Blog about Blogging

Kind of ironic right? 

I decided to blog about blogging.  

weird. 

Anyway I love blogging.  I love reading blogs, I love writing blogs and I think it brings out a side to people that may or may not always be seen or heard.  

In this generation I feel people are far more comfortable writing something that shares their thoughts and opinions about something rather than talking out loud about those things.  

I mean we are a generation of texting, emailing, blogging, posting, tweeting...etc. 

We are taught to learn how to write out our thoughts and feelings onto paper or into technology. 

I think for the introverted people who are more shy an quiet, this is an amazing thing for them because they get the opportunity to show their humor or what they like to talk about and a bit of their personality; wheras in person that may not be so comfortable for them to share. 

I, on the other hand am pretty out going all the time.  But having a place to also type out my feelings and what is racking through my brain is really refreshing.  

I enjoy typing all of it out and having the words flow like they would in a conversation.  

I also love reading other people's thoughts and getting to know a bit about their personality through how they write their blog and how they tell stories. 

Blogs can definitely tell a lot about a person and I enjoy getting to know someone through this form of media.  

With all that said, if you are the same way, feel free to follow yet another blog that I have had for a year or so now that my husband and I both contribute to. 

Filled with lots of random stories or videos or experiments.  

It's a good time and it's something we both enjoy doing and enjoy people's responses! 

Enjoy :) 

http://www.lovemehuntedly.com/

The addiction

So I'm not sure how many, if any, of you read the post I wrote a few weeks ago entitled 'wedding bells and cell phones'.  

If you haven't, maybe skim through as it brings up some similar points Dr. Coyne made in class about cell phones.  

I personally love cell phones! I love being able to contact whoever whenever I want or to keep myself entertained if I am bored.  It is definitely a comfort thing to have nearby. 

However when I don't have it, it is a bit refreshing.  It is the ultimate 'alone time' to get my thoughts together and to have just some time to myself.  

When we are 'alone' we are often consumed checking facebook and instagram and seeing what everyone else is doing.  

Which is not wrong.  But it's not 'alone' time. 

I used to be the type that used to really stress out about my phone if it wasn't within reach or if I didn't know where it was, or if people wouldn't answer my calls or texts immediately.  

However leading up to my wedding and even when I got engaged, I really realized how reliant I was and decided I didn't want to rely on such a tiny piece of technology. 

Again, I'm not saying cell phones are bad by any means.  However I didn't want to be such a slave to it and have my day ruined if I forgot it.  

Once I came to this realization and changed the way I lived, I felt more free and open.  I became that person that drives people crazy because (unless i'm teaching dance and need my phone for music) I almost never have my phone with me. 

When I am at home, I spend time with my husband catching up with him, or when we are visiting family we are actually visiting family.  

Every single day I go through the "where on earth is my phone" thing because I set it somewhere, not thinking about it and hours later I don't even know where it is.  

It is nice not having it attached to my hip all the time and I enjoy not always using it. I have made way more memories in the last year or so than I ever would have been able to make with my face in my phone looking at other memories people are sharing.  

Just my thoughts and experiences with cell phones! If you want a more in depth and good read about my thoughts on cell phones on  your wedding day go back and read my post from a few weeks ago and share your thoughts! 

Lord of the Rings and LDS views

Okay so I'm not expert on this subject matter by any means... 

However it has been on TV lately and my husband decided he wanted to watch them all.  

I wasn't even watching all of it very actively and i'm not the biggest fan by any means mostly because I just don't get it, but what I did watch I noticed some similarities to LDS beliefs.  

Here are some of the similarities I realized and they may not be relevant at all, but I was trying to engage myself in the 4 hour movie.  

1. Gandalf (spelling?) relates to Jesus Christ in some ways.  He dies as Gandalf the 'grey' and then soon comes back to life or 'resurrected' as Gandalf the 'white'.  He is always doing things for the benefit of the people and trying to get rid of any kind of evil he can.  Granted I don't think our Savior would make half of the decisions that Gandalf made in regards to getting rid of evil but some similarities there right? 

2. Frodo and Sam and the other two little elves are just normal people going through the trials of life and trying to get rid of evil and attain a happy and perfect world.  The ring in their possession is temptation.  It has an effect on everyone, it is small and seemingly simple, but tempts us to do wrong and if we follow it for too long, we end up like Smeegle and completely lost ourselves.  

