Review and Analysis Of The Movie The Blind Side

Review and Analysis Of The Movie The Blind Side John Lee Hancocks film entitled The Blind Side describes the struggle of a Black man to become part of the White society. Michael Oher, the main character in the story shows the audience how a black man experiences mistreatment and discrimination from his white community which is the common trend of American mainstream. However, the film also wants to deconstruct the traditional perceptions towards White Americans through the Tuohy family. In this movie, the director shows how White Americans like the Tuohy family accept Michael for who he is and what he wants to be. The Tuohys become Michaels enduring power, armor, and salvation as he faces his new path of transformation, social acceptance, and immersion. From this sense, it can be perceived that Hancocks film depicts the notion of popular culture as it emphasizes the different issues of the society such as race, racism, cultural differences, cultural interaction, and other ideas about culture and society. The films goal is to show how Michael is being accepted in a social norm through his new found family. For many years, Michael has lived with different foster families, but ends up leaving them. He feels that he does not fit because of the different family situations, status, and lifestyle. However, Michael is not just a common individual, he has a unique character that leads him to popularity. In the beginning of his life with the Tuohys, he detaches himself from them. This is primarily because of the fact that he is a Black American while the Tuohys are White. Throughout the discussion of Michaels life, the film is presented with minimal flashbacks-only if there is a need, such as the depiction of Michaels mother and other important details that help establish the main characters personality. The film tries to express the situation that happens when a Black American becomes part of a White American family. The conflict of the story is, Will Michael fit into his new found home? Having an extreme difference in terms of race, lifestyle, social background, and social status, the two races are combined together under one roof to describe the possible repulsion that might occur as well as the attraction that can happen between them. However, it is not only this internal repulsion or attraction that is presented as a conflict of the film, but also the people within the Tuohys social surroundings. Since Leigh Anne and Sean are influential individuals because of their profession, people around them think that adopting Michael taints their good reputation. This is one of the major struggles of the Tuohy family along with Michael, but they stand up against their foes and prove to these people that Michael is more civilized than those who continue to criticize him. The concept of popular culture emerges in this film in three distinct themes: racism within the football team, the lifestyle of the socialites, and when an upcoming superstar is made, people keep an eye on this individual. According to John Storey (2009), race and racism are not natural or inevitable phenomena; they have a history and are a result of human actions and interactions (pg. 168). Logically, racism occurs in television, radio, movies, and other types of media. Most of the time, these industries use racism as a form of stereotyping. That is why common people utilize these ideals, they think that it is accepted in the society. This is what happened to Michael. He faces discrimination inside his own classroom. Even his teacher demonstrates the differences of how a White teacher interacts with a Black student like him. It is a form of stereotype that the media continues to express towards its audience. Another example of popular culture that exists in this film is the lifestyle of the socialites. For example, Leigh Annes lifestyle is totally extravagant. She can wear any clothes she wants. She can eat at any restaurant because she can afford it. This is a form of popular culture because it is how a rich woman is perceived in television or movies. Her lifestyle is similar with Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City. They are both perceived as extravagant women who can achieve everything they want-because they have money. Both characters share the same culture. Storey (2009) explains that the social definition of culture- culture as a particular way of life, culture as expression of a particular way of life, and cultural analysis as a method of reconstituting a particular way of life helps us to establish an understanding of the shared values of a group or class of people (p. 45). This is a common depiction of a rich woman in every movie. A rich woman is not perceived as a sad and unhapp y individual when it comes to her personal satisfaction. She is described as a flawless and sophisticated character that has special powers when it comes to her personal needs and luxuries. The last example of popular culture in this film is when Michael begins his football career. When the football coach, Burt Cotton sees Michaels potential, he accepts the main character as a student of Wingate Christian School. This is also the beginning of Michaels popularity. People, even the coaches and owners of different universities, want Michael to become part of their school. That is why despite Michaels academic records and race, they are interested in him. This scenario is common in American culture and it is common in Western culture to portray such situations in television and movies. People begin to keep their eyes on Michaels actions and achievements because he becomes popular and he soon becomes part of their lifestyle. When Michael becomes popular, people suddenly start to observe and scrutinize his actions. Michael needs to prove that he is worthy to become a student of Ole Miss. Everyone starts to take an interest in his academic transformation because he needs to have a 2.50 GPA to be able to get the NCAA Division I scholarship. Some people are trying to scrutinize him, like the interviewer of Ole Miss. This interview is done to prove that his decision to attend Ole Miss is based on his personal judgments and ideologies and not by the Tuohys simply because they are alumni and members of the boosters for the university. It only proves that because of his popularity, he experiences scrutiny and sometimes immoral judgment from other people-which is part of society. Culture plays an important role in establishing the character of a person. People have different culture, but through cultural relativism, they become connected. According to Storey (2009), cultural relativism is the acceptance and appreciation of cultures or ways of living different from your own; not judging a culture but trying to understand it on its own terms. The Tuohys accept and appreciate Michaels culture-despite the fact that his social and family background seems unacceptable because it contains negativities. As these individuals share their thoughts and identities, they become related to one another-and soon become part of each others lives. There are a set of laws in the society that people can not change. This is called norm or the rules of society based on their values; standards of behavior governing specific social situations that are established by societys values (Storey, 2009). The Tuohys society or community has specific sets of moral values. They believe that Black Americans are unacceptable within their community or surroundings because they are the root of negativities. This is also an example of high culture being looked at as a superior culture. The Tuohys do not change this norm, but they create their own values by accepting Michael and believe in him and his capabilities as a person. A persons ideology makes the culture more sophisticated. According to Storey (2009), Ideology differs from culture, in that it adds a political dimension to the discussion on culture. It suggests that relations of power and politics shape the cultural and ideological landscape. The Tuohys ideology is different from the standard culture of the society, but because they are part of their community, they have to express their ideology. It is hard in the beginning to show their different point of view, but they win the battle against their foes because Michael shows that he is different from the stereotypic character of a Black American.

