Eric Dishman

     The video we watched in class today was one with a man named Eric Dishman, and he talked about taking healthcare off the main frame. To be honest, I found the video difficult to watch. It seemed as though Mr. Dishman did not really have a lot to say, yet a lot of words were coming from his mouth. I do not even really feel comfortable giving an opinion on his opinions because even after watching the video again after class, I do not know what he wanted to get across. The majority of his speech seemed to focus on the company he works for and the expensive equipment that he wants to sell on a large scale; it was hard not to zone out during these parts from my years of being bombarded with advertisements and self-training to shut them out.

     However I did enjoy the class discussion that we had once the video had ended. Many of my classmates shared personal stories of their family members’ experiences in care facilities and I learned a lot about them that I had not known before. This is a topic that I would be very interested in coming back to so that I can learn more about it and form my own opinions on the subject.

Katy Perry from a Feminist Point of View

     Today we watched the music video for Katy Perry’s song Hot & Cold. Though I personally enjoy the video, I decided to view it critically from another perspective to gain a bit more understanding of it. From the feminist perspective, I think that the video is extremely degrading to women. It begins by showing a woman upset that a man is unsure of marrying her, as if she needs a man in her life in order to be happy. Then the stereotypical ‘bridezilla’ has a crying, screaming, crazy fit as if a woman cannot even keep her emotions under control if a man does not want to be with her. Then there is a bridge in the video while Katy is shown in various sexy outfits looking pretty, because you cannot have a good music video without showing a sexy woman. The video is then wrapped up by the groom deciding to marry her and of course this is the greatest news she could have- a man to take care of her. Now, I am not sure if this much thought was put into the making of this video, but it cannot be denied that it aligns with quite a few stereotypes that follow the female gender. I still enjoy the song and the video, but I think it is very important to view media critically and consider alternate meanings to the content we are exposed to. 
     I also found the following article that expands on the ideas of gender and gender roles in a few of Katy Perry's Songs:

Group Media Analysis- Katy Perry

The Future of Dating

     The discussion today moved from dating in the past to how dating may potentially develop in the future. I think that dating will continue to change and grow in the same direction that it has been moving. Socially, it seems that it is becoming more and more acceptable to wait until you are slightly older to settle down. Rather than dating one or two people for a couple years and getting married, many couple will date for 5 years or more before taking the plunge and get married and/or start a family. I think that the increasing amount of technology has also has a huge effect on dating trends and will continue to do so. Online dating has become extremely popular in the last few years. It began a bit iffy, something that only a few people would try and even fewer would admit to it, but in the past couple years online dating has become near as popular as most other traditional methods of meeting new people. I personally know a few couples who have met online and I’m sure that this trend of increased acceptance and use of online dating will only continue in years to come. I cannot help but even wonder what new and exciting technologies will exist only a few years from now. For all we know, we are on the brink of yet another revolution that could change the ideas we share about dating even further.