Friday, March 30, 2012

Sims and Bootleggers....quite a combo!!!

The bootleg community isnt anything new. We all have downloaded content off the internet or have purchased the fresh on dvd movies out of some guys car for five bucks. If you haven't then you are in the minority! Bootlegging has become a part of who we are a culture. It becomes easier for the masses to aquire what they want for little or no fee. I know that when I was stationed in Korea it was nothing for me to go into the village right outside the base gates and purchase movies that were either in theatres in the US or had just come out on dvd. Mash ups and getting the latest Mp3 online have become part of who we are just as much as recording songs off the radio onto a blank tape was to previous generations. Every generation had their own form of bootlegging we just are more technologically savy about it.

As someone that is not that into video games I still understand the pull that they have. I remeber playing against my brother and sister on the old nintendo console, playing super mario brothers. Trying to unlock secret levels and getting a leg up on each other. Playing for hours and getting mad when our mario died. I guess now Im just old even though im 24. I don't like computer games or the new games that are on the xbox and play stations. Video games are a part of life now more than they have ever been. Questions that I would have now for video gamers are; do your video games help you? can you see a difference since playing video games? I dont know and feel completely dumb when talking to someone about them. I reminice about the times when tag was THE GAME or simon says and red rover red rover. Do we learn as much from the games we play now? Or should we dust off those old clue games...dig out the uno cards and go back to what we knew when I was growing up.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Be a Man!

This past week we focused on how being a "man" is important with the male species. At a young age boys are taught that they need to be tough. They need to act like men and that being a man is showing how "hard" you are.

Boys are taught that if you do anything like a girl you are less than a man. You have to be able to beat each other up and be the best if you want to be a man.

I wonder if this want to show manhood not only comes from the media but is in our DNA. I mean when you think about it Indian men had to prove their manhood. Men in old time greece did the same thing. Manlier men were more highly re-guarded. I know that the movie "Tough Guise" says that the media shows this in movies and television as well as advertising but where did it come from? It had to start somewhere from us to start having these thoughts about men.

Animals fight each other to the death sometimes to show who is the alpha male. Men sometimes do the same thing. Gang members have initiations that have the person getting in get the crap beat out of them to show how tough they and if they fail then they don't get in. I don't know about you but I don't think i would enjoy a book club that I wanted to join to beat me to death with books because I wanted to join.

Men have used violence to show their masculine sides for years. I think it has gotten worse because we are putting more violence in our games, shows, advertising and letting our children see these things. Were basically saying that its ok for men to be and act violent.

Unless we completely rework everything. Nothing is going to change.