Panda in Cyberland

Greetings Cyber Pandas! Faith here, and today for our in-depth discussion of digital media, we will be analyzing a poem a poem I came across via YouTube by artist Savannah Brown.

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS CONTENT DISCUSSES THEMES OF EATING DISORDERS.

Savannah Brown is a popular YouTuber who creates many different poems about controversial topics. She also discusses her life and other various content, but for this blog post’s purposes we will focus on her poetry. One particular poem entitled “Pretty Girls Bleed Flowers” follows the thoughts of a girl struggling with anorexia. the poem illustrates how the disorder deteriorates physical and mental health.

In the poem, the tone is set up to be inviting and glamorous, which serves as a parallel to how people suffering from eating disorders often rationalize their behavior. The poem opens up with, “These are not monsters. There are no monsters here, these feel like love. And when they creep inside you they feel like something missing is finally coming home.” The poem goes on to say “Pretty skinny girls, they look like everything that is wonderful about being alive. Like vodka diet cokes, and pictures of hip bones at the beach, and all I have eaten for three days is my own finger nails.” The poem quickly turns darker as it progresses, with lines such as, “You’ll learn how needle thin bones when crushed into a fine paste into the 20 glasses of water you are going to have today taste like lemonade! And you can have a sip.” As well as, “You will spend Christmas day fantasizing about burring your dissolving teeth into your knuckles until your heart stops.”

Throughout this poem, Brown is describing how someone who experiences eating disorders is miserable throughout the entire experience. These people are suffering greatly in both a physical and mental sense.

To better understand this content, let us examine it using the Rhetorical Situation:

The writer of this content is Savannah Brown and the purpose of this content is to describe the mental and physical pain someone with anorexia endures. The audience of this content is likely fans of Brown’s, fans of spoken poetry, and potentially people who are suffering from eating disorders or know someone who is. This video is presented through YouTube. Using YouTube to present this content is a great choice because it allows the video to be shared, saved to favorite playlists, and be recommended to users who may be viewing related content.

The subject of the video is anorexia, or perhaps even eating disorders in general (bulimia may result in similar emotional and physical responses). The context of the video is Brown describing the pain eating disorders cause and potential triggers that can result in the condition. This idea is presented in a poetic form that is likely to trigger the pathos (emotional responses) from the audience. The exigence or the why of this content is to describe the potential turmoil that results due to eating disorders. I feel that this content does not serve as a warning, because the content offers no solutions to the problem. Instead the content is simply meant to illustrate the problem and to convey the heartbreaking scenarios that result from eating disorders.

From the perspective of consuming digital media, this content has pros and cons. On the pros side, this content does an outstanding job of fulfilling its purpose. The content successfully illustrates the emotional and physical pain of eating disorders. On the cons side, this content may potentially trigger people to engage in anorexic or bulimic behaviors. I have been a fan of this video for many years, but it caught my attention again recently, which is why I posted it this week. I have also struggled with weight fluctuation and self-image problems for many years. In the past, this video in a sense gave me some ideas about creating a ‘flawless” image. One example is when Brown says things like 100, 200, no more than 300, or else your thighs will inflate.” That concept made me think about foods that were over 300 calories and how they may make me fatter, despite the fact that 300 calories is not at all a large quantity in a meal context. Also as Brown describes hip bones (a feature that’s never been prominent in me) I felt inadequate of my own body.

Of course this content is made to be realistic and representative of the true emotions that an anorexic person experiences. So the authenticity of these words may bring out equally authentic feelings of low confidence or the idealization of self-destructive behavior. However, I was able to also examine all of the suffering illustrated in this content and came to the logical decision that self-destructive behavior is not the answer. As responsible media consumers it is important to evaluate both the pros and the cons of content, be able to identify the central message (in this case, that eating disorder behaviors are not healthy), and to try and fight any potential triggers if possible.

One of the saddest parts of this poem is the suggestion that this problem can be modified and addressed, but not fully solved. As Brown says, “The parasite can be restrained, but not destroyed. But no matter, it is a beautiful thing to be made of porcelain. The picture of your hip bones at the beach was worth it.” In my opinion, this statement has two meanings. First, that even people who are in recovery for eating disorders will still have lingering feelings of inadequacy and the idealization of these destructive patterns. Secondly, the words “a beautiful thing to be made of porcelain” and “the picture of your hip bones at the beach was worth it” allude to the fact that society will always hold thin women in high regard, despite how it may influence the self-esteem of audiences.

Overall, this a beautiful and emotionally driven poem about the destructive behavior and thinking patterns that occur in eating disorders. This content is meant to illustrate these issues and to raise awareness about the problem. Many people, both men and women, suffer from dangerously low self-esteem. It is important to always keep these people in our thoughts and to be careful of the messages media may be sending that may contribute to these problems.

That is all I have for this post, Cyber Pandas!

Until next time, enjoy all your media with logic and sensibility,

Faith

Good evening, Cyber Pandas! Faith here, and this evening I am going to share a few bits of media that I feel are worth discussing this week. Unlike previous weeks, this week does not have a theme, but I still feel that it is important to discuss all the same.

First, let us discuss the breaking news story that occurred today. The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, France is currently on fire. I found this out while scrolling through my Facebook today. All major news outlets are speaking about this horrible tragedy.

When I first heard the news I immediately reposted the story and commented “Oh my God.” I do not consider myself a very religious person, however I do support the art and history that is attached to this 850 year old building.

In the context of social media consumption, I have seen many famous people with atheist beliefs mourn along side Christians. These atheists are saying that religion in this manner is not the focus; the focus is the loss of an abundance or history, art, and original Gothic architecture.

One example is YouTuber Jaclyn Glenn, who has been discussed previously on this blog. Below is a tweet she posted expressing sadness over the loss of Notre Dame.

Although the loss of Notre Dame is tragic, this is a developing news story. Some pieces of the building or the contents inside may be salvaged. Regardless, this story seems to be uniting people of every religion. Through the fires of this loss may rise hope that people of different faiths may stand in solidarity.

On an unrelated note, this week I also discovered guided meditation/ hypnosis through YouTube. Before I discuss this media content, I would like to put out the following disclaimer: I do not believe this content has the ability to actually cause hypnosis, but these videos may have the potential to offer simple suggestions that a willing mind can consensually adapt to.

Guided hypnosis or guided meditation typically consists of a soothing voice offering descriptions of peaceful situations. After the person is fully relaxed, then gentle suggestions are offered. These suggestions are typically meant to promote peace, mindfulness, and overall wellness.

My personal favorite artist of guided hypnosis/meditation is Michael Sealey. Before beginning the session, he says “All hypnosis is self-hypnosis.” This is an ethical approach to the concept of hypnosis; this statement explains that this process has to be a consensual exchange to be effective.

In the context of responsible media consumption, it is important to realize that these types of videos have the ability to be beneficial, however, these videos are not meant to offer any actual mind control or replace actual therapy. This is one of those self-help concepts that may be effective in theory, but a responsible media consumer should still keep in mind the questionable reliability and validity of this content.

I have listened to this content, and I do feel that it does relax me and puts me in a more positive state of mind. However, that does not mean that from a scientific and psychological perspective that an expectancy or placebo effect is not occurring. I encourage anyone who feels they can benefit from guided hypnosis/ guided meditation to use it, but keep in mind these videos are likely not doing any service for you that you couldn’t do for yourself.

By the same token, YouTuber Jaclyn Glenn went under professional hypnosis and discussed her experiences. Glenn has a web-series called “The Skeptic’s Guide to Wellness” in which she tries unconventional methods of physical and mental wellness.