3. When Smeegle gets rid of the effects of Golum and tells him to go away and gets rid of his split personality is symbolic of him trying to come back to the things he knows to be right and although his sins had lasting effects, he is trying to change and taking a stand to do what is right.  

4. All of the Orks and bad things are pretty obviously symbolic of Hell.. I mean look at them.. sheesh that's scary.  

5. They are on a constant journey to a land (don't know the name) where they can ultimately destroy the ring (or destroy evil in the world).  Their journey is the life on earth and the destroying of the ring is somewhat similar and symbolic of the judgment we go through before we enter the glories of heaven, or not.. ha 

6. Leggalus and the other elves are I feel like symbolic of the 3 nephites that are still around.  They can make better decisions more easily, they are very clean and heaven-like people and they fight for good.  

Anywho.. any of you Lord of the Ring experts can correct me or add their two cents but in my brief moments of watching, those are the similarities I saw and got enjoyment out of.  :)

Erika J. 

Gaining an education from Media

Alright so I haven't necessarily 'gained my education' through media necessarily but I do think it is still something that can be very educational.  

My husband and I started Grey's Anatomy about a month ago

and we have completely sold our every night to watching at least 2 episodes.  

So addicted. 

However aside from it being highly entertaining and a crazy addicting television show, I am actually gaining some medical knowledge 

"some" is the key word.  not saying i'm ready to perform surgery on anyone just yet...

Now unfortunately I can't remember details of this specific example very well but I had a family member over to our house the other day and something health related came up as a topic of discussion and a question was asked

this is a horrible story... I know... bare with my lack of memory for a bit 

I was able to recall something I had heard on Grey's anatomy and knew the answer to whatever medical related question was being asked! 

So aside from the lack of memory and details, it's kind of funny the things we learn from media

whether they are true or not

again, not saying whatever Grey's Anatomy says is the 'end all' but I do think they keep it fairly anatomically and medically accurate and someone can learn very basic things if they actively watch. 

That is all 

Erika J. 

Wedding Bells and Cell Phones

So I’ve been noticing something happening a lot lately…

There seems to be one or two or twenty every single weekend…

It’s definitely the season

Can you guess yet?

WEDDINGS!

Tis the season for wedding bells and love!

This is the time of year when anyone and everyone seems to be getting married.

Am I right?

Well I’ve been noticing something else that is a bit disappointing that I thought I would share my feelings on….

Cell phones…

Now, social media is one thing…

I understand the desire to share our lives on social media with our friends and family and those who are genuinely interested in what we are up to…

Hey I’m a victim myself,

I love posting pictures and looking at what other people are up to just as much as the next person.

However something has been bothering me lately. And it’s pictures posted, statuses updated, and activity on social media…

ON YOUR WEDDING DAY.

Maybe this is just my feelings, and if it is, simply accept my words as opinion only, and be done with it. However I personally believe your wedding day should be a time for you to BE WITH your family and friends, and most importantly your new SPOUSE, rather than your nose in your phone worrying about everyone else.

You should be absorbing the BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE.

Most people aim to get married only once right?

Granted, once you’ve done it, part of you always wants to have another one and get all dressed up again so you can relive it… (Unless that’s just me…)

But the primary goal is to get married once.

If that is the case,

THEN EXPERIENCE YOUR WEDDING.

TRY to soak in the fastest 24 hours of your life that you will want to remember forever.

I have never noticed it much until this particular wedding season that people have become so engulfed in their phones that they can’t even enjoy their wedding day, or honeymoon without posting pictures.

I understand wanting to share your happiness and these monumental moments with social media. However my feelings are the following:

