Blog #5

            After watching Jesus Camp and reading Blankets, I can see a lot of different comparisons between the movie and the book. The one big issue that I noticed was these kids are basically told what to believe and not believe when they are growing up. Adults and parents tell them to believe in God, or not to. In the beginning of Jesus Camp, the woman asks who believes in God, and some of the kids raise their hands. A little girl who is about three or four doesn’t, so the mother raises her hand for her. Right there is a perfect example of putting your own beliefs into your kids. These children in a sense, have no say in what religion they want to have. It’s whatever their parents want for them.

            In the book Blankets, it can be compared to Jesus Camp. In the book, Craig isn’t one hundred percent what he wants to do with his life. He wants to be an artist when he is younger but the teacher at church tells him you can’t impress God by doing that. The teacher is basically shutting down what Craig wants to do because she thinks that God will not be impressed with him. Now I am a Christian, and I was told that no matter what you do when you’re older, you will impress God. Don’t be afraid to do something you love. Also, later on Craig still isn’t really sure about what he wants to do. He talks to some people about being an artist and this guy tells him his brother went to art school and eventually became a homosexual. These people again are shutting down what he loves and telling him to become a preacher or to do something involving church. They’re saying what’s wrong if Craig becomes an artist.

            Comparing Craig becoming an artist and the kids in Jesus Camp is pretty easy. As these kids grow up during Jesus Camp, they are basically taught that Creationism and Evolution are wrong. These kids aren’t able to make up their own minds and that is a problem. The kids are told that they are hypocrites and they’re going to hell if they do certain things. All kids get their beliefs from their parents or an adult.

            Both Blankets and Jesus Camp are eye opening. I am a Christian but some of the stuff that is said during the movie and book, can upset me. Why should I drop everything I love because someone thinks that God will not approve of it? It’s pretty messed up but it’s good to learn about these kinds of things. 

Blog #4

During our “We Need Diverse Comics” we talked about different stereotyping portrayed in the books we read. American Born Chinese is a perfect indication of how people use stereotypes today in this world. Many people are made fun of for who they are and it needs to stop. American Born Chinese and the article I found about Muslim misconceptions help us better understand the stereotypes around the world.

            American Born Chinese is about three stories that all relate to each other. Jin Wang comes to a new school and gets mad fun of for how he looks and what he eats. He has trouble making new friends because people think he is different. A bunch of kids come up and ask if he is eating dog for lunch. Eating cats and dogs is a common misconception that people think that all Asians eat. It is a huge stereotype because no one eats cats and dogs.

This article I found that talks about the common misconceptions about Muslims talks about the same thing. When we think of Muslims, we automatically assume that they are working for ISIS and all of them are bad and trying to start for war. That is not the case and I see this literally all the time on Facebook and it blows my mind how much ignorance there is online. People are being fed the wrong information and it is making them look bad. I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but some of the statements I read on Facebook make me want to throw my laptop out of my room and deactivate the social media site.

            American Born Chinese also shows how people think that all Asians dress. Chin-Kee gets introduced early into the story and he is Danny’s cousin. Danny can’t stand the way he looks and he just wants Chin-Kee to just go back home and to stop visiting him once a year. Danny can’t stand to be around him. Chin-Kee was the typical Chinese stereotype with everything he did. During lunch, he would eat noodles with cat in it, which is clearly the stereotype I talked about earlier. Chin-Kee is the perfect example of how others view Asians.

            Going back to the article about Muslims, this is just like Chin-Kee. Americans and others view Muslims sometimes in a bad way. People get the wrong idea when they see a Muslim women walking through the street with a hijab on. They automatically think she is a terrorist and get scared of her. Many people don’t know that a majority of Muslims are peaceful and they mean no harm. Again, this has a lot to do with social media and how you were raised. It really stinks knowing that one time something bad happened, you instantly keep that thought in your head and it never leaves you.