As the video begins Glenn explains that she does not think that hypnosis is valid, but she still will see two different types of hypnotists to try and be proved wrong. The first hypnotist explains that his type of work focuses on repetition and the forming of subconscious habits. He also discusses the idea of consent mentioned previously by stating, “If you are unwilling to do something in your awake life, you won’t do it through hypnosis.”

Glenn did not seem to be willing to receive the all of the methods of the first hypnotism, but did seem to find validity in the visualizations. These visualizations are likely close to the visualizations offered in Sealey’s content as well as other YouTube hypnotists.

Glenn also goes to a second hypnotist that practices different methods. These hypnotists approached their craft from a psychological perspective and viewed their craft as deep meditation as opposed to mind control. This is also similar to the before mentioned Sealey videos. Glenn seemed to have more trust in the validity of the second hypnotist’s methods because they approached issues from a more psychological perspective.

Both of these hypnotists seemed to use relaxation, visualization, and subconscious forming of habits to achieve desired results. From a perspective of responsible media consumption, it may be best to do what Glenn did and take the experience with a bit of skepticism, but still be open to the experience to a degree. One may even look at the different approaches from various hypnotists and compare and contrast the methodology to come to a logical and informed opinion about hypnotherapy.

The last piece of media content I would like to discuss for this blog post is a follow up to the heterochromia modeling scandal discussed a few weeks ago. Previously this blog featured model Natalia Taylor who discusses controversies in the fashion modeling world. A few weeks ago Taylor made an expository video about Sarah McDaniel who has allegedly been faking heterochromia, a condition in which parts of the body are two different colors. McDaniel has been claiming that she has one blue eye and one brown eye. In the previously discussed video it was revealed that even McDaniel’s own father had stated publicly that McDaniel had brown eyes.

In a recent video, Taylor discusses how McDaniel has now undergone dangerous surgery to permanently have two different colored eyes. In this video, Taylor goes beyond discussing controversy, but warns her audience about the dangers of the procedure.

Based on the title, this video is at first presented at simply a follow up to the deception controversy. However, even though there are a few updates regarding the controversy (McDaniel’s sister also exposing her true eye color) the video mainly focused on the company Bright Ocular and how their cosmetic eye surgery has resulted in blindness for many of their consumers.

In the video, Taylor discusses how Bright Ocular is a company that features changing eye color cosmetically. However through a emotional montage of testimonies, Taylor illustrates how this company has cost the vision of many unsuspecting customers. Taylor also discusses that this is very dangerous for McDaniel and for the people that may look up to her.

From the perspective of a responsible media consumer, this video is very important. This video should make media consumers question advertisements, the safety of certain procedures (especially ones that are somewhat experimental and cosmetic), and also question the validity of the images certain public figures project. An uninformed media consumer may think that McDaniel has heterochromia, or an equally uninformed media consumer may want the look of heterochromia and pursue this dangerous surgery without getting all the facts needed. I feel that this video raises awareness about being mindful consumers of media, products, and even medical procedures.

You don’t need a blue eye and a brown eye to see that I must go ahead and call it a night on today’s blog post. It has been a truly hypnotic time! Until next time Cyber Pandas, enjoy all your media, but do it responsibly!

-Faith

Good afternoon, Cyber Pandas! Faith here, and this post features a very shocking media story I came across this past week. This week makeup entrepreneur and internet personality Jeffree Star announced that 2.5 million dollars worth of makeup was stolen from one of his warehouses in Los Angeles.

Star has been mentioned on this blog previously. Star is a former MySpace figure and electronic music creator. In recent years, however, he has been very successful with his brand Jeffree Star Cosmetics.

This week Star announced that 2.5 million dollars worth of makeup products were stolen from his Los Angeles warehouse including a large portion of his unreleased concealer line. Star said that the thieves were professionals and that the makeup black market now had these products.

In the video, a clearly saddened Star describes how his products have been stolen including an entire shade of the unreleased Magic Star concealer collection. According to Star, the theft happened a few weeks ago, however he was waiting until more concrete information was found before letting the public know. Also, photos of the unreleased concealer line have recently been leaked to the internet. Fans soon questioned Star about the new product, making it more important that Star publicly announce that the theft took place.

Let us discuss this content in depth using the rhetorical situation.

The writer of the content is Jeffree Star and the purpose of this content is to tell his audience about the theft. Star also took this opportunity to reveal his Magic Star concealer collection. Considering the product is now already leaked on the internet Star felt that doing his own type of reveal was the best way to handle the situation.

The audience of the video would be fans of Star and people that follow important news in the beauty community. This video is presented through YouTube and the subject is the recent theft of Star’s warehouse.

The context of this video is Star discussing how hurt and shocked he is that professional thieves would steal this much makeup from him. Star is expressing how he was very worried the damage was even greater than it is, but that he is doing whatever he can to secure his properties and to catch all persons involved in the crime. Star is even working with the FBI in an attempt to catch the thieves and any black market makeup merchants.

The exigence or why of this content is Star expressing his hurt, updating his fans on the current situation, where he is going from here, and also showing the concealer to his fans because the product is now unfortunately public knowledge.

This is a sad moment for the makeup community. However, I feel that Star is handling the situation with dignity and class. This also serves as an excellent example of what to avoid doing when using media responsibly. Responsible media users should always be careful about where their products are coming from and should definitely not engage in any illegal behavior.

I hope you enjoyed this post, Cyber Pandas! Remember do not take things that don’t belong to you and don’t purchase makeup from the black market.

Have a great week!

-Faith

Good afternoon, Cyber Pandas! Faith here, and this week we will be looking at a collection of YouTube videos I came across this week featuring none other than comedian Russell Brand. If you’re like me, you may only know Russell Brand as a crude humor comedian, a former drug addict, and Katy Perry’s ex husband. However, it seems that in recent years he has cleaned up his act.

This week I was experiencing heartache of my own, so I turned to digital media to gain perspectives on how other’s have dealt with heartbreak. I watched countless videos and viewed many memes. Surprisingly, Brand’s new videos on dealing with difficult life problems seemed the most comforting.

First, let us examine Brand’s video on trust and coming to terms with people leaving you abruptly.

In this video, Brand discusses the pain of being “ghosted” or when someone disappears from your life. Brand explains perfectly why being ghosted hurts so tremendously. Brand states, “You will have to think about what you have invested.” Brand then goes on to say “Some of these relationships served as the membrane that prevented my potential growth.” These statements are very important to anyone experiencing heartache. First, Brand is validating the feelings of being sad and abandoned by stating that it is painful when you have put in time and love into a person for it not to work out. Then, Brand offers comfort by saying that maybe these relationships couldn’t continue in order for you to reach your full potential.

Brand also says that the phenomenon of ghosting occurs when people engage in relationships that are somewhat finite in nature. In my opinion this is very true. I have been ghosted a few times and in every case it occurred when I was in a relationship or a unestablished relationship that did not have specific boundaries or specific goals about the future.

From an academic perspective this video can be very beneficial if media users decide to use this content to get perspective as to why they are having to go through their current heartache. However, this advice may resonate with me and to others, but may not relate to everyone. I would suggest looking at a variety of content as well as talking about issues with loved ones in your life before you decide on an action plan to heal your heartache.

Next, let us examine brand’s advice on how to handle anxiety.

