Learning Diary - Home to Home with Media and Junk Food Times - Essay Example

Learning Diary - Home to Home with Media, (Junk) Food Times Introduction In a span of twelve weeks, we managed to study various topics in this module. The module gave an opportunity for students to learn issues from different backgrounds. In this paper, the writer identifies four topics that were very interesting. The four are Home to ‘home' with media, (Junk) food times, Dressing the body and ‘making love. Week 4: Home to ‘home’ with media The session helped to reveal the contribution of media in shaping people’s lives. Broadcasting programs such as soaps and reality shows have contributed towards making the media part of every day life. The session offers critical information on how the media assist viewers to feel at home. In the last few years, the effects of mass media have increased greatly with the progress of technology. Initially, there were books, newspapers, and magazines, then photography, sound recordings, and films. Radio, television, and the Internet proliferated followed by social media (Anderson Bushman 2002). In the modern day, very person depends on communication and information to make their lives move through activities such as education, work, health care, leisure activities, personal relationships, traveling, entertainment, and other things that people get involved. It is usual to wake up in the morning, check the phone for notifications and messages, watch the TV or read newspapers for news, read emails, makes phone calls, and eat meals with family and friends based on the information gathered from mass media and social media sources. The values people hold; harbor and the decisions made by people are based on assumptions, experiences, and education. People rely on media for current facts, news on what is important, and what people need to know. People believe the media since it is an authority for information, education, news, and entertainment. Considering the media’s powerful influence, it is imperative to know how it works. In a world of globalization, the media possess much potential. The media has the prospect of spreading news and information to areas where it has been hard to get different views. The media has the potential to assist towards democratic processes and make an impact on regimes and countries that lack democracy. However, the media can push the cultures and ideas of more prevailing interest (Livingstone & Bovill 2013). The media’s influence is growing stronger every day. Because of the influence, the competition among advertisers and producers gets stiff as they attempt to find new ways to catch consumers' attention through their magazines, newspapers, shows, movies, and commercials. I have noticed that the lightning speed at which news disseminates globally with advancement and development of technology. Everything appears to evolve depending on people's demand. Watching programs and movies on the television as one relaxes, takes people into a different realm. It implies that there are parts in a person’s being that feels they are the ones featuring in the movies. Sometimes, viewers experience what they feel as they get involved in the emotional excitement. The media's effect does not cease when the program or movie ends. The lingering effect could be the basis of behavioral changes in individuals. Action films tend to make children emulate the hero of the movie by engaging them in violent acts thinking that they are acceptable since the hero becomes successful in the end. With cartoon shows, not all things are good-natured. Some cartoon programs show delicate acts of violence and cunning acts against other people. Children will tend to copy these characters and believe that when a person deceives other people, it is a way of confronting their problems. Children tend to transfer the ill behaviors to their friends. Some movies and television shows endeavor to create an environment that will change people's view on social issues, for example, racial discrimination. The shows incite criticism and mislead the view of reality. In people’s minds, the effect may be for good, but it is, unfortunately, worse for some people. There have been circumstances where teens have committed suicide after imitating their favorite stars. There was another case where a person burnt down a subway ticket booth after seeing it in the film. In addition, there are rape cases imitated from movies. A justification for the sinful acts is that individuals could not differentiate fantasy from reality. Viewers caught up in the sphere of what they watch, and the scenes and images get embedded in them. Week 7: (Junk) food times The session (Junk) food times helps to show how these foods may affect our lives. The topic is very instrumental in helping people to know the types of foods they need to avoid. Some foods may cause health problems that may have a negative effect. Fast food child obesity has led to a site of overweight kids. The number of obese and overweight children has increased. This is the case among the American children during the last twenty years. It causes "adult" diseases to appear early in life. The growth rate of obesity among children is connected to the proliferation of fast food restaurants, and well-processed fast food in food stores (Barry 1994). When I consider what some restaurants sell, it is obvious why child obesity is increasing at pandemic proportions. If one wanted to create an unhealthy meal, it would be a fast meal at a junk food restaurant. A burger, fries and coke have many calories that have a very high sugar and saturated fat. The burger contains hormone-injected meat, and a wheat contained filler. A burger has little fiber, no fruit and too many carbohydrates. In schools, children face the same challenge as those found in fast food stores. It is hugely connected to economics. Pre-fried corn dogs are cheaper than vegetables and fresh fruit. The snack machines found in cafeterias or hallways contain chips, processed cheese crackers, candy bars and donuts. Packages of nuts have too much salt in them. When children receive less healthy nutritional alternatives, they will experience increase in weight leading to obesity (O'Dea 2003). A majority of foods bought at grocery stores are unhealthy. Processed foods, which are canned or freeze-dried, are loaded with sugar, sodium, and fat in