1. The people that are AT your wedding are closest to you anyway. The people that aren’t there either weren’t invited so it shouldn’t matter if they see, or they had conflicts. If you had family or friends that were unable to attend, then they can most definitely wait until you are in a time and place when your new husband/wife isn’t consuming all your time. It’s not their day; it’s yours. Your spouse SHOULD be consuming all your time. Getting married is the best feeling in the world. It is a moment that most people look forward to their entire lives. I feel like people should take a day, disregard everyone else in the world with the exception of your spouse.
2. Most people know you are getting married on that day. You don’t need to post pictures to remind them…. If you sent them an invite or have invites on Facebook… then your job is done and your focus should be on your special day and your significant other
3. Other people that are attending your wedding are posting pictures anyway. If you have people that were unable to attend that you are anxious to show your wedding to, OTHER PEOPLE ARE POSTING. You know darn well that when someone gets married, family and closest friends are posting snapchats, instagrams, and facebook photos ALL DAY LONG. There you go, it’s taken care of!
4. Pay attention to your spouse. Phones are a way to distract us from the current situation we are in, and drive our brain to focus on other people and their life. Why on earth would you want to take any moment away from your wedding day? It only happens once… (Hopefully) and it should be a time when your phone is the least important thing you possess.

Dallin and I are human. We have phones, are on them often and love to post pictures on social media. However on our wedding day I don’t even remember if we had our phones with us at all that day. Why?

BECAUSE NOTHING ELSE MATTERED.

The only thing that mattered was that we had just gotten married. Family and friends came to the temple to support, and I was officially sealed to the man of my dreams for time and all eternity. My phone was the least important object I owned. I wanted to spend every second absorbing this day and paying attention to my husband because it was already going by faster than I wanted it to.

On our honeymoon as well, the only reason we even BROUGHT our phones was for alarms, and a camera. The only time we pulled it out to even use it was for the “fun” lady-doctor medical situations (:

**All you newly wed women will understand what I mean**

Other than those reasons, we spent our whole honeymoon spending every minute with one another.

I am not saying I am a perfect example by any means for how/when phones should be used, however I do feel that AT LEAST on your wedding day and honeymoon, people could forget about their phones…

No one else in the world should matter but the person you are with. What is the need for social media at that time?

It makes me sad when people are posting pictures and already changing their name and relationship statuses on Facebook the day of the wedding, or while on the honeymoon. I know it is an exciting thing, but it is just that much time that a person wasted, worrying about what other people think, instead of just disregarding everything in the world minus the one thing that truly matters.

Again, these are simply my thoughts and feelings as I have been watching so many friends and loved ones get married.

I feel sorry for those who post things ON their wedding day because I want them to soak up their special day and disregard social media for ONE DAY or even ONE WEEK.

Weddings go by fast.

They are planned for months and sometimes years and it is all over in what seems to be an instant…

It should be a day where you are completely selfish and worry only about your spouse and the best day of your life.

We are a generation of technological slaves…

And I have noticed it a little bit and been a victim myself, however it has never bothered me so much as it has recently.

Put your phone AWAY

ENJOY your wedding

FORGET about what other people think

And most importantly:

FOCUS on the beginning of an incredible journey and the start to a new life with the one you love.

Movie Genres and our Marriage

So one of the things that I have had to adjust and learn to change after getting married is the type of movies that I watch. 

Not that I used to watch bad movies or anything.  

But my taste is just SO very different from my sweet husband.  

He is a thrill seeker and loves thrill and adventure and suspense and crime and..... what I like to label as the "boy" movies.  

My movies however, I like to watch movies that get me emotionally invested or just bust up laughing. 

I was thinking about this the other day and realized that my husband doesn't really like romantic movies because they DO get him emotionally involved and they end up making him mad if they don't end happy. 

I don't love watching the suspenseful thriller movies because they stress me out. 

Although we have different tastes, the movies themselves are doing their job, we just have different opinions on the emotions we like to feel. 

Super random and possibly irrelevant post.  

Just a funny realization I came to.  

Erika J. 

Vid-Angel

Okay so we always talk about how the ratings on tv shows and movies have become very different from how they used to be. 

PG-13 is more like rated R and R is more like XXX and what not. 

My husband and I are avid movie watchers and with every new trailer coming out, the very end is the most disappointing part when it's concluded with the big old "R". 

I would always talk about how directors could make twice the amount of money if they provided 'clean' versions of their movies and then attract twice the amount of viewers. 

Well little did I know there was a website for that! 

If any of you haven't heard of vid-angel it is brilliant.  It provides hundreds of movies and gives you the options on what you want to filter out whether it's sexual content, violence, or language which are typically the primary reasons for ratings to go awol.  

You pay $20 at first and then when you return the movie it gives you $19 back so ultimately each movie is just $1.  

It's an excellent idea.  