In this video, Brand discusses anxiety but not in a way I would expect. In other content I’ve seen that discusses anxiety I typically see it framed as a problem to overcome and nothing more. In this video, Brand says that the issue with anxiety is that most people just let it run rampant in their mind as “mad fear’ but do not “find the wisdom behind it.” According to Brand, anxiety is only awareness that can help drive people to reach their goals. But only if people learn to filter out the chaos and discover the reason behind the anxiety.

From an academic perspective, this offers a lot to think about. It is easier said than done to try to filter raw anxiety and try to find the reason behind it. However, this content may serve as good advice to people with anxiety. If you feel overwhelmed with circumstances it may be because you are more mindful about situations than others. In this case the anxiety may serve as a tool to discover the root of what is truly troubling you and try to address the parts of the situation you have control over.

When I viewed this video I liked it and saved it to my favorites. Again, this content resonated with me, but that does not guarantee that it will with everyone. Responsible media users should always use mindfulness and discretion when using digital media as a means of comfort during difficult life circumstances.

Brand also addresses being sad. In my opinion sadness, heartache, and anxiety somewhat go hand and hand. With this in mind, it seemed appropriate to hear what Brand had to say on he subject of sadness.

Brand uses the same tactics he did in the ghosting video to address his audience. First, he validates the feelings of sadness by stating how it’s very upsetting when sadness arrives unexpectedly and steals one’s energy and motivation. Next, Brand attempts to offer comfort in times of sadness by stating, “Sometimes you have to say this feeling will not define me and determine me…I am the witness to this feeling and not the feeling itself.” This statement can be very powerful when dealing with sadness. Again, it is easier said than done, but statements like this one may help people realize that negative feelings are temporary. these feelings are an obstacle to overcome and not a permanent condition.

One of the most powerful statements Brand says is, “If you are sad you have to have faith. Faith that you will not know how things are going to work out, but that things will work out.” from an academic perspective, I feel that this statement is one of the few that doesn’t need to be questioned or pondered over. Despite any situation, things may not work out according to plan, however if you are giving your best efforts towards success, the outcome will eventually be okay in one form or another.

Finally, I would like to discuss Brand’s video on handling breakups. In this video, Brand discusses the best strategies to move forward happily after severing a relationship.

As in the previously mentioned videos, Brand first validates the feelings of the audience. Brand states that break ups are very difficult because you have to let go of the future you saw with our ex-companion. However, Brand then continues with a list of ways to cope with a break up. The list includes accepting that this is the right course of action, realizing that you can only control your own actions, that your self worth can not be contingent on the approval of another, letting go of past situations, and realizing that things will be okay despite the current fear. This last point goes with the sadness video. This is a continuation of the thought that things will work our in the best way, even if it’s not the way you originally intended.

Another powerful piece of advice Brand offers is the idea that in relationships we tend to idolize the person and ignore their flaws. No human can ever be as perfect as we perceive our companions during the highs of romance. Brand also states that after the breakup we tend to ignore flaws even more so. This means we put ourselves in even more pain than needed. Instead, we ought to be mindful about why that person isn’t a good fit for ourselves and our future.

When I saw this post, I liked the video and then saved it to my favorites. I think this video serves as excellent advice as to how to handle breakups. From an academic perspective, I feel that this video allows audiences to think critically not only about the advice being given, but if they accept the advice, it allows them to think critically of their past relationships as well.

Overall, I was very surprised that Brand is currently creating self-help content. However, I think that Brand is doing an excellent job of offering sound advice to his audiences. Perhaps all the advice offered isn’t pertinent to everyone in every situation. In those cases it is important to use discretion before applying this advice to one’s own life. But generally speaking, this advice is sound and can maybe offer comfort to those suffering heartache.

I hope you enjoyed this post, Cyber Pandas!

Until next time,

Faith

Hello Cyber Pandas! Faith here, and for this week’s in depth discussion about media we will be focusing on Jaclyn Glenn and her discussion of toxic masculinity and her commentary on a recent video about toxic masculinity put out by Girl Defined.

Both Glenn and Girl Defined have been mentioned on this blog previously. Glenn is a popular YouTuber that mainly focuses on being a skeptic/ atheist and challenges the narratives of many other YouTubers in a variety of contexts. Girl Defined is a Christian YouTube channel featuring two women named Kristen and Bethany. Kristen and Bethany’s mission is to discuss and define how women should behave in order to honor God. Earlier this week Girl Defined discussed toxic masculinity and what the concept of toxic masculinity meant in a Christian context. Glenn did not fully disagree with everything that was said in the video, but believed that toxic masculinity is a problem because people (regardless of gender) are being told they are less of a person if they don’t conform to certain norms.

If you are unfamiliar with the concept of toxic masculinity, it is essentially the idea that men are told they are less of a man if they do not act as a symbol of strength, leadership, sexuality, and superficial attractiveness. Men are also considered less of a man if they act emotional and vulnerable in any way. These messages are believed to be part of the reason some men act insensitive, brutish, or disrespectful towards others.

Glenn quickly says that even though she is an atheist and Girl Defined is a Christian channel, her video would not be completely negative. Glenn states, “Shockingly they say a few things that I actually agree with. A broken clock is right twice a day, right?…They actually make a few semi-decent comments in this video, but also some bad ones, so don’t worry those are coming too.” Girl Defined discusses how it is disappointing that masculinity “can” be used for evil. Glenn’s response is although this is partially true, humanity in general has a tendency to be evil as a whole.

Girl Defined also says that God did not design men to hurt others. Instead God wanted men to use their strength, leadership, and influence to help others. Glenn rebuttals this by saying this narrative is at the root of the toxic masculinity issues. Glenn states that leadership, strength, and influence, are not only exclusive to men. Also, if a man does not feel that he strong, a leader, or influential he should not feel that he is inadequate.

Girl Defined continues their commentary on toxic masculinity by defining it as using one’s manhood to be selfish and harmful towards women. Although, Glenn agrees with this, she says that it is not a complete definition. She goes on to discuss how the harmful and selfish behaviors described by Girl Defined are not limited to how men treat women, but also how men treat each other. She explains that a big part of the issue is that men are treating each other as lesser than because they do not fit into certain norms. However, she also says this is not just a male issue, but a human issue. Many people express themselves in a variety of ways, and it is wrong for people to be isolated from a social group because they do not conform to specific norms.

Girl Defined explains how men are not the reason why toxic masculinity exists, a point that Glenn wholeheartedly agrees with. However, Girl Defined goes on to say that the problem is that people are going against God’s design for manhood, a point that Glenn cannot agree with at all. Glenn states that if one is using the bible to define manhood there are several verses that are just as toxic if not more so than what is seen today.

Overall, it seems that Girl Defined and Glenn are in agreement that toxic masculinity is a real problem in today’s society, that is not completely to blame with just how men are naturally. However, Girl Defined believes this is an issue because men are not behaving according to the word of God. Glenn believes this is an issue because people in general exhibit toxic behavior when they exclude their peers for behaving in a way that is against society (gender) norms. Glenn also says these norms are designed to give everyone specific roles and expectations that may not be in perfect alignment with every individual.

To understand this content better, let us examine it using the rhetorical situation.

The writer of the primary content is Kristen and Bethany of Girl Defined. The writer of the video discussed here is Jaclyn Glenn. The purpose of this video is to discuss toxic masculinity and for Glenn to discuss the points Girl Defined makes about Toxic Masculinity, both the ones she agrees and the ones she doesn’t. Glenn also adds her own additional commentary. The audience of this video may be a mixture of three groups. One may be audiences of Girl Defined who have come to defend the original content, another may be supporters of Glenn, and the third group may be people who are interested in the various opinions regarding toxic masculinity.

