My Wikipedia project on the Mickey’s Mellerdrammer was a very interesting experience. I’ve used wikipedia many times before in the past to look up information, but this was my first time actually creating or editing an article. I choose the stub article Mickey’s Mellerdrammer because I felt the article was controversial enough that the Disney corporation or Disney fans may edit the article to portray Disney in more favorable light.

Going in to this project I had this notion that since anyone could potentially edit a Wikipedia article the data and details were not always accurate. And for the most part this project confirmed that for me. When it comes to absolute verifiable facts like; “Columbus discovered the New World in 1492″ Wikipedia is for the most part very accurate. And the sources that validate those facts provide more reliable details than the actual articles themselves.

I always suspected that any controversial subjects were often changed back and forth with competing views on the subject, as of 5.5.2008 no edits have been made to my article.

One of the parts of the assignment I’m most interested in seeing how it develops over the long term; is the link to Mickey’s Mellerdrammer to the Uncle Tom’s Cabin wikipedia article. The Uncle Tom’s cabin wikipedia article is considered by wikipedia to be one of the best wikipedia articles published by the wiki communiuty; “Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a featured article; it (or a previous version of it) has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Wikipedia community.” As of 5.5.2008 no one has removed my linkage to Mickey’s Mellerdrammer; which I consider pretty cool since wikipedia considers it such a good article. My little linkage I guess is my little contribution to an important article.

Overall the whole process was a really good experience. The Media Wiki application and other wiki applications are being used more and more in the workplace (Mine included) and knowing the Wiki markup formatting, and process is helpful. Knowing that the not everything you read on Wikipedia is free of bias or is 100% accurate, is a valuable lesson any student researching a project should be aware of, and therefore wikipedia should be used as a general source for basic or common facts. Wikipedia should not be used as the only or primary reference for research projects.

Last class we discussed the civil rights movement and the changes in American society and its global impact. My question is…if MLK was inspired by Ghandi non-violent protest to end British rule in India as a model for change in the United States. Both of which were successful, why hasn’t this approach to change caught on or been more successful. The world is still for the most part changing in places as a result of violence and armed conflict. With the exception of a few places like South Africa, and its push to end appartied we rarely see non-violent protesting as succesful as it was in India and during the civil rights era.

Just something to think about…

Mass medias relationship with advertising is strong linked. There the rise of both Mass media and advertising come along at the same time (late 1800’s to present). Mass Media needs the help of ads to make a profit, and ads need mass media to gets its products noticed.

Long before todays Internet behavioral ad rendering (searching autos.com for a BMW rendders ads for BMW or competitors) Mass media and advirtisers have been specializing in targeting its products to specific consumers groups

The ad below from Collectors Weekly in 1909 targets a specific audience group; the hunter or outdoorsmen. The likely hood that this would appear in a womens magazine or publication is unlikely.

This next ad below from 5.4.2008 on www.outdoor.com illustrates that the approach has little changed today. Advertisers continue to target specific groups based on the audience of the specific mass media audience.

The ad below from Country life in 1911 shows the target marketing approach continues.

Today a Google search for backpacking will bring up “sponsored links” on the left hand side of the Google search page. Notice in the image below on the right how retailers for backpacks show up under “sponsored links”

As you can see from the images above from the early 1900’s to today advertising approaches remain tied to mass media, and remain targeted to the same audiences those forms of mass media attempt to serve.

I find it interesting Fog of War came out during the high point for the hatred for Donald Rumsfeld. Many people have been critical of both Rumsfeld and McNamara. McNamara for his role in screwing up the Vietnam war. Rumsfeld for screwing up Iraq. Does McNamara’s position support Rumsfeld, or is it critical of Rumsfeld since its showing the mistakes McNamara made, ala Rumsfled is making…

In class we discussed WWII and spent quite a bit of time on Japanese internment. Which I thought was great since I have had a lot of WWII classes already, at least from a Military History NCO, and SNCO point of view. So discussing one of our US history’s more shameful parts was refreshing.

I would argue that you can draw some parralles between our reaction to US Japanese nationals during WWII and our reaction after 9/11. The way Muslims were eyed after 9/11 was suspiciously. Our reaction to 9/11 in the middle east I have internally debated over the years. While the use of military force is justified, the issue is not a military issue. Its a law enforcement issue. The US military can support law enforcement issues during a National emergency, as in Katrina (could have done better) or the War on Drugs (another one we are not sure if we are winning, or not). But the War in Afghanistan should not be seen as War per se, but a law enforcement issue to round up and prosecute, in a US court, the perpetrators of 9/11.

WWII was clearly a violation of our nations soveirgn rights by another nation and therefore military action was appropriate and totally warranted.

Last week’s discussion on the rise of the consumer culture got me thinking about how important consumerism is to our economy. Any change in consumer confindence if peopel beging to think the econmony is getting bad, they begin to spend less, which in turns hurts the economy more. Today you can’t turn on the news without hearing how are economy is in a recession or headed towards a recession. Since this could potentially impact consumer purchases this is a dangerous thing to say. Especially when the definition of a recession isn’t even met. A recession is defined as “a decline in a country’s real gross domestic product (GDP), or negative real economic growth, for two or more successive quarters of a year.” This criteria has NOT yet been met, so therefore the media is potentially jeopardizing the consumer confidence and causing the recession to become a reality.