Our movie options have just doubled in size and I couldn't be happier about it! 

Anyway, short post for a self explanatory website that will change your movie watching forever! 

Enjoy :) 

Erika H. 

puppy-monkey-baby

Let's all talk about the creepiest commercial to ever hit the TV screen that was first seen on Superbowl Sunday.

Can any of you really even remember what it was advertising? 

I honestly can't. 

But we all can picture that horrifying little creature... thing. 

Not sure where the motivation came from for that commercial and who gave it the "okay" but having that e one of the first few Superbowl commercials shown, I knew it would be an interesting train of commercials coming our way that may end up being a let down. 

There were a few good ones. But overall a bit underwhelming. 

So that commercial was creepy right? and no one really even knows what it was advertising. 

But go to your google search bar and just type "puppy"

The very first suggested searches is in fact puppy monkey baby 

So as weird as the commercial was, it has apparently had an impact that everyone has been intrigued by it and searching it so I suppose they did in fact succeed in their commercial. 

They made it weird and creepy enough that everyone couldn't help but just watch even though all any of us wanted to do was look away. 

They even had that silly little jingle to go along with it!

Not necessarily a useful and effective commercial as previously discussed in class, but it definitely was memorable.  

On the other hand, i'm an animal freak so naturally I did have a favorite commercial from the Superbowl and it did still involve puppies 

and no it was not that awful puppy monkey baby commercial. 

I can't get over the cutest and most joyous reunion of hundreds of weiner dogs uniting with their human friends as well as the amazing reunion of hundreds of hot dogs with a variety of Heniz sauces. 

Best. Idea. Ever. 

Hot dogs and sauce? yes. Dogs and a human family? yes. yes.  

All around it was darling.  

Media Made Me Smart

Alright so the title is a bit deceiving.  

Media didn't actually make me smart and give me my level of intelligence but it certainly helped! 

In today's discussion about educational media and it benefitting children on various levels, I was reminded of my younger days and those educational shows were my absolute favorite.  

So something interesting about me, I skipped a grade when I was younger based off of my reading and english levels.  

Alright so Kindergarten can't exactly count as an actual grade but I take pride in being able to skip a grade at a young age! 

My older brother struggled in school a bit more and my parents would always put on movies and tv shows that involved phonics and learning and were centered around helping children learn. 

Safe to say he hated them and only watched them because he was forced to.  

I was much younger and would LOVE to watch these shows and absorbed everything I watched; which ended up paying off in the end.  

By the time I went to preschool, the teachers noticed I was very bored with a lot of the simple readings they would send home and I wasn't enjoying myself.  

They took me to the principal and I had to take a series of tests about my general knowledge about the world, my memorization, math, english and reading skills. 

I vaguely remember a few of the tests that were administered with just me and the principal in his office.  

Once I finished, the principal notified my parents that my knowledge was above average and that I had the option of skipping kindergarten AND the first grade if that's what they decided.  

Skipping two grades was a bit of a jump so obviously we just stuck with skipping kindergarten and from then on I would always get more advanced book assignments to do and read at home and I ended up skipping Kindergarten and have been the youngest in all my grades ever since (well until college of course).

I credit my early intellectual advance in school to the educational shows that I loved to watch.  I loved to learn from them and took in everything they were saying.  From those shows, I learned to read faster and then learned to LOVE reading which fostered this educational advance.  

So, for those with children, try out various educational shows and see which ones they like and which ones get their attention the best and who knows, we may end up having a younger generation in all the grades to come! 

:) 

Commercial Mania

Introducing something that I know we all deal with quite frequently on a daily basis 

Commercials! 

They are pretty convincing sometimes aren't they? 

They are good at what they do. 

From the catchy jingle, to the aesthetically pleasing visuals, the comedy... it all catches our attention! 

And that's exactly what they want to happen.  

Have you ever thought of people outside your knowledge of existence being able to control you?

How about people you don't know, who don't know you, persuading you to do something you wouldn't have otherwise thought of.  

Well folks, welcome to the world of advertising.  

And since my husband is in the Advertising program here, he's already in your heads.  

Alright so enough of the creepy eerie stuff.  

But really think about those questions for a minute or two, because essentially that's exactly what advertising firms are doing.  

