1)Do you accept the characters shown in the video?
2)What do you think about the characters in the video?
3)Do you think it is fair for these people for how they are being treated in society?
4)How would you feel if you were being discriminated by the society?
(1) Yes I accept the characters in the video. Everyone is beautiful, no matter what others say. Realistically speaking, it’s not easy for everyone in society to accept individuals who are considered to be so far from the “norm” and it will take time and effort for there to be next to no discrimination against homosexuals or other individuals shown in the video.
ReplyDelete(2) The gothic character in the video is truly represents a unique individuality. To be honest, I was shocked to see one of the male characters dress up as a female, nevertheless his character is also unique in its own way. The homosexuals and the anorexic character are seen in the media more commonly compared to others, so I didn’t find their characters as shocking. Overall, I felt that the characters were daring and bold in a good way and honest with themselves, esp. at the end when all the characters accepted their reality and broke away from the stereotypes. Unfortunately many people in society don’t appreciate individuality.
(3) Its completely wrong that these people are discriminated and misunderstood in society. Everyone is entitled to be an individual, even if that means going out of the bounds of what society considers a “norm.” “Norms” in society are not static, they are always changing. Hopefully, being homosexual, or not being model thin will be within the bounds of what society thinks is normal in the future.
(4) I would feel really bad if I was discriminated against in society. If I were discriminated against, I would feel the pressure to conform and would probably end up doing so, like most other people. Not many people in this world have the courage to openly be different and endure all the stigma and pain, and I truly respect those who do.
I totally agree with you, Simmi.
ReplyDeleteYou said the things I wanted to say from the music video.
I was very young when I first saw this video. I actually did not know what the people was doing in the video and I did not understand what the song was trying to tell us. As a child I was, I didn't find anything wrong with the people shown in the video. It was till I learn about the stereotypes that I saw the video differently. This shows how people like me can become bias as we get older and gain all these stereotypes. We all should try to be as open minded as possible and take off our stereotype hats. In the end, it will benefit you as a person and the people around yourself.
Firstly, I'm apologizing because I'm not separating my answers because the thoughts are just all mixed up in my mind and I want it to flow xD Sorry!
ReplyDeleteAww, Ryan! Your comment is adorable. I totally understand what you mean, a young kid would not find anything abnormal or odd about the characters in the video. As we grow up, our social institutions try to instill in us the idea of 'normality'. I think each of the characters in this video are unique; just as all of us are.
I do admit that if I came across the goth guy or the man who dresses as a female or even the anorexic girl, I might be slightly taken aback. But that is not because I'm against them. They're just different. I think the video is extremely bold, in a good way. It addresses the issues rampant in our society very directly so that we are forced to accept how closed-minded we are as a people (I'm talking about the entire world here).
Of course it is not fair for us to treat people this way. The way the passers-by are staring at the homosexual men kissing is a clear example of homophobia, the girls bullying the young girl because of her appearance show how obsessed we are with our constructed idea of 'good' looks, and the young buy desperately trying to build his muscles shows the pressure that we exert on adolescents.
Of course, if I was discriminated against in this way, it would scar me and I would be afraid to be myself. If I look at this video from a homosexual lens or a lens of a bullied individual, I would feel as if I am not alone in being different, and that I should be proud of who I am, because I am beautiful :)
Yes, I do accept the people in this video. I remember when I first saw this, and it really does open your eyes. That everyone is different and experiencing different things in their life. Everyone in the video is beautiful, because they believe it. There no deffenition to it, because the people in the video get to decide what that is, not the rest of the world. Ofcourse, sometimes because I too am different that I admit i might be startled if I see something I am not use to, for example the man dressed up as a female. Although thats what makes us an accepting tolerating society, it's certainly not us to judge, for people might get startled by us as well. Were all different, but certainly beautiful in our own way :)
ReplyDeleteI think the characters are all individualy so different. They seem a lot more condifent in the end which made me happy. Each of them obviosuly going through physical changes, but I really admire the fact that thier honest. Thats the most important part of it, because you can't be anyone else in life but yourself. And if you feel this is who are you, than it's actually admirable the characters take such a bold move and accept it, one of life's truly greatest challanges.
No, I extreamly am against the way they were treated. Looking at it from a personal point of view by using the homosexual couple, personally it's very much against my personal morals because of my realigon, ALTHOUGH it is also extreamly wrong to discriminate. At the end of the way it is every individual's choice to be who they want to be, but up to us to accept it, and in fact simply respect one's choices. You may not agree with it, understand it, or simply even care, but it's our job as humane people to be respectful and treat everyone the same way we would want to be treated.
