Hi Everyone. Please may you critique my essay for English class that is seen below.
"A dead fish can float downstream, but it takes a live one to swim upstream"
We live in a society that is media driven. Our thoughts and opinions are moulded by what we see on the television, what we hear on the radio and what we read in the newspapers. We are constantly bombarded with stereotypes and the ideals of whom and what we should be are constantly shoved down our throats by the media, big brands and conglomerates that thrive on conformity. The people who challenge these social ideals are often ostracised and are given derogatory names such as weird and nerd. However, it is these people that the world relies on.
Barbie is a perfect example of social conditioning. Barbie dolls are extremely underweight, have a disproportional body shape, are highly aesthetically and physically driven, conceited and communicate a message of sexualisation and objectification towards women. A girl's first toy is often a Barbie and their messages are continuously perpetuated in a young women's life. It comes as no surprise to me that young women develop far more eating disorders than men and that there are so few woman in maths and science due to the objectification and social conditioning they experience in their youth. It's only with the recent rise of feminism that these ideals are being seriously challenged.
The media and big brands thrive on conformity and mindlessness. Fashion trends come and go and we see people scrambling to buy clothes in order to fit in, in order to be cool and to not be seen as seen as an outcast. The music industry further exemplifies this. Songs are written according to standard sonic template, one that focuses on a large number of hooks and choruses and lyrical themes of escapism, which has remained relatively stagnant for the last 20 years. A large portion of today's pop songs are written by balding, middle aged Scandinavian men. These songs are then shoved down the throats of consumers via money and brute force marketing by the major record labels. These pop songs are mass produced (there are often huge legal cases of copyright infringement), sold and then quickly forgotten. In a society that demands instant gratification and a lack of thought these songs supply it. If we as a society are not able to develop our own music tastes how will we be able to develop independent thought.
We live in a society where being different is scolded upon. Yet throughout history, those who have been different and those that defied cultural norms have always been the ones to inflict the greatest change. Where would we be today without men like Allan Turing, Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein? These were all men who thought differently and digressed from the mainstream and hence achieved what, at the time, were thought to be impossible. Creativity and innovation stems from individuality. Without independent thought and individuality we will never move forward as a society and it is those who question and stray from the norm that succeeds.
"A dead fish can float downstream, but it takes a live one to swim upstream"
We live in a society that is media driven. Our thoughts and opinions are moulded by what we see on the television, what we hear on the radio and what we read in the newspapers. We are constantly bombarded with stereotypes and the ideals of whom and what we should be are constantly shoved down our throats by the media, big brands and conglomerates that thrive on conformity. The people who challenge these social ideals are often ostracised and are given derogatory names such as weird and nerd. However, it is these people that the world relies on.
Barbie is a perfect example of social conditioning. Barbie dolls are extremely underweight, have a disproportional body shape, are highly aesthetically and physically driven, conceited and communicate a message of sexualisation and objectification towards women. A girl's first toy is often a Barbie and their messages are continuously perpetuated in a young women's life. It comes as no surprise to me that young women develop far more eating disorders than men and that there are so few woman in maths and science due to the objectification and social conditioning they experience in their youth. It's only with the recent rise of feminism that these ideals are being seriously challenged.
The media and big brands thrive on conformity and mindlessness. Fashion trends come and go and we see people scrambling to buy clothes in order to fit in, in order to be cool and to not be seen as seen as an outcast. The music industry further exemplifies this. Songs are written according to standard sonic template, one that focuses on a large number of hooks and choruses and lyrical themes of escapism, which has remained relatively stagnant for the last 20 years. A large portion of today's pop songs are written by balding, middle aged Scandinavian men. These songs are then shoved down the throats of consumers via money and brute force marketing by the major record labels. These pop songs are mass produced (there are often huge legal cases of copyright infringement), sold and then quickly forgotten. In a society that demands instant gratification and a lack of thought these songs supply it. If we as a society are not able to develop our own music tastes how will we be able to develop independent thought.
We live in a society where being different is scolded upon. Yet throughout history, those who have been different and those that defied cultural norms have always been the ones to inflict the greatest change. Where would we be today without men like Allan Turing, Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein? These were all men who thought differently and digressed from the mainstream and hence achieved what, at the time, were thought to be impossible. Creativity and innovation stems from individuality. Without independent thought and individuality we will never move forward as a society and it is those who question and stray from the norm that succeeds.