Philosophy of Education Essay -- Philosophy of Teaching Statement

Philosophy of Education Education is an essential element to the life of every person. Teachers must have a philosophy of teaching to be effective in the classroom. No matter what way of teaching an educator chooses, it should positively affect his or her students and help to keep them on track to growing into strong intelligent adults. If a child is placed in a positive environment, then it will help shape them into good citizens. According to Plato, a student's environment determines his or her morals and character. It is very important for children to be able to function in society and to learn to interact well with other people; providing a positive learning environment plays a crucial role in instilling these characteristics. If all teachers would stress these concepts there would be a lot less discipline problems in the classroom. Philosophy Discipline plays a key role in the learning environment of the child. A teacher must have an effective discipline method to keep order in the classroom. The view of behaviorists seems to work in most situations. If positive reinforcement is utilized in the classroom, students will want to do well academically. Punishment often times causes students to rebel against authority. If the teacher rewards students for good behavior, then they will want to be consistent in their behavior they will see that this will benefit them. Knowledge is dependent upon the person and their situation, therefore the nature of knowledge is relative. Everyone is different and can not be expected to learn in the same manner. Some students learn best through experiencing things and doing things hands-on, these students are tactile-kinesthetic learners. Some students are auditory learners, ... ...variety of viewpoints. Elementary teachers should make sure that children have a good foundation in reading and math. It is very important that children have the basic skills that they need to build on and excel in the higher grades. As graduation approaches, my plans are to obtain a certificate in special education, concentrating on children with learning disabilities. After teaching for a few years, I plan to pursue a graduate degree in special education while I am still teaching. Educating young people is something that is very important to the future of society. As an educator, I would like to make a difference in the lives of my students. Upon leaving my classroom, I hope that my students will become open-minded and strong of heart. I want them to know what kind of things that they enjoy and to think of learning as a wonderful and valuable experience.

