Terrorist-George W. Bush

In the speech that George W. Bush’s gave after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, talks about a specific group of people who caused this disaster. The type of people that he blames this attack on is the terrorist, specifically the Islamic extremists. In his speech George W. Bush talks about these Islamic extremists in terms of their; gender, race, class, and sexual orientation. He defines theses Islamic extremist as being typically male. He describes these Islamic extremist as being typically male because they are sacrificing their lives in order follow their extremist beliefs. Typically when one think about extremist views that cause one to infer that these Islamic extremist can be seen as being a masculine characteristic. Since they can be referred to as terrorist, which is someone who terrorizes someone, which is typically someone that of a masculine characteristics. People who terrorize people can be seen as being masculine because they are inflicting pain to others and they are being destructive which is typically traits of masculinity. Another way that these extremist are masculinized is because in his speech George W. Bush says, “Women are not allowed to attend school” (2). This shows that men have certain rights that women are not allowed to have such as going to school or owning property. Since women are giving up their basic rights because of the type of government that they have. When the women give up their basic rights to the extremist the government is seen as being a patriarchal government. The extremist taking away women rights even further masculinize them as being masculine. In this speech he also characterizes these Islamic extremist as being of a certain class. The Islamic extremists in George W. Bush’s speech represent people in the upper or middle class. These Islamic extremist belong to the upper or middle class because they typically were either born into a wealthy family or they went up the ranks on their own. These extremist belong to this class based off of Osama Bin Laden and how he was brought up. Even though Osama Bin Laden was brought up as a wealth man, not all of the extremist belong to the upper class. Some of these extremist belong to the middle class in hope that if they sacrifice their life for God they will become wealthy in the afterlife. Also in these extremist’s afterlife they receive many different virgins. This proves that these extremist have a particular type of sexuality orientation. These extremist view their sexual orientation as being heterosexuality. The heterosexuality that they have is a specific type of heterosexuality that allows a single man to have multiple partners at one time. Also this type of heterosexuality can be viewed as being desirable because in order to receive this in the afterlife the extremist need to sacrifice their life in the name of God in order to receive these virgins. The myth of the terrorist depicts a specific type of race. The race of this myth of the terrorist depicts someone who is from the Middle East. The terrorist from the “Middle East” can also be called al Qaeda. This classifies them as a specific race, which most of them belong to. The race of the myth of a terrorist is seen as a terrorist characteristic. The race is seen as being from the Middle East because they are typically seen as being from Afghanistan. Even though most of the terrorist are not from this specific area in the Middle East they are stereotyped as being from there because that is where the specific people who were involved in 9/11 were from. From this speech we are given the image of the myth of the terrorist as being an Middle East male from a upper or middle class family, who is heterosexual. 

