Within the past ten years, the combination of television and internet have made information - whether good or bad - more accessible to just about everybody. However, there could be a side effect to this media frenzy. In American Studies, we have been looking at artifacts from a "deceased" Mr. Bolos. While looking at the many interesting objects that con-tributed to what made Mr. Bolos who he is today, there is a question that came up many times. "How will I be remembered?" This question cannot simply be answered in one word, or even two. One must explore legacies in pop culture that have been left, and more specifically, how media has shaped them. [image]
Because a lot of my life revolves around music, I will use musicians as an obvious example. Take Billie Joel, one of the most well-known piano men of the 20th century. Throughout his career, he had a major alcohol problem: one that would prompt him to check into rehab and would change the course of his career. But although he had this problem, his legacy precedes him as an incredibly gifted singer/songwriter.
Jump ahead about 30 years, and we have someone like Britney Spears. My opinions put aside, her songs were arguably just as catchy as Billie Joel's and on popular radio just as often, she is simply not remembered as a performer. She is remembered for her two marriages as well as her drug use and other missteps during her career.
So what is the cause of this change in thinking? Mass media certainly contributes to it. In the mid to late 1970s, the height of Joel's career, the internet wasn't around. Neither were 24/7 news channels nor the tabloids that make money simply by stating a celebrities' flaws or juicy gossip surrounding their personal life. Information just wasn't as available to the general public in the '70s as it is now. So even though Billie Joel has been through three marriages, he is still remembered for his music simply because his personal life wasn't publicized as much as Britney's is today. So the question still remains, with the paparazzi following you everywhere you go, it is even possible to be remembered in a positive light?
-Jon S.
Personally, I feel that even though the media does shed some positive light on a fraction of celebrities, the vast majority of the media’s subjects are shown in a negative fashion. I found one example in Sam Madvig’s post. His post was about how 18% of Americans think that President Barack Obama is a Muslim. The media is definitely a contributing factor to this misconception. Recently, Obama said that he supports the rights of the Muslims who want to build a religious center near Ground Zero. As if to punish him for not doing the thing that “a real American” would do, the media is whipping up a frenzy about Obama being a Muslim. The 18% don’t care that Obama has numerously stated that he is not a Muslim, they instead blindly follow the assumptions that the media has made about Obama.
ReplyDeleteRelating to your musician examples, Jon, is the death of Michael Jackson. He was undoubtedly one of the most influential musicians of all time. Yet, when he died, the nation didn’t mourn the loss of a talented individual. Instead, many further ridiculed him for the few bad choices that he made during his career. While he was given credit for his musical accomplishments, those were still overshadowed by the negative assumptions that the media made about Michael. In my opinion, if people like Jackson and Obama are cast in a negative light by the media, then it is near impossible to have an individual who will be shown all throughout the country in a positive manner.
There is still hope, Jon. While the Dark Night is a fictional movie, there are many morals that we can learn from. Harvey Dent was a hero of Gotham for locking away many mobsters, but there is a side to Harvey that Gotham never saw. After the incident where Harvey had his face burned, the Joker convinced Harvey to have a new perspective on the world. He went on a 6 man killing spree and threatened to kill Commissioner Gordon's son. The Batman came and saved his son, killing Harvey Dent in the process. Instead of telling the public that Harvey killed those innocent people, Batman took the blame. Harvey would be remembered for saving Gotham and being devoted to its citizens, because he wasn't the hero Gotham deserved, but the hero Gotham needed.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think that Michael Jackson's death was mourned by many people. In fact, there was a movie released about his very last concert that got pretty good reviews. People didn't want to remember him for dangling his child out of a hotel in Berlin, but for the number one selling album of all time (Thriller). While many cases show that the media destroys music and movie stars, it is still possible for stars to be remembered in positive light.