Personal, Organizational and Cultural Values Essay

Personal, organizational and cultural values are common approach to understand conflict or success in today global business environment. With the increasingly globalized economy and climate of multicultural workforce, organizations is continuously implementing and establishing desired core values to remain competitive. This paper will discuss how one can reconcile personal, organizational and cultural values in global settings. Personal values develop when the individual start to interact within family, school or religious organization. The followings are considered the core personal values in my life personally: goals oriented, respect, caring and trustworthy. Personal values will always be the foundation for each individual path of life. They are personal belief and philosophy for one to live by. Personal values shape our choices, impact the decision about our ability and how to treat ourselves and others. Experiences and interactions with external units influence the values people deem important to them. Personal values become a personal direction for people on how to live their lives. Ghosh (2008) explains â€Å"The individual’s cognitive moral development stage determines how an individual thinks about ethical dilemmas, his or her process of deciding what is right and wrong in a situation. †(Ghosh, 2008). Organizational values are established rules and polices that each organization believes to be acceptable and logic, professional and practical. Organizational values also provide a basis for employee decision making in the workplace. In my professional career, I have always set my goals to develop the following core organizational values: loyalty, reliability, hard work and commitment. Fenton (2007) explains: â€Å"when organizations articulate their values, they take what are thought to be shared, stable, and deeply held beliefs and communicate them as standards to guide decisions and actions, often with the intent of increasing productivity, improving efficiencies, and acting socially responsible. † (Fenton, 2007). Findings in a Deloitte and Touche Ethics and Workplace survey also reveal the critically important influence that management and supervisors have in promoting ethical workplace behavior by all workers. (Verschoor, 2007). The above mentioned survey explains: â€Å"Management and leadership have a huge responsibility in setting examples for their organizations and living the values they preach if they want to sustain a culture of ethics. † (Verschoor, 2007) Similar to personal values, cultural values are deep-rooted since childhood. Cultural values are developed in social heritage, traditions and reflect psychological, religious or spiritual, and moral experiences. Cultural Values are closely related to personal values since they are developed from the individual tradition, heritage and origin. Cultural values differ in several levels: ethnicity, religion, organization. Different cultures interpret moral and values differently therefore, affect individual interactions in many level. The influence of cultural values has a significant impact on how people and organizations operate and make their decisions. Cultural values affect actions in both personal and organizational level Verschoor, C. (2007) survey also found that more than 91% of working adults are more likely to behave ethically at work when they have a good balance between their job and their personal life. It was said that quality of an employee’s personal life strongly influences job satisfaction and related productivity, the 2007 Deloitte and Touche Ethics and Workplace survey shows that work-life balance also promotes ethical behavior in the (Verschoor, 2007) Values are energizing, motivating and inspiring. When people care passionate about something they will urge themselves with achievement Instilling and maintaining a values-oriented approach to ethics in the workplace, together with giving greater attention to related work-life balance issues, should remain at the top of the agenda of organizations. Employee fulfillment is essential to customer satisfaction, good quality, high productivity, low turnover, and other factors that lead to superior corporate financial performance (Verschoor, 2007) Employees make decisions in the workplace often reflecting value judgment and having ethical connotations. Corporate values are often used interchangeably with the concept of corporate culture. The usual paradigm is that corporations with strong positive cultures have institutionalized a set of corporate values. These values help employees identify with the organization and develop a commitment to its goals (Ghosh, 2008). In conclusion, personal and cultural values have become core elements in today global economy. Organizations calculate and implement these core values with the intent to improve efficiency and productivity, and establish organizational values and standards to communicate to all employees. Personal and cultural values have a major effect in people lives and interactions, and clearly work performance. To be able to find a balance between organizational values and personal, cultural values is the solution to career fulfillment and life satisfaction.

Product Placement vs Tv Advertisement - 8817 Words

An Explorative Study of Testing the Effectiveness of Product Placement Compared to 30-Second Commercials Kristin Blondà © and Irene Roozen Kristin Blondà ©: Irene Roozen: Kristin.Blonde@vlekho.wenk.be Irene.Roozen@vlekho.wenk.be tel:+32-2-221.12.59 tel:+32-2-221.12.96 Vlekho-Business School 336 Rue Royal 1030 Brussels Belgium 1 An Explorative Study of Testing the Effectiveness of Product Placement Compared to 30-Second Commercials Abstract The main objective of this paper is to compare the effectiveness of subtle and prominent product placements with the effectiveness of 30-second commercials for the same brands. Two experimental groups were exposed to TV- drama series and 30-second TV commercials in the break of the†¦show more content†¦It is forecasted that global paid product placement spending will grow at a compound annual rate of 27.9% in the 2005-2010 period to $7.55 billion, as product placement growth continues to significantly outpace that of traditional advertising and marketing. The overall value of the worldwide product placement market, including the barter/exposure value of non-paid placements, will increase 18.4% compounded annually to $13.96 billion in 2010 (PQ Media, August 2006). It is therefore not surprising that the concept of product placement is daily discussed, applied, and reported in the world of professional marketers (Russell and Stern, 2006; O Loughlin, 2006; Levin, 2006; Karrh et al. 2003;). 3 The Rising Importance of Product Placement in Europe While brand or product placement is prevalent in the US because of vague or nonexistent regulations, the transition is moving slower in Europe due to stricter rules governing the use of product placement (PQ Media, 2006). 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