The kotex discussion was a bit uncomfortable. But illustrated that where there is a need the market will develop a product to fit it. Advertising is particular subject I have a problem with. While its clearly needed for me to be successful in business, it is clearly not needed for my oldest son while watching cartoons! Advertising during power rangers just creates false demand for toys, my son doesn’t need. The point of most advertising is to create false demand for products we prolly don’t need. Do we really need all this stuff to be happy? Prolly not, but typing up this class reflection on my MAC Book Pro sure does make me feel clever.

Irish immigrants have been coming to the United States long before the American War of Independence. Many of these immigrants came over as servants, or prisoners sent to penal colonies in the new world, and in the 1800’s to escape famine, threat, and to purse their American dream.

Along with African Americans, Italian Americans, Jewish Americans, and all other X-Americans the Irish have been stereotyped. Just as blacks are often stereo typed as ‘gang bangers’, Italian Americans as Mob Soprano types, Irish-Americans have long been stereotyped as brawling, drinking, red-headed step children.

In the image below you’ll see a cartoon from the 1800’s portraying an Irish stereotype. The woman illustrated looks combative and physically unflattering compared to the ‘white’ woman in the cartoon.

And has any of that changed in today’s world of multi cultural diversity and inclusion? Other than the many workplace laws we have in place making it illegal to hire, fire, or discriminate based on race or ethnicity, the image of the Irish stereotype still exists to most still to this day…

If you search google images for Irish Drinking, it will return nearly 300,000 results. http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&q=Irish+drinking&btnG=Search+Images

Type in Irish Fighting and the search results are endless…

To many University of Notre Dame fans ‘The Fighting Irish’ is a source of pride. They use the ‘Fighting Irish’ Leprechaun as the school’s mascot. Of course this doesn’t help the stereo type, only fuels it more.

One look at this year’s Notre Dame basketball starting line up illustrates the school and the national media is perfectly happy portraying Irish American and University of Notre Dame star basketball player Luke Harangody like a big linebacker fighting and bruising Irish type during this year’s NCAA tourney.

No of this of course helps the stereotype. Were any of the other tall white big men at any of the state schools portrayed this way? Isn’t Luke Harangody just another big tall white center? Why does Notre Dame and the national media have to portray him to some degree like the common Irish stereotype? Therefore this illustrates that even today we still live with, and tolerate some of the same stereo types towards Irish-Americans (and others) that existed in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. And until its no longer tolerated it probably will continue…

Wiki Assignment Bibliography for Wiki Article Stub:

Mickey’s Mellerdrammer

4 Wiki References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Mouse

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Tom%27s_Cabin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minstrel_shows

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney:_Hollywood’s_Dark_Prince  <<<Article about a book about Disney being antisemitic>>>

2 Internet References

http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/complete_history_1.html <<<Official Corp History>>>

http://imdb.com/title/tt0024331/ <<<IMDB details of cartoon>>>

http://www.bcdb.com/bcdb/detailed.cgi?film=5339&p=s <<<Includes Image from Movie Poster May be considered public domain b/c of age. Downloaded Image from Alt site now sitting on my MACBookPro Desktop>>>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTnXuObzkZc <<<Found the cartoon on you tube,,,shows characters putting on black face…>>>

2 Book References

http://www.newint.org/easier-english/Disney/diswomen-p.html <<<<discuss how cartoons influence children’s view on race and stereotypes>>>

http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/courses/ed253a/Giroux/Giroux2.html <<<More about the influence of media and stereotypes, critical of Disney>>>

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:fPT_3ZL-IvQJ:nhaeyc.org/newsletters/articles/Racism_in_Childrens_Movies.pdf+Disney+and+Racism&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=13&gl=u

During the Nativism and Spanish American War lecture prof Boggs brought up the similarities to the Spanish American War and the War in Iraq. Both were about America expanding its influence beyond it’s borders.

Why would a nation care about expanding it influence abroad? Is because Dick Cheney is power hungry despot, is it because Americans demand cheaper oil and gas prices? Access to the markets in China, in the case of the Spanish American War? Maybe…but…

The War in Iraq is not completely about spreading democracy, or completely about finding new markets. Its about preserving our way of life. Democracy leads to individualism…Which leads to choice…Which leads to consumerism…Which leads to capitalism…Which leads to furthering and protecting our way of life, whatever that is. How so? Its hadard to want to fight someone if you have a job, want to live a comfortable life. Free trade and free market economies leads to insuring our way of life.

The same could be argued for the Spanish American War.

I hate making light of part of history that is totally and completely wrong, but I got a good laugh when we covered the Virginia law that said inter-ethnicl marriage was against the law in Virginia. When I got home and told my wife that during the 1900’s it was against the law for people of different races to be married, she laughed at the stupidity it of it too. And since my wife is Korean, we gave each other a hard time about whether or not this was the worse law either had broken in their lives.

The discussion about what percent or fraction of a person makes them not white, and, what rights, or treatment was expected to if they were not white, made me think of the day 1/2 Korean, 1/2 white son was born. When he was born and before we left the hospital, the hospital gave us the social security forms to fill out for him, and one of the questions for us to answer was “race”. At this time, there was no “other” box for us to check, so we discussed what we should choose for him, white, or asian. We discussed the benefits of choosing one over the other, or if it really even mattered. And since at the time, it was to hard to tell which one of us he looked more like we could not rely on that. So in the end we chose to check the box asian thinking maybe one day on some college entrance application MAYBE it would benefit him.

Who knows, its stupid we have to chose, and in cosmopolitan places like the DC area, more and more children are born hybrid’s where it totally doesn’t matter.