Myth of Beauty

In Akon’s song “Beautiful” featuring Colby O’Donis and Kardinal Offishall gives off a certain image that reflects the image of the beauty myth. This particular myth of beauty displayed in this song and video is the beauty myth of seduction. This myth is explored in this video and song by the artist singing and rapping about certain women that are being displayed as being seductive. The first lyrics of the entire song are “When I see you, I run out of words to say”. This shows that the girl that Akon is talking about is beautiful and seductive that every time that he sees her he cannot think of any words to say. If a girl can have this much of an effect on a person she must be really special and she must be beautiful. Another section of lyrics in the song that depicts the myth of beauty being displayed in this video is when Akon says, “I wouldn't leave you because you’re that type of girl”. This just further proves that the women who is he is talking about is displaying the myth of beauty. Also the fact that he is putting so much attention to this one particular woman further proves that she is beautiful and that she is in fact seductive. Usually the woman that is always on our mind we consider to be the most beautiful woman in the world, and this is the case for Akon and this woman. In the video the woman that is shown can be viewed as a beautiful women based on her looks alone, but also the way she makes Akon feel further proves her to be conveying the myth of beauty. In the music video the woman that Akon is singing about is posing as a model so she has a job, so she can support herself as an independent trait which is considered beautiful for some man. Also since she was posing like a model she was wearing revealing clothing which shows that she has a sexual side of her. This proves that the social facets of class, gender and sexual orientation are shown in this video. The fact that the woman in the video is seen as model proves that she has a job. Also the particular job that she has is considered part of the upper class. Since she is in the upper class it shows that she is wealthy, which is considered to be a beautiful trait to some people. The fact that she is a model is proof that she is very feminine. The social facet of gender is proven when she is seen as a model with a lot of feminine characteristics and traits. The clothing that she was wearing further proves that she is characterized as being feminine. Femininity is seen as being a beautiful characteristic according to Akon and most men. The sexual orientation of the myth of beauty is seen as being heterosexual. According to this video the sexual orientation of the woman is proven as heterosexual because Akon is rapping to this specific woman and she is making physical contact with him, which shows that she is attractive to him. The fact that he has dedicated an entire song to this one woman proves that he feels some sort of connection with this one particular woman shows that she is the myth of beauty according to him. Also in the video the woman does not say a lot so according to Akon he believes that a woman is beautiful if she looks good and doesn't talk or do much. This can and probably different than most peoples but that doesn't mean that either his myth of beauty is wrong because the myth of beauty is not universal, it depends on the person.

Carry Out

In Justin Timberlake and Timbaland’s music video entitled “Carry Out” the images and the lyrics in the video help depict a certain stereotype and myth. The myth that they are displaying in this video is the myth of the stereotypical player. This video and song depicts the myth of the stereotypical player by using social facets such as race, gender, class, and sexual orientation. In this the race of the stereotypical player is displayed as being mostly black. The race of the stereotypical player is seen as being an African American from this video is because the artist, Timbaland, is of African American decent. Almost of the men in this video, besides Justin Timberlake is African American. Also in the video they way that everyone dances, including Justin Timberlake, dances like they move to the music well and like they have flow, which is typically the way players and African Americans dance. The song also talks about the social facet of gender to display the stereotypical player. This video and song depicts the stereotypical player as being a male. This song accomplishes stereotyping the myth of the play as being a male by the artist and the only ones in the whole video who are speaking are males. Also the video helps depict the stereotypical player as being a male because in the video there is always at least two women for every man. Since there is only one man and two females the viewer can infer that the two females are with the male by choice and that the man is smooth enough to get two women at once. The women in this video are also in revealing clothes which show that they wish to appeal to males in the video as well as the audience. So since the women in the video are wearing revealing clothes they are trying to appeal to the males in the video. The myth of the player is further depicted as being a man when Timbaland is talking to one of the women and he controls the conversation and gets the woman’s number. The stereotypical player is also a person who is part of a certain social class. This song and video display the myth of the player as being part of the middle and working class. This is shown in this video by the type of clothes that they are wearing. In this video they are wearing typical everyday clothes, jeans and t-shirts. They are considered part of the middle and working class because in the video they are wearing typical every day clothes. When Justin Timberlake is wearing the suit in the video can be seen as the middle class having one good suit that they wear every now and then. In the video they also talk about common name food places such as “I Hop” and using the drive thru. These are normal places where middle and working class citizens go frequently. Even though the song is not talking about getting food from these places he still refers to them which proves that he knows about them. Another type of social facet that is used in this video to depict the stereotypical myth of the player is his sexual orientation. The myth of the player has a heterosexual sexual orientation. Not only does he have sexual relations with the opposite gender, but he has sexual relationships with multiple women. This is shown in the video by all the different women that are in the video making physical contact with the men. This shows them as wanting the men and makes the men look desirable. One particular line of the song says that “I’m gonna touch you in all the right areas”. This line shows that the artist of the song is in a sexual relationship with at least one woman. Another part of the song he says what’s your name, and then immediately what’s your number. This shows that the artist does not care to talk to the woman who he is talking to for a long time instead he wishes to have a sexual relation with her, with little feelings. From this video of Justin Timberlake and Timbaland singing “Carry Out” we get an image of the myth of the player through the social facets of class, race, gender, and sexual orientation. 

