How Far Would You Go...?

How far would you go for the one you love..?


Slumdog Millionaire <3

Advertising & the End of the World

Aestheticism. It's something that truly dominates this world. For my advertising class I saw this video by a man name Jhally. He was claiming how the world was soon coming to an end and how if we do not take action, then people will not consume and eventually we will revert to a barbaric lifestyle. Jhally spoke of how it's the duty of mass media and advertising to push forward and make sure that consumerism stays ever so constant or even have it grow. For the longest time, sex has been the driving force in sales. Sex sells everything. From music, to food, to what we wear sex and its appeal has surrounded us. We've become so attuned to the physical that we forget the other things in life.

For example, today I was in the student center and I saw these two guys comment about this girl walking by. "She's so hot! Look at her sexy walk! *insert more sexual references here* If she were mine, I'd be happy for the rest of my life." And that's the line that got me. They have no idea who that girl is, or how she acts, or what she feels. This girl happens to be a girl in one of my classes that I know and have worked with. She just so happens to be the opinionated, always talking girl. To be honest, I'd rather take the stairs from a ten story building instead of ride an elevator with her to avoid discussion every time we have class together.

I find it really ironic about how critical I am about sex in media, and here I am pursuing a career in advertising. Jhally says that we need to be that force to keep the world going, to keep consumerism and spending going, so this economic circle will continue and people will prosper. Jhally really makes the end of the world sound like the book of Revelations, but the thing is, in there God is the driving force, and he should be here in our lives as well. If we adapt to Jhally's ideas and those who think like him, then I guess it will really be advertising and the end of the world.

"Because He's Christian..."

As much as I would love to trust and base life decisions on the sole fact that someone is Christian, I can't. I don't mean to judge people, but we all make mistakes and sometimes being Christian can blind others from that fact. The reason why I bring this up is because as I heard a friend talk about a business plan to make money, their only rationale was because a friend was also doing it and he was "a really strong Christian." There was no other facts in the reasoning except that he was Christian, he grew up from a strong Christian background, and that things were going well for him. I heard the same defensive argument at least a dozen times until I had to blurt out to go do your own research before doing anything.

It turns out that there are entrepreneurs out there that actually focus on Christians as their target market because apparently to them, we are a group that they can trust as a business investment. I'm not trying to destroy certain legitimate Christian organizations, but looking into business's and business models such as these prove my point.

I'm not trying to judge other Christians I hardly know, but we are all prone to mistakes and being scammed. As much as I wish it were possible, "Because He's Christian," does not cut it for me. Maybe I'm calloused and cynical, but sometimes I believe that we need to be a little bit more on guard in this world.

February

I find this month frustrating yet very very very amusing. It's frustrating because somehow I seem to spend money unnecessarily even though I don't have a valentine, and that people always use this time of year as an excuse to find out who I like. The constant asking of "So who are you going to ask out on Valentine's Day, or where are you flying yourself to, to confess your love thing gets kind of repetitive. Although I'm not going to lie, I have thought about it. =P. February to me is one of the most artificial months of the year. In my opinion, why do you need one day out of a year to show off to the person you care about. If he or she is there at ANY moment, you should just go for it and not confine yourself to one day.

There is so much pressure in this month and especially on Valentine's day. People will travel across the country to keep close friends or relatives company so they don't feel lonely on that day. Some people move out of the comfort of their own apartment so they won't get in their roommates or housemates ways on this day. You see a lot of lovey dovey movies on TV and commercials and what not. A lot of it can depress of it, but some of it is absolutely ridiculous. I guess the reason why I don't like this season is that it singles out so many singles (no pun intended.)

As I was eating my lunch between classes today I discovered why I also find this month so amusing. Companies amp up their promotions so that they can sell the most ridiculous things to make money. I saw a commercial for pajamagrams. Of all things ridiculous that even I could think to sell during this month, on CNN I saw a commercial for pajamagrams. Write a special message on a pair of pajamas to give to your special someone. HOW LAME!!!!! Unless your giving it to a toddler, in which case, please keep it to yourself.

I guess it's amusing how far some people for that in the moment lovestruck high, when it's the long term that really matters.

Thankfulness and then some...

I have something to be thankful for today. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer this past December and had to have surgery and start chemotherapy. I'm relieved to say that her surgery was successful with no complications. While I'm thankful that the surgery went well, the hard part is now about to begin. Months and months of chemotherapy, pain for my mom, and stress for my family. While I'm happy that everything went well, it is a bittersweet feeling.

Beauty in the Breakdown

Maybe these events happen because of the troubled times our country is in with the economy, but I've never seen anything like this anywhere else. Philadelphia is so unique with its diversity. The types of people you see are so varied from what they wear, and how they wear it, to how they look. I live in Center City and commute to school, and get to see all the different types of people. On my way to the train station to get to school yesterday morning I saw cops chasing, and handcuffing a lady who was crying. For those of you who know Philly, you might laugh at me writing about this because it's Philly and we do have a high crime rate. However, as I saw the police cuff the woman and forced her down on the floor, I heard their conversation. The lady was apparently trying to kill herself and someone had called the cops so they could prevent her from hurting herself. It was quite shocking to see, and on my way to school the thought occurred to me "Welcome to Philly." It's so sad to see what the world has come to in this time and place.

On my way home from work last night, I got another taste of Philadelphia and what it has to offer. There was a young teen girl with her baby, and her friend was with her on the train. Some of you might think that it is sad to see a girl who probably younger than me with a kid. However, the story does not revolve around underage parents but the people surrounding them on the train. Next to the two girls and the baby were two elder ladies, and across from them a very professional looking business man, and next to him was me. We were all looking at the adorable baby, and making faces at it with hopes that it would laugh or something. Just the little train ride with the really really cute baby brought 6 people, who would never otherwise talk to one another, together. I got off the train and walked home with the revelation "Only in Philadelphia."

It was so amazing to see two completely different events in the same day that reminded me just of how broken and beautiful the world we live in is. :)

WRITE THINGS DOWN!!!

I really should write things down more often, and right when I think about them. Take this assignment I am doing for Overflow at the moment. I have an idea and I should have written it weeks ago. But here I am dilly dallying and then all of the sudden my creativity decides to go on auto pilot and now I don't remember how I wanted my assignment to be. I should just write things down right away so when my mind decides to go on a rampage I can still be productive.