This video is presented through YouTube and discusses the subject of toxic masculinity. The video discusses what toxic masculinity is, if it is a valid concept, and various opinions on how it is bad and what causes it. The context is that toxic masculinity is a hot topic that has been discussed a lot recently in today’s social climate. Some believe that ideas men are taught about what it means to be a man, are negative and may be the force behind violence to others and sexual violence against women. The exigence (or the why) of this video is that it is important for toxic masculinity to be discussed, but it is important also to discuss various opinions and reasoning as to why this is an issue.

In this video, Glenn believes toxic masculinity is an issue because people in general can display toxic behavior. Glenn believes that toxic behavior is not an exclusively male problem. However, Glenn also believes that a contributor to the issue is that people are given specific norms that may not align with their beliefs, personality, etc. As a result people feel that have to act a certain way to be accepted. This overall opinion does not quite match the opinion of Girl Defined. Girl Defined does believe that toxic masculinity is an issue and can result in toxic behavior, but they believe these toxic behaviors are a result of people rebelling against the commands of what God says men should be.

Overall, this video is very important from an academic perspective and in responsibly consuming media. This is because toxic masculinity is a popular hot topic recently and hearing different opinions about what it means in our society as well as the causes can help media audiences come to their own educated conclusions about the problem.

What do you think about toxic masculinity? What causes it? Is it truly an issue? What are the consequences of toxic masculinity?

Ask yourselves these questions as you continue to responsibly consume media.

I hope you don’t think that it is toxic for me wrap up our time here today, but I must do so. Have a fantastic week and I will see you next time, Cyber Pandas!

-Faith

Good afternoon Cyber Pandas! Faith here, and this week we will be looking at many thought provoking and controversial posts that I have seen on social media in the last week.

First, let us explore the controversy over if welfare recipients should be drug tested. Honestly, I used to be a n advocate of drug testing food stamp, housing, and other welfare recipients. My reasoning behind this was that my parents were drug addicts, and often would sell their benefits to other addicts for more drugs or favors. However, in recent years I have had to expand my mind to what drug testing welfare recipients could mean to the families of addicts. The post I saw this week perfectly illustrates this conflict.

I found this post on Facebook, shared by my friend Joshua Jones. The original post was on Twitter and it was shared to Facebook. When I saw this post I shared it and captioned it with “I am the daughter of drug addicts and I approve this message.”

The overall message is that if drug addicts had to pass a drug test before receiving food stamps, there is a strong likelihood that their children would go hungry. The general logic behind making addicts pass drug tests to receive benefits is that the practice will serve as motivation for the addicts to get sober. However, not every addict has the willpower or the resources to get sober. The result may be children that go without food.

From the academic perspective, this post allows audiences to think deeply about the content and how this post represents the welfare drug testing debate. Other than the child of the addict aspect of the debate, it may be worth questioning if the government should dictate if anyone should eat, regardless of addiction.

This post may inspire many opinions. First the people who defend the drug testing policy may feel that drug addiction is a choice, and that these practices are necessary to defend the integrity of welfare. However, others may see addiction as a disease that is difficult to cure. In my opinion, before one can form a logical opinion over this post or the drug testing and welfare debate, a responsible media consumer should seek scholarly sources about what causes drug addiction, addiction treatment resources, and different welfare programs. Only in understanding all of the facts in this controversial topic can a person responsibly consume media over such important things.

As for my own opinions, I already became conflicted about this debate prior to reading this post. Although this post to me highlights the flaws in drug testing addicts. However, I too need to do more research on the topic before I form a concrete opinion.

Next, let us examine the scandal that has been revolving around hip-hop artist Cardi B this week. This week, social media has been discussing a video that surfaced in which hip-hop artist Cardi B boasted about drugging and robbing men. You can see CNN’s coverage of the scandal below.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/entertainment/2019/03/27/cardi-b-drugging-robbing-men-statement-mxp-vpx.hln

I have seen many different posts over this topic each with differing opinions. One one hand, some are defending Cardi B saying that she drugged and robbed men while being an exotic dancer to survive on the streets. Others have said that regardless of her motivation in her actions it is still a crime, and that Cardi B should face the appropriate consequences.

The post above is an example of social media demanding that Cardi B face consequences for her actions. I saw this particular post shared on Facebook by my friend Jaime Dobson. I shared it on my Facebook as well. When thinking about this controversy it is important to think of the logical approaches on each side of the argument. At the time of these crimes, Cardi B was going through difficult socioeconomic circumstances. She had very little money and influence. However, does that excuse her from causing potential bodily harm to men and theft?

Another perspective is that if these crimes were committed by a man, then that man would likely be condemned by most social media without question. I cannot help but look at this situation from an equality perspective. I believe that women should have the same opportunities as men, but in receiving those same opportunities, women should also have to face the same consequences. When using that perspective, Cardi B should face the same consequences as entertainers like Bill Cosby who faced jail time for drugging others.

Additionally, Cardi B is very famous and is a recent Grammy recipient. I wonder how a woman who has drugged and robbed men can continue to have a career and be a role model to others. In my opinion, allowing people who have drugged other people to continue having influence can be very damaging to society. Furthermore, Cardi B is a former stripper and committed these crimes during that time period. i support strippers and other forms of sex work, but only when it s done safely and legally. In this context, Cardi B is using neither safe or legal practices. These kind of actions are the type that give sex workers a bad name.

However, do not take my word for it. Please look at many news sources and form your own opinions on rather or not Cardi B should have to face repercussions for her actions.

Continuing along with the topic of gender equality, an ad came to my attention recently selling masculine diaper bags.

I discovered this on Facebook shared by my friend Harley Glen. The original post was on Twitter and made fun of how there is a company that is selling military style diaper bags to fathers. When I first saw this post I questioned if it was real, but upon further investigation I found that this company is very real. I will include the link below.

https://tacticalbabygear.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwp_zkBRBBEiwAndwD9bK4x6OA8wqCLdBM5udeDt7zXQU734hc1gmxZo21XVimh2KRNMIr1xoCiKgQAvD_BwE

After affirming that this was a real product, I shared the post to my Facebook and captioned it with “I really hoped this was a joke.” This post made me wonder about products that have certain gender affiliations assigned to them and if gendering products is really necessary. After all, is parenthood really a “girly” role? How fragile are the egos of the men who buy these bags?

I was curious about the answers to these questions. I asked a friend of mine, Judah Horton, who is a father of three and a Navy sailor, what his opinion was on the product. I showed him the post and asked, “What are your thoughts on this?” Horton replied, “It’s simple accessorizing. Most diaper bags do not match guys’ clothes and they get self-conscious. This ad plays on men’s confidence.” I felt that this was a reasonable and valid point. I replied by saying, “I suppose I didn’t think about the accessorizing context. But my first thought when reading ‘Ditch the girly diaper bag’ is that parenthood is not gender exclusive.” Horton replied with, “True, but it’s marketing. It’s the concept of you are not beautiful unless _. You are not masculine unless _. It may be damaging, but it is not illegal, so it will continue. “

I believe Horton shared some very good points. This gendered marketing approach may not be beneficial for promoting equality in parenthood, but it does do an excellent job of making self-conscious men want to purchase “manly” diaper bags. I challenge you to think about this post and any other gendered products you may have come across. Are pink razors appropriate? What about the names of body washes being named very different things for men and women? Are gendered products needed or are they a product of outdated marketing? I encourage you to think about this and come to your own logical conclusions.