I would be heart broken ! I remember a couple of years ago I was playing soccer with some girls around many caucasian people. Almost everyone there was white, and I was the only "brown" person, but more importanly , a hijabi. I remember one of the girl's got past me really nicely and I fell, and I over heard someone say "oh no the terroist fell". It honeslty, really hurt. For a good 30 minutes I was disturbed, it was the worst game I ever played. I understand it can be difficult, and everyone in the video felt discrimnation in a different way. I truly hope that as a society we became more tolerating accepting people, for we are all different yet beautiful human beings :)
I personally agree with all of the comments made above. I believe that this video does a wonderful job in summarizing all the different stereotypes that are currently happening in our society. I also remember watching this video as a very young girl, but of course with a whole different perspective than now. Everyday, in our media we are being introduced to new ways of losing weight, be fit and attain the looks that some of the most famous celebrities have, because that is what is accepted in our society and in order fit in into this “normal” we need to change our individual ways to this normal too. I believe that our thoughts, behaviors and ideas about ourselves are strongly being influenced by the current media. Homosexuals are being discriminated, overweight and anorexic people are made fun of and this is very destructing to people’s normal values and beliefs. I believe that regardless of how people are portrayed in our society they are beautiful in their own unique way. Every one deserves the respect by our society the same way, however, not what is actually happening. The characters in this video are a great example to validate that. The homosexual men kissing are considered deviant, the anorexic girl looking in the mirror seems unhappy with her looks although very thin and alarming to me, but again it is merely a result of our media and the pressure our society inflicts on these individuals to act and transform in such ways.
ReplyDelete-Thats all for now :)
Do I accept the characters in the video? Let me first talk about the skinny boy trying to build his muscles, the girl being bullied because of her appearance and the anorexic girl. To me, these people are perfectly fine and I have no problem whatsoever with them. No problem. In fact, if the video did not place them together for the purpose of demonstrating their "problem", I might not even notice their problem at all. Let's say if I met a girl that is very thin like in the video, I would probably think that, "Oh, she's very skinny." But that's it. No more. Is it a big deal? No. I would never make a fuss over her and pay a great deal of attention to her problem. A lot of people are skinny. A lot of people are obese. I would think that is normal (on the whole).
ReplyDeleteDon't tell me that to be considered as the "norm" in society and as part of the majority, you have to be muscular, you have to be beautiful in your physical appearance and you have to be sexy like all the super models out there. No. The majority aren't like that. We are not perfect. Nothing is perfect.
What about the man dressed like a female and the gay couple? What about them? To be honest, they are strange and kind of "weird" to me. When it came to the part where the two guys were kissing, I had to turn away. It was a reflex like when you were small your parents told you to close your eyes when there was a "hot scene" on TV. I simply did not want to watch it.
I have to admit that this this not for me and it makes me uncomfortable. But am I against them? No. I have no right to do that. I talked to my cousin and he reminded me one important thing: everyone has the right to love and be loved. I might not be very open-minded but in no way I would condemn homosexuals and deprive them of that right. Because I am not them, I cannot understand how they feel. But just think it this way: what would you feel if you are not allowed to love someone - the most basic need of a human being? I think they would feel the same as us.
One thing I find very interesting is homosexuals are discriminated not because they are a harm to society, nor are they a contagious disease but just because of their difference, which they do not have a choice. They are just unlucky to be born that way. But what's funny here is that homosexuals tend to have a ability that is really standing out. They tend to work harder and put more effort than other "normal" people as well. Take Marc Jacobs the fashion designer, Elton John the musician, Ricky Martin the singer for example. Aren't they extremely successful? Or how about the most recent person we know, Tyler Clementi - the boy we talked about in class. Wasn't he a gifted violinist?
Why is that? I think that's because they strive to be recognized by society!
How would I feel if I were discriminated? Anguished. Resentful. And outraged. It's not fair.
I do accept the characters shown in the video. I also agree with simmi that everyone is beautiful in their own unique way and I think this video really shows characters that are struggling with fitting into the society. For example, the fat girl getting bullied- media always shows fat people as the victim but sometimes it also shows them as bullies since they are bigger than usual. Also, Media always shows beauty in a specific way (e.g. tall, skinny for girls and for boys –muscular etc)
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for the characters because I am sure people who do share these similarities (eg. gay people, Goths/punks etc) are victimized for these traits and are often bullied. I do think it is an issue that reflects our society, however, now there is much more tolerance in people than before since the number of gays, obese people etc have increased and there are now human right groups, activists etc that try to protect these people from being violated.
I do not think it is fair because no one deserves to be bullied verbally, emotionally or physically for their choices, their looks and personality etc. I do think that society is harming itself if it continues to treat its own individuals in this way. These people are still humans and it is wrong to discriminate them for their choices, personality and appearances. I believe what makes a person beautiful is his/her personality (i.e. inside) than his/her appearances (outside).
I would have low self-esteem; I would feel hopeless and worthless. I would try to do whatever I can to be accepted by the society.
Of course I accept the people shown in the video. To rephrase some of Ms. Aguilera's lyrics, "Everyone is beautiful in their own rite." The people in the video are a reflection of reality. People try to conform to a certain image portrayed by the media. Our society is surrounded with conflicting images. Corporations promote unhealthy 'fast food' (i.e.-MacDonald's) and in contrast, other corporations promote fitness (Good Life fitness, Bowflex, etc.) It is very difficult to consume this wide variety of media. I believe that many people become confused in the midst of these mixed messages. However, we should be aware of the media and make conscious decisions. To quote Polonius, "To thine own self be true."
ReplyDelete