order to improve flavor. TV dinners provide enough calories on a tray in order to fulfill calories worth of a day! When one reads a can’s back, one will find there are less protein and some carbohydrates. There is always the lack of minerals and vitamin contents in those foodstuffs. The increase in popularity of fast food is a clear reflection of the lives families lives a busy life. Assisting a child to lose weight in order to avoid obesity requires avoidance of fast food. Rather than super sizing the level of junk food taken, families need to rationalize the calorie count. Individuals need to super size the amount of vegetables and fresh fruit and the level of exercise needed in the daily routine. Obesity caused by fast food has grown progressively, causing conditions that are dangerous to health. It is very easy to shift from taking fast food to taking healthy nutritional meals. An individual only needs to take a determination in order to live a life that has quality, a life that protects children from obesity dangers. I believe that a fast food nutrition must contribute a minimal portion of a healthy diet. Junk foods contain sodium, fat, and sugar in large quantities. Junk foods can easily lead to obesity and other attendant health problems that include heart diseases, diabetes, and arthritis. The facts about excessive junk food are very clear. Junk food lacks the nutrients our body requires to stay healthy. Consequently, one may experience chronic fatigue and lack of energy needed to complete daily chores. The high amount of sugar in junk food put our metabolism at a stress. When an individual eats refined sugar, the pancreas releases huge amounts of insulin to thwart a perilous spike in the levels of blood sugar. Since junk foods do not contain enough amounts of carbohydrates and protein, the blood sugar levels may drop rapidly after eating them, leaving one feeling grumpy, and craving sugar and fatigued. Junk foods have large amounts of fat. As fat accumulates in the body, one easily gain weight and may become obese. The more weight one gains, the more one would be at risk for chronic illnesses that include diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease. A person can even get a heart attack. The soaring levels of sodium and fat in junk food may cause hypertension or high blood pressure. Excessive sodium in foods can also have an effect on the function of renal, even causing kidney disease. High levels of fat cause poor cognitive performance. One may feel tired and face trouble when concentrating since the body might not get enough oxygen. The sodium and fat, high level in junk food can easily lead to heart disease by increasing levels of blood cholesterol and leading to arterial build up. The increased levels of trans-fatty acids available in junk foods can lead to deposits of fatty on liver that can cause liver disease and dysfunction. Higher levels of simple carbohydrates and sugar in junk food may cause diabetes. It occurs since eating too much may put one's metabolism under stress. When an individual eats many simple carbohydrates and refined white sugar, the body has to increase the production of insulin to prevent a spike in levels of blood sugar. Week 8: Dressing the body People dress in a particular way in order to feel accepted by other people, and mainly the sub-culture they want to join. There are several reasons why a person may need to do this, but an interesting thing may be why people decide the group they want to join. I believe many people try to make out with some groups when they come across them and attempt to see if the social status of the group is pleasing to them without them being unrealistic. Once a person has tested a group and liked what they experience, they will do anything in their power to be accepted in the group. People will be compelled to do anything in order to be accepted in the group. People will, therefore, change their clothes, opinions concerning people’s issues and the world. Sometimes people commit crimes, which are wrong. It may be healthy to match with groups in many cases, and in few cases where joining a given group will be damaging to a person or society, it is likely because of a poor choice of groups when one identifies with the group. With every season, the fashion world introduces collection after collection of stylishly well-tailored clothes that are ready to wear. The majority of women have an unlimited choice of skirts, dresses, jackets, gowns, minis, and more for all seasons and occasions. The choice of clothes best suited for a person is essential for a person to be well-dressed, feel good and appear fashionable. To make choices of clothes, an individual must reflect on different aspects of a person's personality (Rosalind Gill et al. 2005). There is availability of clothes suiting each body type, and picking out the best ones leads to a satisfying wardrobe that is made of fashionable clothing that creates a feeling of self-assurance. The confidence that stems from the knowledge of a woman who is attired in clothing rightly suited to her body and she appears good wearing it, allows a woman to take away any outfit (Judy 2000). One may buy clothes at any clothing shop or online at well-known sites that include eBay. eBay offers many beautifully patterned and tailored outfits that are available from sellers around the world, allowing the shopping experience to be easy and fun. A person’s wardrobe reflects his/her personality, and people need to choose clothing that suits their size and body type. A woman should have dresses of various hem lengths that can suit many occasions and seasons, such as informal parties, daily wear, business engagements, and other events. Formal wear must also appear in the closet. With the availability of many dress silhouettes, women choose the necessary formal gown as per the body height and shape. A line and ball gowns of various hem lengths can suit all body types. On the other hand, mermaid, empire, and sheath dresses may flatter the hourglass stature. Women who have a large body can put on gowns that have short sleeves, a low waist, wide neckline, and other features highlighting the looks of a person wearing it. Petite women need to look for a bodice that improves the bust and a good waist to allow a curvaceous look. The fabric texture, color, and decorations on the dresses need to be chosen depending