Lastly, I would like us to examine a post highlighting the importance of mental health awareness in elementary school classrooms. This past week, I ran across a Facebook post shared by my friend Kaylynn Hansen. She shared a post originally written by a teacher that discussed anxiety, mood, and the mental state of elementary school students.

In this post elementary educator Jessie Cayton discusses how she has a board that allows her students to anonymously describe their current feelings. The reason that Clayton is doing this is to provide context as to why children may be acting up in class, having difficulty focusing, or exhibiting any other negative behaviors. Cayton discusses how even though her students will soon be taking a standardized test, it is still so important to ask the students about their mental state.

I found this post to be very important. Right after reading it I thought back to my days in elementary and how I wasn’t asked often how I was feeling. In general I didn’t feel that I had a voice until as I was much older. As someone who has experienced anxiety and depression even as a child, I feel like I could have benefited from these “check-ins.” I think this post is excellent in beginning the conversation about mental health awareness in the classroom. In my opinion, for someone to be an active learner, they need to be functioning to the best of their ability on a personal level. I shared this post with the caption “Mental heath in children matters!”

From an academic perspective it is important to recognize what all factors can help students best perform. Physical and mental health serve as the foundation for being able to devote an appropriate amount of time and energy into learning.

This week we have covered many controversial and thought provoking topics. As always I encourage you to come to your own logical conclusions regarding social media, interactions in social media, and being responsible media consumers.

Until next time Cyber Pandas! Have an amazing Saturday Night!

-Faith

Good afternoon, Cyber Pandas! Today we will be looking at a special video that caught my attention this past week. Previously on this blog, we examined Mr. Atheist (AKA Jimmy Snow), a YouTuber who challenges Christian themed videos and blogs. Typically the ones challenged feature Christians who are unkind to people of other faiths. Snow has recently started a series in which he challenges Girl Defined, a YouTube channel that teaches girls how to behave in a God pleasing way. Girl Defined has also continued this message in several books. Snow has devoted several videos challenging the content in these books, chapter by chapter.

This week Snow read a chapter by Girl Defined in which the girls (Bethany and Kristen) express their outrage over the loss of traditional gender roles in today’s society.

The overall message is that Girl Defined claims that society is getting to a point in which gender doesn’t matter. Kristen and Bethany’s perspective is that gender roles are essential to honoring one’s self, the family dynamic, and God, yet society is creating situations where gender has no meaning. Snow challenges this idea by stating that we are in a world in which gender matters more than ever, but these crucial roles and ideas should not be determined by your genitalia.

To fully understand the key concepts of this video, let us examine the content using the Rhetorical Situation.

The writer of the content is Jimmy Snow, using content written by Bethany and Kristen of Girl Defined. The purpose of this video is to challenge Girl Defined’s stance on gender and to express how making gender neutral options available in today’s society is not an effort to erase the content of gender but to allow everyone the right to choose their own roles.

The audience of this video is most likely atheists, fans of Girl Defined who come to defend the original content, and people like me who are interested in hearing debates over controversial topics. The subject would be gender roles in today’s society and what they really mean and if they are indeed relevant. The content is being presented through YouTube which allows for sharing and commentary. I shared this with other friends of mine who appreciate debates over controversial topics.

The context and the exigence of the content somewhat go hand and hand. Snow is challenging Girl Defined’s stance on gender because each individual’s right to choose is very important today. Snow’s argument is that it is unfair and unkind for anyone to use the physical body to say in absolute certainty how someone should express themselves for the rest of their life. The exigence or the why of this content is to challenge Girl Defined and to also defend LGBTQ people who don’t wish to conform to traditional gender roles and expectations.

Understanding the rhetorical situation is important when understanding the overall debate depicted in this content. An academic must understand that both Snow and Girl Defined have their own particular reasons for believing that gender needs to presented in a certain way. It is not up to me to claim which side of the argument is right, however looking at how each argument is presented is important when making that decision.

Although it is not cited, Snow discusses psychology and how gender can be thought of as a spectrum. Snow’s argument is that all of human nature is a spectrum and that people are typically happier when they can be comfortable in whatever gender they choose. Girl Defined on the other hand used bible references to support their argument. It is up to audiences to decide which argument has more credible evidence.

Overall this video allows for audiences to view media from an academic perspective because it offers two contrasting opinions, and allows for audiences to come to their own logical conclusions.

I hope you all have a fabulous Sunday! Until next time!

-Faith

Good afternoon Cyber Pandas! This week we will be looking at various media that I have found particularly interesting this week, all for different reasons. Some of this media is important because it makes you think and question content and other media this week has simply rocked the boat in the world of pop culture.

First, let us examine an announcement that broke my heart yesterday afternoon. The cast of a beloved pop culture phenomenon, Supernatural, announced that this next season will be the last season. Stars Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, and Misha Collins announced on Instagram that season 15 would be their last season. This announcement was shared directly with me on Facebook by my friend Joshua Jones, and soon I was tagged by several other friends. I too began to tag other friends of mine who watch the show.

Supernatural is one of the longest running shows in television. The “fandom” has sparked unity among many. The show features two brothers as they hunt supernatural monsters and try to bring safety to the world. Because of this plot line, there is an overall theme of family and unity that has transcended into the show’s audience. The purpose of this announcement was to tell fans of the show’s ending, but also to continue the trusting relationship between the cast,crew, and audiences. Messages such as “We have some big news that we wanted you to hear from us” and “This family is not going anywhere even though the show will come to an end” provide audiences with a sense of comfort during this difficult time.

As a Supernatural fan myself, I think that the cast and crew handled this situation with an abundance of class. Based on this content and the emotion in the actors’ eyes it is clear that these people truly care about their fans.

This important in the context of viewing media from an academic perspective because the creators and contributors of popular content are trying to be respectful to their audiences and deliver saddening information in the best way they can. This announcement has brought the fans of the show even closer together as they prepare for an end to an era.

Another interesting video that caught my attention this week was another post from Natalia Taylor, the model and YouTuber that was discussed in this blog a few weeks ago. This week Taylor discusses a famous model who is claiming to have heterochromia, a condition in which a person has two different colored parts of the body (often eyes).

I found this video while scrolling through YouTube and didn’t share it (besides on this blog post), but I did press the like button on the video.

In the video, Taylor discusses how model Sarah McDaniel has become famous by presenting herself as a model with heterochromia, but that may be false. Throughout the video Taylor explains how McDaniel’s father has even posted childhood pictures of her with two brown eyes. The purpose of the video is to draw attention to this conspiracy, but to also highlight how the modeling industry is full of falsehoods.

This video is important when analyzing how to consume media from an academic perspective. Many audiences may not question rather or not McDaniel has heterochromia and others may think, “If she is lying, why does it matter?” But as Taylor states, it matters because her lying is drawing attention away from other models who may actually have heterochromia and it also is a testament to how models sometimes feel extreme pressure to stand out.

Although it hasn’t been completely proven that McDaniel is lying, high resolution photos and her father’s statement seem to be very damaging to her credibility. Gathering evidence such as the examples in this video as well as gathering additional evidence helps media consumers get the facts and come to their own logical conclusions.

The next video focuses on another figure that has been mentioned on this blog, Kat Von D. Kat Von D is a tattoo artist who has her own makeup line. As previously stated, Kat Von D has been the subject of many controversies. These controversies include her starting social media fights with other beauty influencers, coming out as an anti-vaccination supporter, and rumors of racism. In this video, a YouTuber by the name of Ready to Glare discusses how Kat Von D recently tried to clear her name.