Cultural Artifact

There are many different types of cultural artifacts that apply to every type of race. One particular type of race that has a lot of cultural artifacts that apply to them is African Americans. One particular example of a cultural artifact is music. The type of music is actually the cultural artifact because there are so many different kinds. In particular for African Americans they type of music that is a cultural artifact is rap, hip hop, soul, jazz, and R&B type of music. These specific genres of music are typically considered as African American cultural artifacts. They are considered cultural artifacts for African Americans because these are the genres of music that this particular race tends to listen to. Jazz music is considered a cultural artifact for African Americans because African Americans were the first ones who tried playing this particular type of music and they were also the people who created this particular style of music. They made this style of music during the Harlem Renaissance during the blues area, when they were talking and creating new music about their troubles. Rap is considered a cultural artifact because this specific genre of music because they are the ones who dominate this specific genre of .They are also considered cultural artifacts because this type of music is dominated by them and some of these were made by them. Hip Hop genre of music could also be considered a cultural artifact for African Americans because it is one of their major music genres. Hip hop is slowing moving to become more of a diverse genre of music, however it is still dominated by African Americans. R&B can be considered a cultural artifact for African Americans because like hip hop it is a style of music that is typically dominated by African Americans. These specific styles of music are considered cultural artifacts for African Americans because it defines some of the African American population. This is a cultural artifact because it is what the race usually listens to and it could be used to define them. Even if someone who was an African American and didn’t listen to or liked these particular styles of music, someone on the street who saw them or someone who has just recently met them would assume that they like and listen to these particular styles of music. These people who usually listen to these styles of music are usually stereotyped as a gangster. They would be stereotyped as a gangster or a trouble maker because of the lyrics at is in most of these songs. Almost all of the lyrics to rap, hip hop, and R&B songs are either offensive or mean. The lyrics in these songs also usually classify the listener and African Americans as gangsters because a hand full of these songs talk about being in a gang and doing things gangs usually do. Also the lyrics in these songs are usually about hardships and troubles that people are usually going through, like losing a family member at a very young age. They intend to do this in order to relate to African Americans because the artist feels like the African American society would be able to relate to these particular lyrics. African Americans usually tend to relate to these lyrics that the artist are making, so it is usually related to them, whether they like it or not. This makes it a good cultural artifact for the African American race because it tells the story of a good amount of African Americans, that race dominates the specific styles of music and are stereotyped because of it. They are considered cultural artifacts also because they are usually associated with this specific race, and helps associate them with a specific stereotype.

