Update Feb. 12, 2016 With the 2016 Grammys coming up this weekend, I wanted to add two posts by the author of The Achilles Effect and Boys, Sex & Media as a ponderable question about what we're choosing to honor and award with media messaging and masculinity. Without vilifying an entire genre, specific artist, or lyrics lens (not interested in uncorking a censorship convo; … [Read more...]
Public Health: DV Grammys, Too Short Of A Memory, Sexualization
Man Down? Girl Up, Rihanna. Own Your Influence.
June 6, 2011 We interrupt our positive picks programming to hand over a pail and a scrub brush so parents can prep for the latest mop up of "young and the RECKLESS"... This week in Rihanna Redux, she's once again baiting outrage by splattering revenge fantasies around the interwebs with ambient buzz in Rihanna's new "Man Down" video about a woman who shoots and kills her … [Read more...]
Depravity Gone Viral: A Thin Line For Humanity on Facebook
Sept 17, 2010 Deep breath. In. Out. Hold. Center. Ommmm… I’m trying REALLY hard to abstain from a kneejerk reaction to the ‘dare to share’ assault and twice-raped (by media) teen in Canada who had photos of her horrific ordeal plastered onto Facebook by morally bankrupt bystanders. You could say it was "Over the Line" as MTV's anti-bullying digital literacy youth site "A … [Read more...]
Predatory Practices as Sport? Boys to Men & Swaggerfests
June 15, 2010 Forget the fact that my freshman daughter is friends with JV football guys… ...Or that digital reputations flinging about on social media (FB, Formspring, etc) warn of male ‘players’ and females being ‘played’ with reckless, feckless inaccuracy bordering on slanderous distortion (this seems to mirror many school’s virtual stage, reflecting more performance art … [Read more...]
Flirt Bots, Sex Bots and Artificial Intelligence: Future Shlock?
Feb. 10, 2010 Anyone remember sweet Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons cartoon? (If you're not having a retro flashback there's a 2012 live-action remake in development so you'll no doubt hear about her soon) Robotic maids and servile techno gizmos and conveniences have come a looooong way since Rosie... Some show humanity ascending with hope and promise, others pose … [Read more...]