Tag Archives: Time Magazine

Born Better?

Posted on by
Reply

“Born Better”

I have a real issue with this ad…

First, I’d like you to know, my mom thinks I’m crazy. She doesn’t understand “where I came from” with all my ideologies about racism and inequality and how I can see the injustices in anything and everything. Here’s one example of where my mother would say, “it’s just an ad.” But for me, it’s far from JUST anything.

I saw this ad a few times prior to today on the subways in NYC. I thought nothing of it at the time. It was a quick glance, a quick read, and an idea that has been ingrained in us since… well since the time people started conquering other people because they were “inferior.” Can you see where I’m headed?

So today, on the subway, reading my latest issue of Time Magazine (I thoroughly enjoy this magazine. I feel that the magazine tries to come across unbiased and give both sides to the story, which I can appreciate. Of course, one source is never the be all and end all of to any story.) I noticed an ad. An ad for Poland Spring Water. The main point of the ad, “Born Better.” This was the headline and the closing “argument” in their blurb about Poland Spring Water being the best. It says, “Every drop of Poland Spring 100% Natural Spring Water comes from carefully selected natural springs. When you start with something better, you get something better.”

Now my problem isn’t with the water. I drink it. I haven’t researched it to know if it really does come from carefully selected natural springs. These are not the things I contest about the ad. It’s the “Born Better.”

Can something really be born better? No. If you start with something better will you necessarily get something better? Again, no. So why, in society are we reinforcing an ideology that something can be better from birth? This makes me think of Rudyard Kipling and the “White Man’s Burden” and birthrights. Two ideologies that have been disputed and disregarded as unethical, bias, and simply unjust.

This should be JUST an ad, but embedded in this ad is injustice in policy at it’s finest. See, what happens in society is, media saturates our mind with things to the point of acceptance and a level of subconscious behavior. To have an idea read over and over again (on the subway, in magazines, on t.v., etc.) is to have something etched in your mind. We all know repetition embeds things in the brain, come on we all remember the flash cards we made before a test so that it “stuck.” Even though cram session memorization don’t necessarily stick forever, you remember them – at some point in your life you will come across something and a “light” will go off and you will draw back to that flash card. This is the same concept with repetitive ads. Poland Spring might JUST want you to buy their water, but the negative ideology doesn’t lie too far between the lies.

No one is born anything except… well accept born.

notjustmythoughts

http://www.facebook.com/notjustmythoughts

Welcome to Life?

Posted on by
1

An exerpt from the article on: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/27/michelle-ugenti-arizona-rep-justifies-tuition-hike_n_1304731.html

“An Arizona House committee passed a bill last week that would require every student at a public college in the state, regardless of economic status, to pay a minimum of $2,000 in tuition.
As Think Progress noted, nearly 100 Arizona students attended the committee hearing to speak out against the bill, HB 2675, expressing concern that it would make it more difficult for many students to afford college. Rep. Michelle Ugenti (R-Scottsdale) responded bluntly in favor of the new measure: ‘Welcome to life.’”

I read this article a day after reading an article in TIME Magazine’s latest issue regarding Latinos (in Arizona) potentially “electing” president. (proper sourcing to come) In this article TIME was detailing the potential force behind the Latino vote and this potential is greatest in states like Arizona. Arizona is largely a Republican State with an abundance in the Latino population. The population of Latinos here feel they are Republicans on paper but that the Republicans don’t want them (their vote) and that they aren’t Democrats on paper, but that the Democrats do want them (this is a paraphrase of a statement by a Latino community member in Arizona).

Now, I’m not a political person. I vote yes. I believe it is important. If I want to voice my opinions well I better cast my ballot vote… so of course I follow things going on politically, but I don’t consider myself to be a largely political person. (Though I admit from my blog people often consider me political. But to me, this is just human nature. It goes beyond politics… it’s.. well this is something that should be ingrained in every human…I talk about things that are rights and equality based and that shouldn’t be political. It shouldn’t be up to a Republican or Democrat…it should…well it should just be.)

I digressed… now after reading the article in TIME and reading the article from Huffington Post I think to myself… well isn’t this pushing the Latino voter further to the fringes? The statement, “welcome to life” was made by a Republican representative. These are the sort of things that push people away. I won’t openly admit if I am Democratic or Republican because to be honest I don’t believe I fit neatly into either box. The vote should be based on who is the better person for the job, not necessarily by party. BUT what I will say is, if the Republicans are out-casting a HUGE number of voters it sure doesn’t look good for them.

Furthermore, on the equality side…really, welcome to life? Who says that, besides a mother to a child? The fact of the matter is $2000 a semester is unaffordable for some people and yet people believe there is equal opportunity for everyone. What gets me is, sure the opportunity is there, but how could it be equal when it’s out of the reach of many people?

notjustmythoughts.

Income Equality Gaps

Posted on by
1
Time Magazine Jan 9, 2012 Issue
Income Inequality

Some of the article (from Time Magazine 1/9/12 issue) got cut out, but the gist of the article can be “read” within the pictures. In the last 20 years the gaps in income have increased dramatically. It is no surprise that the highest areas with income gaps are also the areas with the largest metropolitan cities, i.e. California, New York, Florida. In these states the large cities are the contributing factor to the large dispartity. These cities also have a high concentration of gentrification. I have already discussed (in a previous post) that I have conflicting opinions re gentrification, but the more and more I look into the issue I am finding myself on the “against” side of gentrification. On the surface gentrification looks good… but when you look closer you realize that gentrification is responsible (in part, it cannot take sole blame) for increasing the gaps in income equality. Gentrification pushes low and low-middle income families out of an area allowing for high-middle and high income families to move in, thus increasing the gap in income. If you have ever traveled to Manhattan, you can readily see that the metropolis is becoming more and more for the rich. It is very costly to live in the heart of Manhattan with studio apartments in some areas starting at $2,000 a month. A STUDIO.

Maybe these are just my thoughts, but I can’t see how that could be so. While I do believe that shifts in society are inevitable and even necessary for a country to continue to be at the forefront of business, economy, and power EVERYTHING cannot change. Manufacturing, thankfully, is taking a turn and becoming more relevant in our society again. This is likely do to people buying into the “Made from America” trend. But this is good. Outsourcing to other countries has provided other places with advancement and even a more stable economy, but it has damaged our own. Hopefully with the blue collar jobs on the rise the dispartity in the income gaps will decrease slightly.
 
What are your thoughts? What do you believe are some of the contributing factors of the gaps in income? I know there are many more factors than the few I have listed, but to include them all would be to write a book.
Notjustmythoughts