Masculine Ad

There are many different forms of advertisements all over the world.  These advertisements are displayed in many different places. Some specific places where these advertisements were seen are in magazines and online. The advertisements that were displayed, either in magazines or on the computer displayed a major theme of masculinity or femininity. Aaron Devor classifies the theme of masculinity and femininity in his article entitled, Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes. One example of an advertisement that clearly displayed this concept in its advertisement was an advertisement for Mustang cologne. This specific advertisement displayed the concept of masculinity and the behaviors and attitude that was displayed with it. The advertisement displayed a man wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket looking away from the camera with a mustang in the back ground. The way the man was looking in the ad shows him looking to the bottom right corner. This displayed that he has an attitude because he wasn’t making eye contact with the viewer. This is typical for a man who was trying to look more masculine than he really is, because he is showing off that he doesn’t care what others think about him. The man was not smiling and he didn’t show any expression. This means that he is being secretive and mysterious, so women would typically go after the “bad boy”, which he was further classified as because of the leather jacket. The mustang in the background on the dirt road also gave off a sense of masculinity because a mustang was typically labeled as a masculine car. A mustang also has a lot of horsepower, so it is a powerful car which also is another sign of men and masculinity. On top of that the mustang was the car in the ad, the color of the mustang was black, which is a color that is usually associated with men and power. In the reflection of the man’s sunglasses you see a mustang, the horse this time, which was yet another manly image in this advertisement. The mustang, the horse, could have been seen as a reference to the cowboys. Since this was cologne for men and cowboys were very manly men, who would travel across the county side chasing Indians, drinking whiskey, and ruling the town where they came from. The setting of the advertisement is the desert, which showed that the man in the ad can survive in harsh climates. This shows that men who can rough it in the desert are shown as the typical masculine men. Also he was not just surviving in the harsh climate of the desert but instead he was excelling in that particular climate. Another piece of the setting that show masculinity was that the car was in the in the wild also because it just further proves that the car is manly. On the bottom of the advertisement the worlds “Mustang the new fragrance for men” also helped show off the key message of masculinity which was displayed in this ad. The ad saying that it was the new fragrance for men means that there were previously other fragrances that men used, but this fragrance was better than the other colognes that were around. It was the dominate smell for men so it further proves the message of masculinity because it was the best smell so it overcame all other smells and is the new major smell. This product’s ad shows only signs of masculinity, with no signs of anything feminine in it. The writing isn’t asking you to try the cologne it is telling you that it is the new fragrance for men so that is masculine. Also it is telling you that if you want to smell like a man you should use this cologne. This ad was pretty much showing you that in order to be a man you need this cologne, also without even showing or mentioning a women it is implying that if you want to be able to get women or if you want to get nice cars you need to have this fragrance. This ad showed many different messages of masculinity, but the man concept of this whole ad was that masculine men wear this cologne and if you want to be one you should to.

Cholos and Surfers

In Jack Lopez's personal article entitled Of Cholos and Surfers he explored the idea of a Latino male child who wished that he could become a surfer in East L.A. In this article the speaker had a favorite surfer magazine that he loved reading, entitled Surfer Quarterly. This magazine was the typical magazine that all the surfers would read and would have a subscription to. For the speaker to get this magazine was a big deal to him since he always wanted to become a surfer. It was also a big deal for the speaker to have the magazine in the eyes of the Latino community of East L.A. When the speaker went out to purchase the newest edition of Surfer Quarterly, his father and a Latino male who was working at the register were making fun of surfers and the surfer magazine. They were making fun of the surfer magazine because they do not accept surfers in their community. They do not understand and respect surfers because that was the way that they were brought up. Even though this magazine had a deep spiritual meaning to the speaker his father still mocked it. As a father he should have accepted the fact that his son wanted to be a surfer. This just proved that the barrier between Latino and surfers was huge. When people in the neighborhood saw the speaker with the magazine they visioned him as a typical surfer, with Bermuda shorts, flip flops, and a t-shirt. In his neighborhood they saw surfers as inferior citizens when compared to the Latino community. Even if the surfers were in fact of Spanish decent, like the speaker, and wanted to surf the Spanish community would still look down on them as if they were not one of them. One example of this is when the speaker walked down the street one day when a "cholo'' who wore ''typical cholo clothes", a wool cap, a long  Sir Guy shirt with only the top button buttoned and baggy khaki pants, tried to fight the speaker just because he was dressed like a surfer. It wasn't until the speaker said that he was a Mexican that the cholo accepted him as one of his own and walked away from the fight. Another time when surfers or non Latinos were discriminated against was when a kid was stabbed and killed because he wasn't colored. This further proved that the Latino population believed that their race is higher up in the social pyramid than non-colored people. This is wrong and messed up, the Latino picking a fight with someone because he is not of the same race as him, or because he is wearing something different or for just being different. Once they can finally accept the fact that everyone is equal they can work together to make East L.A and the rest of the world a better place for everyone. The surf magazine was truly an cultural artifact to resemble surfers and how they are seen as by the community around them. This magazine is like a cosmetic magazine for a beauty paler, it resembles them as someone who deeply cares about their beauty. This article just shows that you can't judge a book by its cover, because you never know how they are under neath.