            American Born Chinese and the article on Muslims is a great example of common stereotypes in the world today. This is what’s wrong with the world because we have a certain stereotype in our heads about a certain person, and it’s not even true. Social media sites such as Facebook can often divert from the actual meaning and in some cases, even promote racism. People need to be careful about what they post and know that not everyone out there is evil. 

Quotes

Ted Talk Quotes
“We were not prepared for comic book fans to dress up as Miss Marvel.”

“The digital edition to become Marvel comics best-selling digital comic of all time.”

“Sometimes a mess stays a mess, there is not always a way out, but there is always a way forward.”


Ongoing War Against Sexism in Comics Quotes
“Since it caused an Internet maelstrom in August, Manara's variant cover for Spider-Woman Issue #1 has become iconic—though not for any good reason.”

“If you want THESE pictures to do what the Hawkeye Initiative does, you have to make their waists so small they can’t hold internal organs. You have to TAKE AWAY all of their muscles! NONE of them should look like they weigh over one hundred and thirty pounds.”

There is silence and darkness. John has no idea where he is and he’s alone. The last thing he remembers is being in his house watching television. John was born in Nevada and for a while now he has been looking for some sort of meaning of his life. He wanted to know why he was put onto this Earth. One day, John had a dream and a mysterious white figure told him to go far away and find his meaning in life. This was John’s journey.

Along the way John had met a friend named Steven. “I had the same exact dream that you had John. I want to know why I was put onto this Earth,” Steven said. So both of them went on their journey together. Along the way, they faced many obstacles and had to solve puzzles. Months into their journey they finally ventured underground and this would be their toughest challenge yet.

When John and Steven got underground they saw a mysterious rock and they went towards it. The rock all of a sudden lit up and they got worried. A bright light came out of the rock and before they could say anything, they were staring at a mysterious white figure. The same person who was in both of their dreams. “Welcome to your journey John and Steven. You have come a long way. For months you have questioned what is your meaning and why you’re here. At the top of the mountain, you will find what you are seeking. But be careful, there will be challenges along the way.” The mysterious white figure disappeared and they started to hear noise in the distant. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to go near that noise,” Steven said. “I want to finish my journey and I’m ready for anything,” John said. They both walked to the noise but it stopped. They looked around and there were statues of demons everywhere. Both men started to worry. The creature was near.

John and Steven continued to walk with caution. Both were unaware of what was to come next. Suddenly, everything started to shake and both of them began to ran. They stopped running when the ground started to cave in and out rose this giant creature and he roared. John and Steven ran to safety and the creature began to hunt for them. The creature started to sniff and both men did not move a muscle. “I’m going to make a run for it,” Steven said. “No, don’t do that. If that creature sees you, he could kill you,” John said but Steven would not budge. Steven looked around and realized the creature was gone. He starts to move slowly and John starts to feel another rumble between his feet. John sees movement in the ground and he tries to warn Steven but he can’t hear. The creature comes out from the sand and attacks Steven.

Steven screams in pain but John can’t do anything for him. The creature continues to attack him and finally leaves. He then runs over to Steven to try and help him. John is hurt but he is able to go keep going. Once they finally get out of the cave, Steven becomes frustrated. “Why did I come out here? I don’t want to die. Is this really worth it?” Steven asked. “I think it is, for my whole life I have been wondering why I was put onto this Earth. But I will try and help you as much as you can. We will both complete our journey,” John said. John reached out his hand and Steven accepted it and continued their journey.

For days they walked. They both wondered if this mysterious being would ever show up again and help them out. Eventually, it got colder again and they struggled to keep going. Before they knew it, the ground started to shake again. Up ahead they heart someone else. He was yelling for help but both of them were too afraid. “We need to help him! That creature could get him,” John said. But Steven would not budge. He wanted to play it safe. And before they both could do anything they heard the creature and a scream. They looked up and the person was gone. They started to walk and the snow started to come down harder. They became so cold. Steven fell down a couple times and John would help him up. The wind picked up and they would be blown back constantly. Suddenly, the creature appeared and they ran for shelter. John looked behind him and Steven fell to his feet. He was coughing and in pain. “John… just go on… without me. Finish… your journey.” John didn’t know what to do. All he did was stare at Steven.