They evaluate what the public wants to see and how they think and create commercials in order to get inside our head and manipulate our desires to get us to buy or participate in the merchandise being sold.  

We sometimes don't consider ourselves real active on the commercial viewing but if I were to show you the following picture: 

I would bet that over half of you would know what commercial this picture is from and recall what it is advertising.  

How about this one: 

Most of you may be able to recall the sounds during the commercial, this particular character's name, or even some of the information given in each commercial.  

What about this next one: 

You are hopefully laughing because these commercials are my all time favorite ads, but you may also in your head be hearing the distinct voice of the man on the right.  

Crazy right?  

These were all put into our heads by people we don't even know.  Kind of creepy if you think about it.  

These particular ads hold our interest and whether we are partakers of the merchandise or not, we are familiar with it, we recognize it when we see it, we know the jingle and we have developed all these positive connotations relating to these advertisements.  

It is really impressive actually how unknowingly influenced we are by things we assume we don't pay attention to.  

I also find it interesting how the opposite can come into play as well.  

If I find the song in a commercial annoying, or the graphics dumb, or even don't like the color combination agencies chose to display their advertisement, my mind will unconsciously tune out the commercial all together.  

That may just be my strong opinions talking but see if you recall the following pictures from commercials as well as you did the previous ones: 

The first one I have probably seen a thousand times from watching the morning news with my family and for some reason this always comes on.  I couldn't even tell you the name of the company, all I know is they are selling carpets of sorts.  

The second picture is the obnoxious, "go to the general and save some time" song that is also always on news channels as a commercial in the morning.  The only thing I know about this commercial is it is selling some sort of car something or other... 

I have seen both of these a countless amount of times and I'm not even sure what exactly they are selling, purely because (in my opinion) it is poor advertising and it doesn't appeal to my interests in any way.  

Try and think of commercials you have seen a hundred times or so, that you really don't like, and if you can recall what it is selling.  

Even if I was aware of what these two ads were selling, neither of them sparked any sort of interest in me to want to investigate and potentially become a customer.  

The power of advertising is so real.  

Commercials and ads have the power to manipulate people's desires, and thoughts and ultimately persuade them for or against whatever is being sold.  

They are a very strong form of communication within the media and it is interesting to see how they affect us and stick with us, even though we attempt to disregard them most of the time.  

Just some simply abstract thoughts for this week's post.  Hope you enjoy.  

That's all :) 

E.J. Hunt 

Insta-brilliance

Alright so, although there are many questionable sides to social media and our generation is quickly becoming known for being dependent on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and what not,

There are some pretty cool things that you can find and follow.  

Zach King, for example, is a highly impressive video editor and has become quite Insta-famous for his video clips on Youtube and Instagram.  

They are INSANE.  If you don't follow him, I would highly recommend it! 

There are some interesting things that can pop up on your Instagram or Facebook accounts, so It's always nice to counteract those things with something lighthearted and fun like Zach King.  

It's like a magic show every video... 

My husband is going into advertising, so he is very familiar with video editing and what not and even he gets tripped up every now and again.  It has become a very fun thing for us to watch and try to figure out how he makes the impoosible possible. 

Granted there is a lot you can do with video editing so i'm sure some of you are like "whoopie.." 

Trust me.  It's impressive.  

There are also several art Instagram pages that have crazy artwork from very talented artists.  

All in all, among all the 'one up' posts about marriage, travel, and babies and what not, there really is a fun side to social media to take advantage of! 

Seriously, Check out Zach King.  

That is all.  :) 

E.J.Hunt

Let It Go

Alright alright so I know what you're thinking from the title

tribute to Frozen

Nah.  Not today.  

As cute as that movie is and all, I'm actually talking about the book Let it Go written by Christopher Williams.  For those of you who don't know the story or the book, it is about a man from Utah who tragically lost his pregnant wife, son and daughter in a car accident when they were suddenly hit by a drunk driver.  

Christopher is an LDS member and writes about his experience and points of view of what happened to him and how he was able to forgive the drunk driver so quickly after killing his family. 

If you haven't read it I strongly encourage you to. 

It will make you reevaluate methods of forgiving people and reasons for forgiving people.  

There are just a few points I would like to make regarding books vs any other kind of media.  

With TV and video games, and computer, it is easy for people to have a 'dead mind' while viewing those types of media.  It is easy for our eyes to be watching something and our brain to kind of be in a tuned out mode.  