on the skin tone of the wearer and the occasion. Week 9: ‘Making love’ Stated in a simple way, love is that feeling which one feels for another coming from within. Love refers to the emotion that makes one feels elated and blush, makes one feel that he/she is on top of the world and not oneself anymore. Love is a natural wonderful feeling, and very powerful, that it may cause pain. When love is shared between two people, it creates an amazing feeling that joins people together and makes them very protective of the love existing between them. In some occasions, love may hurt because people stopped thinking about ways that kept the affection burning and to keep it secure. Love cannot be one-sided, and an individual cannot win in a love game, something representing the saddest part of it. Love between two individuals is a collective feeling concerning their interest in each other (Marcus 2004). It is not about conflict, jealousy, or testing; instead, love should be a positive feeling. Love should be the total surrender of one's heart to another individual when one has that confidence that will treat another person’s heart better than one will. Love always feels good and not bad. Love wants to make a person better, not leading to damaging things. Love makes you soar and glow in spirit. Understanding real love is not that easy, particularly, love between two people. Understanding true love may take much patience, time, and the readiness to recognize one another where love exists between two people. Many forms of love exist, and everyone depends on what people feel for another. There is love that one may have his/her parents, children, friends, pets, relatives, or about any other person excluding the love between two individuals. The subject about true love is so extensive that it may get tough to write within some words (Mandy & Townsend 2002). When I see love between two individuals, something is changing, moving, and flowing. They tend to live in an aura, and their vibrations arrive at each other although they are not in concert. In this kind of love, words are not needed as there is a profound understanding rife between two individuals. Instead, there appears to be a swap connecting their souls. My heart truly hurts to see and read about many people break-up and just move on since the love between the two people was not that strong enough. I believe their lack of appreciative of true love may have led them to that situation. To me, true love concerns the willingness to acknowledge one another for what or who he/she is though they are entirely different from each other. They need to accept them happily and willingly without trying to change. If there is a need, one could attempt to change him/herself or accept the adjustment and change. Valentine’s Day is a day in a year when we decide to acknowledge the people we love. There are many ways of expressing our love. Using the phrase “I love you” is a way, but the phrase has little meaning if actions are not aligned with words. Every person may have heard the phrase, but the individual saying that may not exhibit love in his or her deeds. There are individuals who have never heard these words: “I love you,” or had people in express dependable care for them. They never felt valued by anybody. Love means accepting individuals for who they are and what they are not, forgiving people for their wrongs, supporting their interests, recognizing their accomplishments, being present for them in every occasion, appreciating their strengths and accepting their failures. It also implies loving them when they are not loveable. When it concerns love, the most crucial person to love is you first. If you cannot love yourself, it is very difficult to express love towards others. Loving oneself is viewed the same way as loving another person. That implies you accept yourself for whom you are, recognizing your strengths, forgiving one, doing things that foster one soul and also celebrating your victory. I understand that children learn the things they experience. They may not learn to love that person they are if it was not role modeled. Those who are parents were probably raised to deem that once they have children, children come first. Children need to know they are precedence in their parents’ lives. A child completely dependent on parents must come first. Part of loving children or other people involve giving them your best. They need to have a partner or parent who is tolerant, happy, patient, resourceful, fun loving, and physically and emotionally healthy. People can only turn to be their best if we show them respect and love. I have had so many parents say that when they go out with friends or accomplish something they like, they re-unite with their friends and family feeling refreshed and renewed. Everything that may have irritated them the previous day becomes irrelevant. Parents that do not carry around bitterness are more entertaining to be around. They are able to welcome the strengths of their children and partners’. Conclusion The four topics offered an opportunity for students to learn new things and add knowledge to what students already knew. The topics are very educative and informative; to not only students, but also general readers. References Anderson, CA & Bushman, BJ 2002, The effects of media violence on society. Science, 295(5564), 2377-2379. Barry, S 1994, Digesting the modern diet: Gastro-porn, fast food, and panic eating in Keith Tester (ed) The Flaneur, Routledge, London. Judy, A 2000, Wild Things: The material culture of everyday life, Oxford, Berg, especially ‘Dressing practices’ pp.162-172 and ‘An ambivalent love affair – the gendered object and the fashioned body’, pp.252-256 Livingstone, S., & Bovill, M. (Eds.). (2013). Children and their changing media environment: A European comparative study. Routledge. Mandy, M & Townsend, C 2002, The Art of Tracey Emin, Thames and Hudson, London. Marcus, C 2004, Modern Love: An intimate history of men and women in twentieth-century Britain, Atlantic, London. O'Dea, JA 2003, Why do kids eat healthful food? Perceived benefits of and barriers to healthful eating and physical activity among children and adolescents. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 103(4), 497-501. Rosalind Gill et al 2005, ‘Body projects and the regulation of normative masculinity’ Body and Society Vol.11, No. 1 Read More