In the video Ready to Glare critiques how Kat Von D’s defense seems to fall flat and is an obvious attempt to regain relevancy. From the context of responsible media consumption it is important to understand that not everything said about Kat Von D may be true, however that doesn’t mean it’s false. One cannot take everything public figures or internet users say as absolute truth. These videos allow for audiences to hear many different sides of the story and to come to their own conclusions.

One of the main critiques Ready to Glare offers is that Kat Von D using the “I am not racist, I am Latina” tactic is in poor taste. On this I agree; I feel that Kat Von D sabotaged her own defense the moment she said that she was not racist because she was Latina.

As far as the anti-vaccination portion of the video, Kat Von D did not actually say she was no longer against vaccinations, but now feels it was a poor decision to make the medical decisions about her baby public. The commentary Ready to Glare offers is a wonderful lesson about the age of social media. Ready to Glare states, “Once you make something public online, the blessing and the curse is that people will react.” This is very true. When you create a post someone will have an opinion about the content, rather if it’s positive or negative. The entire purpose of this blog is to discuss how audiences react and interact with media content. That statement alone makes this video very important to this blog’s purpose.

Ready to Glare’s final overall reaction about the video is that the content is not very genuine and Kat Von D is simply trying to regain an audience. Although I agree with this statement, please do not just take my word for it. I encourage audiences to watch the original video, this video, and other commentary content to come to their own conclusions.

The last post we will focus on also draws attention to errors in the modeling community. I saw a post on Facebook this past week claiming that model Barbra Palvin is Victoria’s Secret first plus sized model. When looking at the picture I immediately didn’t trust that claim because Palvin does not look plus sized at all.

I saw this on Facebook through a Facebook page entitled “Superficial Doll” that typically shares posts about clothes and make up. This post claims that Victoria’s Secret has made Palvin their first plus sized model. My first reaction was that of disbelief on multiple accounts. First, I would not be surprised if Victoria Secret did do this. Victoria Secret has received negative attention previously on this blog for not being inclusive to all customers. However, my second thought was there is no way that Victoria Secret would think their customers would accept this person as representative of a plus sized body.

However, I also thought that this claim may be false and that “Superficial Doll” may be looking for attention. It seems that in a way both statements are true. Upon further research, it appears that Victoria’s Secret has not labeled Palvin as a plus sized model, but she is more curvaceous than their previous models. However, this is far from the type of improvement that may save the brand. After major leaders of the company released statements last year about the company not casting transsexuals or plus sized models due to the show being a “fantasy,” the customers are angry and demanding real change. Casting models like Palvin is not the dramatic change consumers want to see.

You can read the full interview with the Victoria Secret executives here.

https://www.vogue.com/article/victorias-secret-ed-razek-monica-mitro-interview

When I saw this video, I shared it out of outrage and skepticism. I captioned the post with “If this is plus size then I am multiplication size. Edit: This woman is gorgeous and if being labeled plus size gets her a paycheck by all means. But maybe if Victoria Secret and other lingerie companies accommodated to the reality that many women are sized 14 (not to mention our trans sisters!) They wouldn’t be going out of business so much.”

At first I simply stated my outrage over the ludicrous statement. However, I added to my statement because I didn’t want it to seem that I was attacking Palvin. It is not her fault that Victoria’s Secret is not being inclusive to their consumers or that different media platforms are claiming she is marketed as plus sized.

The post relates to responsible media consumption because many people may see the post and immediately assume that it is true. I shared it knowing that the claim was likely false or exaggerated. This is why I said “If she is plus sized I am multiplication sized.” However, I maybe should have been clearer when captioning the post that I was not taking the claim at face value. I tried to be a responsible media consumer and did my own research to see if Palvin is indeed marketed as plus sized. As always, I encourage all of you to research media and to come to your own logical conclusions.

That is all I have for this time, Cyber Pandas! Have a fabulous spring weekend!

-Faith

Good evening Cyber Pandas! If it is spring break where ever you are, I hope you are having a restful and wonderful experience. Spring break is often a time of reflection for me. As this week has passed, I have reflected on media that has made me think. I decided to visit a YouTube series that I have adored for years called “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared”. I originally saw this media by it being shared to me through a message from my friend named Rachel Fountain in 2014. However, as years have passed, the YouTube series has served as some of my go-to content when wanting to begin thought provoking conversations.

The title of “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared” seems strange, but it is very fitting when you see the type of content. These videos all feature various puppets that encounter strange anthropomorphic objects that sing about how to be better at life. At first glance, these encounters seem to have no purpose. However, there are numerous internet theories that have attempted to explain the chaos of the web series. After seeing these videos many times and careful reflection, I believe these videos are meant to illustrate how children are told how to think and behave in children’s programming. In this special spring break edition of An Academic Perspective on Digital Media we will discuss these various videos and try to interpret the underlying message of each one.

The “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared” series has six videos. All of which address a particular theme. Some themes are more clear than others. In the first video, we are introduced to our puppet friends. The friends look bored as they sit around the kitchen table. Suddenly a notepad comes to life and tells them to “Get Creative!”

As the video goes on, the notepad seems to be giving the friends innocent advice. However, as the video progresses the notepad seems to be giving harsher advice. The notepad quickly criticizes one of the puppets for using green, stating “Green is not a creative color!” Also, when the yellow puppet attempts to be creative on his own accord without first taking the notepad’s advice, his creative project is doused in black paint.

The video takes a dark turn as the video cuts to dark and gory claymation scenes. When the dark portion of the video is over, the notepad exclaims “Now let’s all agree to never be creative again!” At first glance this video just seems like unorganized nonsense, which was my initial reaction. However, upon further investigation, it appears that this video is criticizing how colorful children’s programming encourages children to “get creative.” However, as children age, their ideas are constantly criticized by society for not expressing themselves “the right way.” In the case of the first video, the puppets are harshly criticized for not conforming to the type of creativity the notepad prefers. As this goes on the events turn gruesome. The notepad suggests they all just stop being creative, possibly to imply that creativity simply causes too many problems.

This overall theme is seen more as the web series progresses. The puppets are often cornered by an anthropomorphic antagonist when they question its teachings.

In the second video “Time,” the puppet friends are confronted by a clock that tries to teach the importance of time.

In this second installment, the clock first seems to innocently tell the puppet friends the importance of time, however whenever the friends reject the teachings he says things such as “There’s a time and a place for mucking around!” and “Don’t be stupid, friends!” The plot of “Time” gets even more sinister as the duck puppet attempts to question what time really means and if the concept is just a human made idea. When this happens the clock screams like an alarm. Also, in the end the characters all begin to wither away, which in my opinion is a metaphor for teaching that time eventually leads to death. I got this impression from the lines, “It’s out of my hands. I’m only a clock. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be fine. But, eventually everyone runs out of time.”

After further reflection on the content of this video I got the impression that this series is indeed about children’s programming “programming” children, and aiding in the creation of a society in which children are shamed for thinking for themselves.

Some additional points of interest in this video include the repeated date from the first video and the introduction of Roy. In the first video, the calendar said “June 19” and that date is repeated in the second video and in other videos afterwards. When the yellow puppet introduces the taller yellow puppet he says “This is my dad.” and “My dad is a computer.” Roy is the lanky yellow puppet, and his name appears on the ending credits in later videos. Both of these elements are important, however upon first seeing this video I did not know how to interpret either of these. But as the web series progresses, these elements become clearer and easier to interpret.

