The solution to all the world's problems...

Coca-Cola

If Coke's television commercials and ad campaigns are any indication, the key to world peace is on the shelf of almost every American grocery store, around the next corner in a vending machine, or perhaps you're even drinking it at this very moment.

I once saw a man walking down a crowded city street, drinking a bottle of coke, and single-handedly righting every wrong he encountered. He stopped a bank robbery, returned an old lady's purse, helped a cat down out of a tree (I might have made that last one up), and before I knew it, the entire city was out in the street, celebrating and laughing. And all because one man decided to grab a bottle of coke and make his world a better place.

I also saw a woman who would walk around singing and passing out bottles of coca-cola. The song she sang went something like this: "I wish I could share all the love that's in my heart...remove all the walls that keep us apart..." I guess sharing coke is the next best thing.

And did you know that coca-cola is so powerful that it even brings peguins and polar bears together?

How about this famous jingle:
"The sun will always shine the birds will always sing,
As long as there is Coke, there's always the real thing..."

Take a look at this description of a coca-cola commercial from the 80's:
"I clearly remember a very moving Coke ad featuring children of many different nationalities. It started with one girl singing, then many more children joined in. The song went like this: I am the future of the world I am the hope of my nation I am tomorrow's people I am the new inspiration (At this point all the other young people began to enter, united by the Coca Cola they carried in their hands.) And we've got a song to sing to you We've got a message to bring to you Please let there be for you and for me A tomorrow ( tomorrow) If we all can agree there'll be sweet harmony Tomorrow (tomorrow) And we all will be there, Coca Cola to share Feeling so real and so true Promise us tomorrow And we'll build a better world for you."

What in the world does Coca-Cola have to do with building a better tomorrow for kids?!?! How does a soft drink bring us together? What connection is there between a can of Coke and pleading for a better future?

There is no connection--until these things are placed together in these ads. I think this has something to do with what we were talking about on Friday. Symbols take on different meanings when they're used in a certain way. The creators of coke commercials have worked very hard to make sure that their product becomes associated with happiness, peace, and the good life. All advertisers do this. They know that we see one thing in the ad and think of other things connected to it... They show the woman singing and passing out bottles of coke and making people smile, and we see a loving, caring person, making an effort to live a good life and make her world happier. The result: Coke=happiness. And if you've seen any of the other commercials, you know it also equals unity, community, peace, and fun.

Out of the Loop...

When I was in Elementary School, all my friends worshiped The Spice Girls.
In Middle School, they fell in love with N*sync or The Backstreet Boys.
THE radio station that ALL my friends sang along with: Hot 101

I, on the other hand, listened to news reports on NPR.
Or Christian talk shows on WORD radio, the Christian station out of Pittsburgh, PA.
I can still remember trying to explain to my friends what classical music was, and that no, I didn't mean classic rock.

Now, keep in mind, I was 9 or 10. I didn't turn on the radio and look for a station I liked. I just listened to whatever my parents wanted to listen to.

Now that I'm older, I do a lot more thinking on my own, but I've still kept the same apathetic attitude toward my media diet. The books I read are usually either assigned or recommended. The movies I watch are the ones my friends show me. The music I listen to is whatever is available--if I don't like it right away, I usually learn to like it eventually.

I'm not sure what the cause of this is. Perhaps it's a lack of curiosity. Maybe it's simply laziness! I think part of it is a subconscious fear of exposing myself to "bad things." It would by no means be a stretch to describe my life as "sheltered," and I think that is as much my own fault as it is my parents'. The words of the Apostle Paul haunt me: "Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, excellent, or praise-worthy--think about such things." How do I know what is true or right or pure before I watch, read, or listen to it?

The question that I've been asking myself since the start of this class is this: What am I missing? By living a lifestyle that's very low on media intake, am I missing something important? I'm content and happy, and I like to think I'm living a purposeful life, but when it comes to what's going on in the world of news and entertainment, I'm terribly uneducated. The problem is that I honestly don't have the time (or desire, actually) to keep up with the latest music, TV shows, movies, and news. And my question is whether or not I'm wrong to feel this way.

So throughout this course, I want to keep an open mind--see what I'm supposed to learn, what applies to my life. So far, this has been a challenge. I know the things we're discussing are important issues. I also know that different forms of mass media have more influence on my life than I realize--a thought that is somewhat disconcerting. The challenge is making myself care about the things we're discussing and then actively involving myself in those discussions!

Nancy Drew, Super Sleuth

Last week in class, when we were prompted to write about a "formative media text," the only thing that came to my mind was Seseme Street. Unfortunately, I really didn't want to write about Seseme Street.

But today...today I remembered...
Once upon a time, I was an avid reader of Nancy Drew mysteries.

Nancy was "the young sleuth" who always had a "hunch," could track down any criminal without losing her "pumps," and could get out of even the tightest scrape with a little help from the contents of her purse.

From my 9-year-old perspective, Nancy Drew had it all--brains, looks, her two best "chums" Bess and George, and a gorgeous boyfriend, Ned. I loved reading and re-reading as she repeatedly solved each case.

Nancy Drew Mysteries helped to spark my love for reading, and of course, provided me with an image of a smart, beautiful, successful girl, whose adventures could (for a few short days at a time) become my own.