I definitely am guilty of watching TV purely for that 'brain dead' experience and to just turn my brain off and relax. 

However when reading books, your brain has less of an option to be in that inactive mode. 

Granted with some college books I feel like all I am doing is looking at a mass of words and my brain isn't absorbing one spec of what I am reading, 

However with good books about true stories, reading takes you into a whole other world.  

It pushes your imagination and thinking processes to go somewhere else and to paint an entire picture or an entire world of what is going on.  

I definitely get lost in books that I enjoy.  I get so caught up in the story so much that it sometimes effects my moods for the rest of the day.  

which can be either good or bad. 

But there is something about this book.  

It is heart-wrenching to say the least, but instead of making me horribly sad, it is a book that gives an incredible amount of hope.  

Chris Williams is a very strong man and the ability he had to forgive the drunk boy so quickly still astounds me.  However, his words and the reasons he gives for being able to have such a positive perspective on this horrible tragedy make you really evaluate and rethink grudges you hold and reasons you have had for not forgiving someone.  

Everything else in the world that you have gotten upset over seems so silly and irrelevant when someone has gone through all that he has, and still had the ability to go about his life and be strong for his oldest son (who was not in the car) and one other son who was the only other survivor.  

I know this is kind of a deep post but this book literally changed the way I think about my perspectives.  

Chris has such an incredibly way of writing and thinking.  I think he has given a few talks to youth groups and if i'm right I think there is even a movie coming out about this whole story, however, because of the 'inactive brain' syndrome that we often get, I would encourage anyone who reads this to get the book! 

It will not disappoint! 

That's all for now!

E.J. Hunt

The Bachelor

Alright folks, it's the post you've all been waiting for 

well, the people who read my previous blog at least have been waiting for it... 

or maybe there has already been a post about it from someone else.  Oh well... here is another one

It's a little long but bare with me because I think it's a good read :) (no bias)

I find the concept of 'reality TV' quite hilarious... 

We all know darn well that everything about the Bachelor (as fantastic as it may seem) is so far from reality. 

The dates

Personalities in front of the camera 

The producers messing with this that and the other thing.  

Don't get me wrong, it makes for some serious entertainment, and hey i'm sure it increases the ratings.

But let's think about it real quick. 

The dates are so far from reality and completely over the top extravagant.  They look AMAZING to say the least.  

But no one in the real world is going to go fly on a private jet to a private beach and then take a yacht ride to swim with dolphins on a first date. 

Granted that may have exaggerated just a tad.  But that's the thing.  I'm HARDLY exaggerating.  

All this does to women all across the country is daydream and think "well I want all that".  

For single women, this makes their expectations go way way up which means... Sorry men!  Tough luck! Unless you can drop a solid $10,000 on a first date, forget it.  

That's just unfair, and IT'S NOT REAL.

For the women on the show, it gives them this fake sense of reality.  They get caught up in this fantasized world and are thinking this is how it should be all the time.  

The one women that ends up "winning" or getting engaged by the end of the show is going to have to face real world which, sorry honey, is going to be a bit of a downer compared to the life they've been living the past few months.  

There have been a few success stories that came out of the Bachelor or the Bachelorette, but I can honestly say I don't think it worked out because both men and women got caught up in this dream world paid for by ABC Family and the Producers and what not, and once they have to get back into their normal lives and are surviving again paying taxes and dealing with real world situations, they realize the person they met and fell in love with, isn't the same person in the real world. 

which brings me to my second point,

Think about how you act when you are in front of a camera...

You may try and put on a show and be funnier or more charming than you normally are

Or if you're like me you all of a sudden develop a filter and try the new concept of thinking before you speak

You all of a sudden become very aware of what you are saying and doing because you essentially have tons of people stalking you with huge equipment and no matter how hard you try to ignore it 

you know they are there and watching and documenting your every move... 

This alone creates a whole new identity for each person.  None of the women or men on the show are who they are in real life, on the show simply because you can't be yoruself while being watched by that many people or when you are in a mansion with that many people of the same gender fighting for the attention of one other person... 

The last point I would like to introduce, is the producers.  

They're great aren't they? 

They make sure there is drama Drama DRAMA 

and we (the strange and drama hungry people we are) LOVE to watch it. 