In the third video, “Don’t Hug me I’m Scared” tackles religion and love. This video is a bit more clear, and follows the overall theme of teaching children and people in general to behave a certain away, only to reject these people if they go against certain teachings.

In this video, the yellow puppet is confronted by a butterfly that tells him that he can show him a world full of love. At first, the teachings seem pure and yellow guy is exposed to a world of people who claim to know only love and acceptance. However, soon the loving community is saying that he can’t just love anyone, but must save his love for a “special one.” The butterfly also explains how the love between “special ones” was made to be between a man and a woman and is protected with a ring. This metaphor is not that difficult to figure out, because it directly parodies abstinence and anti-homosexual teachings of some church groups.

Also, at first the yellow puppet doesn’t think he is lonely, but when the butterfly tells him he is lonely, he internalizes it. This is illustrated by the lines, “Even me, but I am lonely.” The most crucial turn of events in this video, however, is when it is revealed that the community of love must feed gravel to a stone idol named Malcolm. The yellow puppet is told he can be loved forever if he changes his entire lifestyle and makes sacrifices to the god. This portion of the video definitely parodies mainstream criticisms of religion, and how sometimes these communities of love can be hateful and exclusionary.

Also, the date of June 19th is repeated in this video again, but this time it is on the missing poster featuring all of the puppet friends. The reason for this is not quite clear and has been discussed by many theorists. However, one reason may be that during this videos’ publication, there were short videos asking for donations from fans to continue the series. These videos depicted the characters being held for ransom to encourage audiences to contribute to the production of future videos.

For reference, I will include one of the ransom videos here.

In the fourth installment of the series, the puppet friends are sucked into a digital world.

The puppet friends are playing a trivia game, when the computer appears and begins to teach them how the internet is important. The computer first asks them many invasive questions, not unlike when real people are asked to make digital profiles. when the red puppet tries to touch the computer and take control of the situation, all of the puppet friends are sucked into a digital world. The yellow puppet first finds the educational uses of the digital world, by pointing out line graphs, bar graphs, and pie graphs. However, these observations are soon overshadowed by more fun applications of the internet such as “digital dancing.”

The red puppet seems to be catching on to the fact they have been sucked into a digital world without consent. You can see red’s non-digital self looking at the computer, trying to find a solution. Also, in the darkness you can see Roy hiding in the shadows. The red puppet follows the chord to a room that seems like a cheap imitation of the “Get Creative” video. once the red puppet realizes that he and his friends are in sort of simulation, his head explodes.

There is a lot to interpret in this video. However, I believe this episode connects best with the concept of interpreting digital media. In my opinion, this video is made to illustrate how audiences or society as a whole is encouraged to partake in digital media, but to not question its content or use it for intellectual purposes. For example, the yellow puppet first seeks out the academic charts and graphs, but is soon overshadowed by the fun of digital media. Also, the red puppet begins to question what is being presented to him and realizes he is not fully in control. However, once he realizes this, he is removed. This may tie to why all of the anthropomorphic antagonists become angry when the puppets question their teachings. The puppets may realize that nothing being presented has any truth and it is jut a method of control.

The fifth video is in my opinion, the strangest. The duck and the yellow puppet seem to realize their red friend is gone, but can’t truly point it out. The remaining puppet friends are then bombarded by talking food about the importance of eating healthy.

The duck puppet is seen in some kind of alternate universe in a hospital bed. He is ultimately eaten by a can in the alternate universe and by his friend in the original universe. This video was very difficult to interpret. The biggest clues seem to be that like the other videos, the characters are protesting the teachings of the anthropomorphic antagonists and then bad things befall them. Also, a lot of the bland and healthy food being endorsed by the anthropomorphic food is branded by Roy, “Roy’s Flakes,” etc.

My interpretation is that the “death” of the duck puppet represents a lack of control. He cannot save himself in either universe nor can his friend stop eating him. I put death in quotations, because it is difficult to be sure if theses deaths are metaphorical or literal, as all of these videos are open to interpretation.

The sixth and final video in the “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared” series attempts to bring the series together and offer closure to audiences.

When the video begins, the yellow puppet seems to realize that his friends are gone. His mourning is quickly interrupted by this video’s antagonist. A lamp tries to teach the remaining puppet about the importance of dreams. However, the yellow puppet knows this will only end badly. Strangely enough, he finds himself sinking into black oil that resembles the black paint that was poured over his painting in the “Get Creative” video.

As the yellow puppet sinks in oil, we are reunited with the Red puppet! He is now in an office, representing adult life. The adult red puppet says Wouldn’t it be funny if this file came alive…and sang a song.” The boss of the red puppet (who is also the red puppet, just dressed differently) says “No, that sounds really boring,” which is exactly what the red puppet said in the “Get Creative” video.

In my opinion this office scene is really informative. Going with the theme that the prior videos represent children’s programming intentionally harming the individuality of youth, the red puppet realized what was happening earlier in the digital media video. When realizing what happened he lost his childhood innocence. He now knows the adult secrets about greed, control, and other unpleasantness. He now has to face life as an adult, but is still reminiscent about his childhood shows (thus why he asks if it would be cool if the file came alive). Also, everyone in the office looks exactly like him, they are clones and not at all individuals. This may be a metaphor for how this early programming makes you into nothing but a soulless copy once you grow up.

The next scene further illustrates this idea. The red puppet goes to a karaoke restaurant where he sings the “Get Creative” song in front of many copies of himself. However he is criticized relentlessly. This may indicate further that the red puppet is now an adult, that wishes to go back to his childhood. However, the conditioning he received as a child has turned him into an unhappy copy of everyone around him.

As the red puppet is singing he spots Roy in the crowd. Doing this takes him to some sort of radio room, where he sees his yellow puppet friend being tortured through a screen. This scene illustrates that indeed in the “childhood world” everything is being controlled. The red puppet attempts to save his friend by playing with the controls attached to the screen. However, the before seen anthropomorphic antagonists and never seen anthropomorphic antagonists manifest, further terrorizing the yellow puppet.

Nevertheless, the red puppet continues to try and help his companion. Then audiences see the long arm of Roy, reaching to stop the red puppet. I theorize that the words “My dad is a computer” from when Roy was first introduced indicate that he is in control of all of the events. He is the embodiment of media programming. This would also explain why his name is on the food during the “Healthy Foods” video and why his name is on the ending credits. Roy is a computer, he is television, he is the internet. He is all media working to program it’s audiences.

The red puppet foils these plans by unplugging the screen. In my opinion, the unplugging of the machine indicates that he is disengaging from the media. He is attempting to cease the control before it can cause anymore damage.

What happens next is likely one of the strangest scenes in the series. After the red puppet unplugs the machine, the puppet friends are seen again back in their kitchen, however this time they have different color schemes. The calendar finally changes to June 20th, and the “Get Creative” song begins again. When reflecting on this scene it is very difficult to understand what this means. However, I believe this scene signifies a new generation of children’s programming. The puppet friends may be in different colors to signify that they are indeed a new group of individuals. The date finally changes to illustrate how time is changing to the next era. The “Get Creative” song beginning again may indicate that one can never truly stop media from trying to steal the individuality from youth, because these mediums will just take new forms and affect new generations.

“Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared” offers an excellent point of discussion when reflecting on how to interpret digital media from an academic perspective. This web series clearly demonstrates many complex ideas, that are open to interpretation. After each of the videos listed here, I have offered my interpretation and theories of the videos. However, please watch the videos yourself and come up with your own theories and interpretations. What’s wonderful about digital media like this, is that it does not have one defined answer. Instead it is so strange and complex that it demands thought and refection from audiences.

