Media Critic, George Gerbner observes that what we see on TV and in Essay

Media Critic, George Gerbner observes that what we see on TV and in magazines eventually becomes our standard of reality and de - Essay Example Many peoples lives are sedentary and feature little exercise. As several researchers have indicated, in strident tones: â€Å"According to the American Obesity Association, 65% of adults and 30% of children are overweight, and 30% of adults and 15% of children meet the criteria for obesity. Rarely playing outdoors, children spend their days chatting online or watching TV while snacking on nutritionally empty foods. The average child spends 4 hours per day watching TV, and only 1 hour per day completing homework† (Derenne and Beresin, 1). These health problems are causing a crisis in body image perspectives. Because people are living such unhealthy lives, they see the gap between their own bodies and bodies they see in entertainment products, and this may result in depression or other disorders. The entertainment industry unwittingly encourages this by refusing to feature people with â€Å"normal† or â€Å"average† bodies and by promoting unfortunate stereotypes. These issues can affect both men and women, but it appears that more magazines target women's insecurities and can have a big impact on them (Grogan, 108). Films do a great deal to shape our ideas of body image. One example would be the American film, the Nutty Professor starring Eddie Murphy. In this film, the Klump family is shown to be hugely obese. Each member of the family has bad hygiene and appears foolish; they are in the film to be laughed at. This is typical of the portrayal of overweight people in contemporary films: they are comedic subjects to be mocked. Rather than show them as people with a full range of feeling and complex motivations, the entertainment industry reduces them to silly stereotypes. This occurs in many films. Is it any wonder that overweight people see these images and internalize the negative energy surrounding them? It is not hard to see how people can develop eating disorders or low self esteem from the constant bombardment of such images. The altern ative can be true for music videos. Music videos are famous for their sexually idealized representations of both sexes, but especially of women. In many videos, half-naked women cavort around luxury sports cars. Men sing about their bodies as if they were mere objects. The most desirous women are those who are thin, have large breasts, and wear lots of make up. They wear clothes that reveal their body. To young people watching these images, the shows of wealth and power suggest that these things are attracted to these kinds of bodies. These bodies, viewers are told, are to be emulated, as they are the key to gaining access to this privileged world. While this is true for many kinds of music videos, there are some videos by artists such as Pink and Christina Aguilera which try to counteract the messages of most music videos. These rare videos tell viewers that they are special just they way they are and that they do not need to change in order to fit into a stereotype. It is evident that music videos largely portray unattainable body images, but that some videos do tell a different story, one of innate rather than physical value. Many television shows have similar body image issues as music videos and films. Attractiveness is everything. The comedian Chris Farley was routinely mocked for being overweight on Saturday Night Live. He eventually died from a drug overdose. Clearly, his life was very unhealthy.

Louise Slaughter Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Louise Slaughter - Research Paper Example The term Congress in the United States has two applications (Kura, 2001). First, Congress refers to the Senate or national bicameral legislature. Secondly, Congress refers to the House of Representatives. In the Senate, members are referred to as senators while Representatives are the members in the House of Representatives (Heath, 1999). Persons who are members of both the Senate and House of Representatives are members of congress. Representatives are also referred to as congressmen or congresswomen. The current congress is the 113th and was elected in November 2012. The House of Representatives has 435 members while the Senate has 100 members. The members of US congress are elected to represent people in fifty states. Since the congress representatives are elected, it is possible to have a Congress whose representatives have unequal racial representation. The two Congress chambers are separate. However, they both participated equally in the enactment of legislation. The congress m ust hold one joint meeting in a year to agree on the convening and adjourning dates and count the presidential votes. The ability of the Congress to enact laws is the sanction of that effects other congress actions. The discussion in this paper focuses on the congresswoman named Louise Slaughter. In the discussion, Louise Slaughter is analyzed for her key achievements, voting records, important committee assignments, and leadership positions. Current position of Louise Mclntosh Slaughter Louise was born on 14 August 1929. Today, Slaughter is the New York’s representative for 28th congressional district. She has served in this position since 1993. The political party membership is Democratic Party. Slaughter’s district of representation is found in Rochester, New York. This district partially comprises of counties of Orleans and Monroe in New York. Since 1987 to 1993, Slaughter represented New York’s 30th District. The United States Congressional elections were h eld in November of the year 2012. In these elections, Slaughter’s victory was over Maggie Brooks who had been county representative since 2004. Her representation is now in the restructured 25th District. This District is entirely found in Monroe County except for Rush, Mendon, Hamlin, Wheatland, and part of Clarkson. Slaughter has formerly been the chairperson of the House Rules Committee. Her leadership in this Committee lasted from 2007 to 2011. Other membership roles include ranking minority member as from 2011. After her reelection, Slaughter vowed to fight for issues of Medicare and Social security. She also vowed to fight for the Violence against Women Act renewal (Alaimo, 2012). In most of her career, Slaughter has spent time fighting for the safety, opportunities and health. In addition, Louise is the co-founder of the Bi-partisan Pro Choice Caucus and Co-author of violence against Women Act. Slaughter has also greatly advocated for the protection of the nationâ€⠄¢s troops by ensuring that troops have the needed armor. According to slaughter, she feels that those responsible for protecting the nation should also be protected. Louise has been considered as a true reformer. For now, Slaughter is fighting to pass the Stock Act in her efforts to clean up Washington. Through this act, Congress members will not be in a position to make money in the stock market using insider information. This move will protect million of citizens since her support will not be