influence what people believe, who they admire and despise, what they support, and in some cases it even affects how they will vote. Twitter is a part of the social media revolution that is stirring up media and public affairs as both the common and uncommon become avid content creators of communications that are shared with the global online community. Below I've shared six tweets I pulled off Twitter to show you how they each individually relate to something I've learned in my media and public affairs class. Twitter is social media where the affairs of the public are aired so I've come up with the "Golden Rule of Tweeting". "Tweet unto others as you would have them tweet unto you." ~ Deneene A. Collins

Tweet! Tweet!

1. 60Minutes 60 Minutes 
   

   
   
   Congressman Barney Frank announced his retirement Monday. On Overtime, watch Lesley Stahl’s 2008 interview with Frank:bit.ly/tlDf7Z

   
   

   This tweet tweeted by 60Minutes announces the retirement of a congressman and links to the full article on www.cbsnews.com. This relates to lessons learned in my media and public affairs class because it shows how the news media is leveraging social media to further broadcast their news stories. Furthermore, this is political news and that is largely what media and public affairs is about. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also tweeted about Barney Frank's retirement with 100 re-tweets as of Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 3:18 PM Arizona Mountain Time: dccc DCCC (100 Retweets) Barney Frank is retiring and we're going to miss him. Send him a personal thank you message right now: dccc.org/Barney

   
   
2. townhallcom Townhall.com 
   

   
   
   
   Katie Pavlich: Ann Coulter Censored for Calling John McCain the "D" Word on Television: If you're an Ann Coulter... tinyurl.com/cbeww29

   
   

   Townhall.com which is a conservative website with political commentary that over 100 columnists and millions of grassroots conservatives contribute to tweeted the above tweet which also links to a full article. MSNBC bleeped out/censored a comment best-selling author Ann Coulter made about John McCain. This tweet obviously relates to what I learned in media and public affairs about media influence and how what a person, especially a well-know respected person with fans can shape people's views of political figures by what they say. This also relates to a topic we covered on media bias and how certain networks tend to favor with conservatives or liberals what stories they air and how they air them. 

   
   
3. President Election 2012 News 
   

   
   
   
   Florida attorney general co-host presidential forum on Fox News.bit.ly/syKxh9

   
   

   President Election 2012 News tweeted about this forum that will be broadcast on Fox News. The tweet links to an article on www.washingtonindependent.com that states several GOP and democratic presidential candidates are confirmed for the event. Since a large portion of my media and public affairs class dealt with presidential elections and campaigning the relevance of this tweet to the class is obvious. This is political news about a political media event that can influence the candidates' campaigns. Social media is being used here to inform and advertise. The article this tweet links to also contributes to the cloud hanging over Herman Cain's head as it states that they are not sure if he will be a part of this forum while mentioning the negative issues he is dealing with in regards to accusations of his longtime affair with a Georgia woman. The article also calls Cain a one-time (meaning former) front-runner. I wonder how many mental seeds Johnny Appleseed could have planted if he had Twitter at his fingertips?

   
   
4. SenJohnMcCain John McCain 
   

   
   
   
   Stmt on overwhelming bipartisan 61-37 vote supporting detainee provisions in #NDAA mccain.senate.gov/public/index.c…

   
   

   This tweet by US Senator John McCain voices a statement he made in a press release regarding bipartisan support for the Defense Authorization bill. One way social media is being used here is to inform the public on public policy and show how joint party support is working to pass laws that are much needed and beneficial to the nation's security. This tweet relates to topics in my media and public affairs class that discussed foreign policy, how politicians represent the interests of the American society, and how social media is being used to keep people informed about what is going on behind the walls of Congress. 

   
   
5. CBSNewsHotSheet CBS News Hotsheet 
   

   
   
   Trump: I could enter presidential race in May: bit.ly/s7Bh8R

   
   

   CBS News strikes again on my Twitter Six List. CBS seems to be consistent in reporting political news on Twitter. The word on the street is that Trump may enter the presidential race as an independent in May 2012. This tweet relates to my class on media and public affairs as it presents a possible new competitor for the 2012 presidential election. This could be a Game Change if Donald Trump resurrects himself back into the race. In my course the topic of what candidates have to deal with and do to overcome their competitors was visited. With this tweet the current presidential candidates have been put on alert that they may end up facing more than what's in their faces right now. 

   
   
6. freepress Free Press 
   

   
   
   
   Don't Let Them Censor the Internet: Urge your senator to stand up against online censorship, & against #PIPA: ow.ly/7J0Hr #SOPA

   
   

   Working to reform the U.S. media the national nonpartisan, nonprofit Free Press has name that comes directly from the first amendment. Their micro-blog entry on Twitter posted above is about preventing large corporations from censoring websites at will. One of the things we went over in my media and public affairs class was Internet freedom. This tweet is chirping to the song of freedom. What regulations should be placed on Internet freedom? Should the voice of online text regarding public policy be muffled or hushed? Does social media enhance the essence of a democracy and how should it be monitored? These are all valid questions relating to Internet freedom and the answers are still being sought after. This tweet is an example of sounding off for a cause that seeks to rally support in the land of the free and the home of the brave. 

For some reason I've never been a huge fan of Twitter. Nevertheless, it is a power medium of social exchange, and I know the world would not be the same without it. I do like to tweet from time to time, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all of the information that is coming at me. I think that for a person to gain the full benefits that Twitter offers they need to check it multiple times a day to see what is being said. Even so, so many people are tweeting so often that it is easy to miss something you may have wanted to see if you don't scroll down to see what has been tweeted when you were offline. I will keep tweeting and I will continue to catch a chirp here and there. Until I fly in the Twitter sky a little more often I'd like to send out a shout to all the little birdies on Twitter street that love to hear Deneene Collins go tweet, tweet, tweet. I'll keep micro-blogging in a macro world, and I hope you keep reading Deneene Says...You can follow me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/deneenecollins


How tweet it is to be blogged by you!