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Heather Hendershot, "Action for (and Against)
Children's Television"
Stephanie K. Dalquist
-Are modern "black realities" on television any better than the ones cited
here? What about other realities? Ha!
-Were there trained business moms or other leaders within the ACT?
-Why sugar? Should we go after salt and fat products now?
-Do *adults* have a much better judgement on nutrition? Why aim this all
at children?
-Was it effective in any way? The commercial may make the kids want it,
but they still didn't have control over groceries and money, so parents
still had to make the final decision.
Hilarie Claire Tomasiewicz
-"ACT's history demonstrates that media resistance in and of itself is
not necessarily radical." What exactly is meant by "media resistance?"
This statement makes it seem as if ACT is objecting to the media in general!!
Girim Sung
-With more media effects research out there, what is ACT's position today?
Is it still to censor all "morally objectionable" media?
Carlos Cantu
-Why do these consumer protection groups form at all? I hate the the fact
that these folks have an "agenda" that may be different than mine, yet
they are compelled to police broadcasters. Are there any anti-consumer
protection groups (not consumer exploitation per se, but rather groups
that advocate more parental responsibility)?
Char DeCroos
-Why did so many moms find ACT activities so compelling? Couldn't they
have exerted the same power by denying their kids television and providing
them with an alternative (books, play, etc?) Especially in the 60's when
the backlash against media effects was much more subdued then it is now.
Ellen Seiter, "Children's Desire's/Mother's Dilemmas
Stephanie K. Dalquist
-Why aren't children creating characters for mass market, rather than
just participating in focus groups?
-If it's a mistake to judge children's toys and desire for them as materialism,
what would Seiter say about adult desires? How do they differ?
Hilarie Claire Tomasiewicz
-Mothers may object to children's consumer culture, but they usually give
in to it as well, largely because of the usefulness of television programs
and toys as convenience goods for caretakers of children." If one was
to ask a large group of mothers from all socioeconomic backgrounds about
the the function of toys/TV as "babysitters," i wonder how the responses
would break down according to financial situation?
Girim Sung
-How were the studies that looked at the relationship between TV and IQ,
or TV and social relations, carried out? (ie. what was their methodology?)
Carlos Cantu
-Does one have to be either a content analyst or a structuralist/semiotic
analyst? What are the other main differences between the two philosophies?
Char DeCroos
-In Seiters Article, a ACT mother complains of childrens television flattening
characters, not developing real characters etc. Isn't this just the type
of thing that sells to adult audiences as well? Is mass media supposed
to be engaging.
Gene Del Vecchio, "Touch the Boy's Psyche" and "Touch
the Girl's Psyche"
Stephanie K. Dalquist
Boys: Del Vecchio gets one thing right on where the ACT missed
it: "It is not necessarily for just kids, per se, but for the kid in all
of us." There may be no correlation between Wheaties and athletic success,
but at some level we say what the hell, and give it a shot.
On Nicelodeon: Do Doug and Double Dare even reach the same audience, regardless
of their network?
Girls: Can (gendered) children be boxed so conveniently?-This author
is a sexist pig!
-Mothering before silliness and mastery, implying that it's more important
to young girls? Emotional silliness? Bah! He's *exactly* the kind of miscreant
designing children's toys today. I shudder to think what his children
will be like...
Joseph Kaye
-Wow. This one is near the top of the more offensive papers we've read.
Then again, maybe it's just the commercial rather than theoretical attitude.
But:
-there's no distinguiishing between what children feel on the inside and
show on the outside
-there are a number of statements that seem to be poorly correlated or
fundamentally wrong
-"Power is also derived from intelligence" doesn't clearly explain fifth
through nineth grade for me.
-GI Joe has won the acceptance of many parents - except for the large
number that *don't* like it. Out of all of heavily popular toys, it must
be the one least liked or banned by many parents, even beyond Barbie both
my parents and Kohl allowed Barbie but didn't allow GI Joe.
-he ignores the role of play as opposed to construction, and seems to
assume all boys create with Lego & then sit back and say "I did that."
-the correlation between wanting to be pretty and wanting to be grown
up is tenuous.
-His "don't blame the media, blame the mother for inducing otions of beauty
in the child" argument seems to miss a really obvious point.
-The necessity of updated revisions of the EverCool concept seems a little
unclear. Maybe it's explained in another chapter, but it seems inconsistant.-Coed
teams are common
- *even in grade school*. What does that mean? Why wouldn't they be, especially
in grade school?
Hilarie Claire Tomasiewicz
Boys: After the author's son had gashed his knee: "His fear turned
to pride. He saw himself as tough." The relationship implied here between
fear and pride reminded me of the issue of adult racial hatred, when "fear"
of a certain race or class of people is manifested as intense "pride"
in one's own "kind." Is it a coiccidence that males make up the vast bulk
of neo-nazi and white supremicist groups?
Girls: "Watching parents kiss will make a young girl giggle. It
will make a young boy nauseous." Huh? In my experience, it is the other
way around. What is the wuthor trying to say about girls' sense of silliness
based on this somewhat inverted example?
Girim Sung
Boys: Why do we feel the need to gender values? Can't we just say
some boys or girls like power--why must we classify power as boy trait?
Girls: What is the basis for all the author's gross generalizations
about the girl's psyche?
Carlos Cantu
-I sense that these articles will be very unpopular with the folks in
class given their lack of evidence (unless you consider John Grey a viable
source) and the author's sweeping generalizations. If you keep the audience
in mind(toy manufacturers and not academics) then you've gotta ask yourself:
how else can a company target a mass market without making some hefty
usneralizations? I'm not advocating mass market consumerism, I'm jsut
saying that any product oriented company that used an "academic" approach
to designing products would be screwed. if they used an academic approach
to their product.
Char DeCroos
-Del Vechio brings up many interesting points about boys and love. Does
this nurturing (in a boy acceptable way ever stop, even during adulthood)?
-What about the boys that never show very much of such love?
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