It's wonderful isn't it? Why be involved in it when you can just watch it on TV?

All the more reason that what you are watching on The Bachelor is NOT REAL.  We have no idea what the producers have control over and what is scripted and what or who was put on the show for the sole purpose of increasing the ratings.  

We have no idea.. 

So, all in all, if you have friends, roommates, wives, husbands, daughters, whatever watching this show, try to knock common, real world sense into them and make sure they know how unrealistic everything about this show is.  

Don't stop watching it by any means! But understand reality from fantasy and unrealistic expectations.  

I think it is important for us to protect our loved ones and not let them get caught up in this fantasy world.  All we can control is our end. 

unfortunately all the girls on it this season are going to have to fend for themselves because we all know they are going to get caught up in la la Benny Boy land and all will be lost when they return to reality.  

So let's increase the common sense in the world and at least be aware ourselves of how Unrealistic Reality TV is 

(as oxymoronic as that sounds) 

In conclusion, I am obsessed with the Bachelor.  My husband and I are faithful watchers and love to predict who will win and who are our favorites and who are absolutely out of their mind crazy, but we have recently been talking about how funny the concepts are and how nothing in it is real life.  

So, there are my two bits on The Bachelor.  It is still my favorite show.  I am still obsessed with every ounce of drama.  I still pick my favorite and get caught up in the 'love story' and hope with every proposal at the end that it will be one that works out.  Hey, I'm still even 100% on board with the couples that end up together until the day they break up or even when they get married.  I love love and I love with it actually works out :) 

But , you really can't expect too much.  

There you have it :) 

Thanks for Reading! 

E.J. Hunt 

Friday Night Lights

Alright, so here goes nothing. 

Not quite sure what exactly should be entailed in these media critiques,

But we are all experimenting right? 

So as of late, my husband and I have been watching Friday Night Lights and pretty much ONLY watching Friday Night Lights.  

He likes the football aspect, 

And I like the drama aspect (naturally). 

Prior to discussing media in the first class lecture, I was definitely the "tuned out" TV watcher.

  

My primary purpose for watching TV was to turn my brain off and unwind from a stressful day. 

Well Not anymore! 

I have since been trying to find potential 'hidden meanings' behind things and subliminal messages behind the things I watch.  

Having a husband studying Advertising, this has been fun for the both of us to do as we are both now very active TV watchers.  

Anywho... Let's get to the real reason for this post.  

Friday Night Lights

Alright so there's love, drama, and football.  Every couple's dream right? 

There's a little bit for everyone! 

Well I have been noticing something.  

All the drama with the men are typically revolved around theft, lying, cheating, and ultimately resulting in issues with the law.  

On the other hand, all the drama seen in the women's lives are all related to their love interests, getting cheated on, cheating themselves, or getting pregnant. 

I mean come on, 3 women in 4 seasons getting pregnant and not one of them intended to... 

This had me thinking of the male and female stereotypes that used to float around during the time this series was especially popular and still being filmed and it pretty much follows those stereotypes perfectly.  

Men always going to prison for this, that and the other thing, fathers leaving their families at home for various reasons, and women are having babies left and right whether intentional or not, with their husbands, or the 'one night stand'.  

I then began thinking of how drastically the stereotypes have changed now. I feel overall, the stereotypes have dissipated quite a bit and there is now more of an equality in men and women.  

Not only in the workforce and entitlement, but also for blame.  Men aren't always seen as the 'bad guy' who leaves their family, but now in TV shows, there are more issues with the law and women at fault and taking the blame for things.  Women are becoming 'equal' in a lot of ways.  

I then also began thinking of my future family and how these stereotypes might even change more in the future, and how they might change.  

Interesting to think about.  

Despite the repetitive methods of drama seen in this series, I don't necessarily consider it bad content to watch, seeing as it is clearly part of history's view on men and women.  

Granted, I am not so sure I would want my future daughters or sons watching it too frequently and thinking that all of the sex and violence and law breaking is 'okay' and how the characters in the series turned out fine.  

So, as a first-timer on analyzing media and how it relates to me, those are my thoughts and feelings.  

Stay tuned for a deep analytical view of the most dramatic series on TV The Bachelor coming later this week ;) 

That's all for now! 

-E.J. Hunt