“I’ll be fine. I’m not… as strong as you,” Steven said. John couldn’t decide what to do. He felt this connection with this person that he never met in his life. He wanted to help him so bad. John turned around and all of a sudden a blue light appeared. Suddenly, the creature came out from under the snow and attacked Steven. The blue light came on John and he began to run. It got closer and closer and then silence. John looked around and thought he was dead. But the creature was gone. He looked up and saw the mountain. He knew what he had to do.

John started to walk in the freezing cold but all he could think about was Steven. He wanted to make sure he was alright but he wanted to keep going. Every step he took got harder and harder. He could feel his heartbeat slowing down and his vision was getting blurry. He walked slower and slower until he fell down. He slowly lifted his head and saw the mountain. He was so close. He wanted to yell out but he had no air. John thought his journey was coming to an end.

John wasn’t dead yet, but it was close. Suddenly, he saw a figure in the distance. Was it Steven? How is he alive? When the person got closer it happened to be the mysterious white figure. He touched John and he could feel the light coming back into him. “I have been watching you for all this time. I hope you didn’t think I didn’t care about you John. Now, finish your journey,” the figure said and he disappeared. John stood up and started to walk again. He finally got to the top of the mountain and he couldn’t believe what he saw. “I’m so happy you made it,” Steven said. John realized that this figure was looking over both of them. They both reached the mountain and what they saw, was amazing.

Look at this picture. What exactly is this? When people look at this picture, most people will think it's Captain America. But it's not Captain America. This shield that he uses is actually an image and it represents something. It looks like Captain America's shield, but it's not. In class we talked about many concepts and principles and this is concept number two we talked about in class. Images are treachery because it looks like a shield, but it's really not a shield. It's just a representation.

This picture of Captain America's shield is actually an icon. Icons are images and representations of something. It could be anything from syllables, to letters, brands and even logos. The purpose of icons is that they represent something. When you look at the shield, most people think of Captain America and the United States of America. Captain America's colors are red, white, and blue and that can also make people think of the USA. I'll get into the color parts later on in my blog. But to keep going, this would be an example from concept three we learned in class. This picture of a shield is an icon that represents something.

The main reason that most people know this is a representation of Captain America's shield is mainly because of the colors. Colors can evolve emotions and the color schemes can remind us of objects or people. For example, this object is the shield and many people know it's part of Captain America. Growing up and reading comics, I never realized that I can recognize superheros by their colors. Batman is black and yellow. Hulk is green and purple. Superman is blue, yellow, and red. This is concept eleven from the worksheet we discussed in class. When I think of red, white, and blue, I would think of Captain America when thinking of superheroes.

It is really bizarre how one picture can actually mean so much. This isn't Captain America's shield. It represents Captain America's shield. The shield represents something to many. To me, it represents patriotism because he is the symbol of freedom. Finally, just thinking of certain colors can make us think of different superheroes and it just blows my mind. I never realized how so much thought could be put into one image.

My name is Ben Imhoff, I am 21 and a junior. I am a communication journalism major with an emphasis in electronic media. I love playing video games, rocking out to music, and I love all Philadelphia sports teams. I took this class because I'm not a fan of English courses and I figured this would help me understand it more. I have experience reading comics but not manga. I read Marvel and DC comics such as Batman and Captain America. I've read some graphic narratives but not many. I like reading comics because I focus easier than reading an actual book. I do not watch anime and I am not quite sure what a visual novel is. I love playing video games. I play NHL, Madden, GTA, and anything involving Batman. When I was in high school, I saw people that read comics were tended to be more nerdy but I don't like to stereotype because I love reading comics also. I don't consider myself a big reader of comics and graphic novels. I like to read them occasionally but not often. I am interested in learning more about manga because I have never heard about it. Plus, I want to see why these comic books are so popular.