To further illustrate how these videos are open for interpretation and to offer more theories on “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared,” let us discuss a video discussing three additional theories by using the Rhetorical Situation.

This video was published by a YouTube channel called NerdWire, that discusses digital media and pop culture.

To best understand these theories, let’s use the Rhetorical Situation.

The writer of this “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared” explanation video is NerdWire and they are attempting to explain to their audience what “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared” is and different theories around it. The audience for this video is likely to be fans of NerdWire as well as fans of Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared. People that watch “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared’, regardless on if they like the content, may also come to this video in search for the meaning of the strange series. This video is presented through YouTube, making it easily accessible for people to view after watching “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared”. This video even is suggested viewing in the sidebar after watching various “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared” content.

The subject of the video is mainly the various theories of the series. The theories included are the purgatory theory, the TV show theory, and the kidnapping theory. One explores how this strange world may be purgatory for the puppet friends. To support this theory NerdWire even compares events in the web series to Dante’s Inferno. The next theory explores how the red puppet may have been a co-producer of a children’s show with Roy, but was quickly overturned by Roy’s decisions. NerdWire uses the backstage simulation scene as well as asides portrayed by the red puppet to illustrate this. The third theory is the kidnapping theory, that states that Roy has kidnapped his son and his friends and that all of the series events occur while the characters are in captivity.

The context of this video is NerdWhire explaining various theories behind “Don’t Hug me I’m Scared” and how these theories connect with various film making concepts, such as surrealism.

The exigence of the video or why it is being created is because audiences may need or want to hear different explanations about the chaos that is “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared”. Although audiences may watch the series and instantly come to their interpretations, it is fun and enlightening to learn about other perspectives and to compare and contrast those ideas with one’s own.

I have actively engaged with this video many times since first learning about “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared”. I first watched it when I too wanted to know of more theories about the series. I also show this series to my friends often and tell them my theories. I then close with this video to demonstrate that there are other theories on the series apart from my own.

“Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared” is a surreal video series that sparks many questions about how to interpret digital media. I believe the best answer as to what “Don’t Hug Me i’m Scared” is truly about, is that it’s challenging people to question videos and other media and to have discussions. This series is designed to start deep conversations and there are no right or wrong answers. As co-creator Becky Sloan is cited saying the NerdWire video, “We have heard many theories and they are all correct.”

I hope you have enjoyed this special spring break edition of Panda in Cyberland. Have a great weekend and “Get Creative!”

-Faith

Good afternoon, Cyber Pandas! On my last post we discussed how some media content is just good for the soul and doesn’t need to be criticized or strongly analyzed, but simply appreciated. While I would like to continue with that idea for my in-depth post, this content is too important to ignore.

*WARNING: This post Discusses Sexual Assault**

While scrolling through Facebook at the end of last week, I saw that my friend Jamie Gray had posted an article discussing sexual assault on the beloved 90s drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

When I first saw this post I was a little shocked. Buffy was a little bit before my time, as I was still very young during its popularity. I have however, seen clips and caught scenes that were on TV while I was at friends’ houses, etc. I do recall a few times when Buffy would speak to the Spike character and say something like, “I can’t trust you, you tried to rape me.” These scenes may have subconsciously influenced my decision to not watch the series.

After seeing Jamie’s post I immediately went to look at the article myself. The article is on a website called SyFy.com that seems to address science fiction pop culture. The article goes on to discuss a brutal scene in Buffy in which the character Spike tries to woo and/or reconcile with Buffy and she does not wish to speak with him. He then assaults her. The article goes on to discuss how apart form this scene, almost every sexual encounter between Buffy and Spike Buffy doesn’t consent to. The article states”

“All of Buffy and Spike’s sexual encounters featured one common thread: the word no. Buffy and Spike’s relationship was a pillar of Buffy’s darker, post-death days, a sexual symbol of her self-destruction. She knew she shouldn’t, but couldn’t help herself. No always either meant yes, or could easily, wantonly, be turned into one.”

The article then describes how this relationship and the assault scene has caused even more controversy in recent years due to today’s social climate and the #MeToo movement.

To better understand this article, let’s analyze it using the Rhetorical Situation.

First, let’s establish the writer of the content. The writer of the article is not quite clear. In the top corner of the article it states “Contributed by Courtney Enlow.” I am unsure if Courtney Enlow wrote this article fully on her own, or if there were other contributors based on that wording. That is important to consider when analyzing this content. However, the website is SyFy who have published many articles about science fiction pop culture. Because this website has a reputation for speaking on sci-fi pop culture, I would say this is a reputable source of material about controversial topics in sci-fi pop culture.

The purpose of the content is to discuss how sexual assault was portrayed in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and how a controversial topic such as this has gained even more attention in today’s modern political climate. Also, the article discusses how Spike is made to look like a sympathetic character despite his actions. However, without seeing the full episode and the other episodes of that season it is difficult to state whether I agree or disagree with that conclusion.

The audience of the content would likely be individuals who are interested in pop culture and sci-fi. However, when Facebook users like Jamie Gray post articles the audience then expands. At that point even non-sci-fi fans will see the content and likely become interested.

The original genre of the content was the website SyFy.com, but because of social media sharing was found by me via Facebook.

The subject manner is sexual assault in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and how these topics were controversial in the 90s and early 2000s, but are still very controversial today. The context would be SyFy.com discussing why having rapist characters that can potentially gain sympathy from audiences can be damaging to the rights of women and hurtful to victims.

The important exigence of the article is that pop culture tropes such as this can be very damaging to women and men who have been victims of assault. Also, according tho the article this assault was not an isolated incident between Buffy and Spike, but a slightly more violent non-consensual encounter between the two. If this scene were shown today, there would likely be a lot more outrage over it than it gained in the 90s/ early 2000s.

If we recall a few weeks ago, we discussed the famous kissing soldier photograph in Time Square and how that had been interpreted as sexual assault. However, when thinking about that photograph from an academic perspective, we have to look at how the social climates between then and now differ and question if it’s okay to project victim-hood on someone else. When thinking about Buffy we must apply those same strategies.

Buffy was popular in the 90s and early 2000s. Although having a sympathetic male character who shows aggression towards a woman may have not been an exemplary decision, it was an acceptable one for the time period. Also, these decisions need to be looked at when questioning why toxic masculinity is as prevalent as it is. Do plots like this contribute to toxic masculinity? There are no clear answers, but these are questions worth asking ourselves as we examine this article from an academic perspective.

Also, should today’s audiences project victim-hood on to Buffy? Buffy is a fictional character and not a real person like Greta Friedman so we can’t get her side of the story. However, based on this article and what peers have said, it may be assumed that Buffy’s relationship with Spike was not healthy.

However, if you would like to watch the scene yourself and come to your own conclusions I will leave the clip here.

**Warning: The clip is violent**

As we can see from this scene, this type of relationship isn’t healthy by any means. It is hard to see how Spike is to be illustrated as a sympathetic character, however I have not seen other episodes to say for sure if he is or isn’t. However, this article definitely gives media consumers something to reflect on.

How do you feel about sexual assault portrayed in media? How do these scenes go along with the Rhetorical Situation? These are the questions that responsible media consumers must ask themselves.

I hate to end on a serious note, but if you need a pallet cleanser please look at my previous blog post featuring happiness in media.

Please have a happy and safe spring break!

-Faith