On a roll today!!

Third blog of the evening... I'm working on my final paper right now and I'm researching Levi's ads and the history of their commercials, target markets, etc. and I came across this blog:

http://adblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/08/21/318670.aspx

I started reading the comments and I'm just amazed by some of the things people say about these ads. This particular ad they are referring to is one for Levi's jeans that has a "straight" version and a "gay" version. All these people commenting are arguing about whether it's appropriate, how homosexuality is or isn't offensive, blah blah blah. One in particular mentioned that it's against God and what the Bible says... so here's what I have to say to that:

Being raised a Christian in a non-denominational church, I was taught morals and values according to what the Bible says. I was taught to take all aspects of the Bible into account, and to follow the rules that God put forth throughout the Bible. I base most of my morals off of the Bible, but after being exposed to the real world and being at a liberal college for 4 1/2 years, I realized there's a lot more to the Bible and God than I was taught in my church growing up.
I was taught that homosexuality is wrong. The Bible clearly states that a man lying with another man is a sin; as well as a woman lying with another woman. Ok, fine. So it's a sin. I agree.
But that in NO WAY has made me judge homosexuals and I have NEVER told them they are going to hell or anything outrageous like that. Why? First of all, I'm not a Bible beater and I don't like telling people they're going to hell--not cool. (Basically because I don't know that they are--religion is based on FAITH and BELIEF... how do I know that my religion is the "right" one? I don't. that's what I believe but I won't push my beliefs on anyone else.) Anyway, I've also learned to observe what the REST of the Bible says... let's take the Ten Commandments, for example. Don't steal, don't murder, don't lie, honor your father and mother, don't take the Lord's name in vain, don't covet your neighbor, don't commit adultery, etc.... and elsewhere in the Bible it says a man shouldn't lay with another man, (or woman/woman). So these are all sins. But there are some other things that the Bible says: Do not have premarital sex. Do not get divorced. And much more... but we don't always live by these because we're in America, and we're taught that these things are "OK". I don't think they are. I don't think they will ever be ok in God's eyes, but we disregard these because sex is fun, so we do it before we're married. And we get divorced because of abuse, adultery, financial problems, lying, mental health issues, etc. but that's "OK" to us because America says it's ok. Well it's not.

HOWEVER, we're ALL guilty of sinning, according to the Bible. I've lied, I've stolen, I haven't always honored my parents, I had premarital sex, and I've even been divorced--yes, at 22 years old. What does God think of that? He hates it. He hates every sin. But he hates every sin to the same extent--He despises it and it breaks His heart, but the beauty of it is, He forgives us. So why wouldn't he forgive someone who is homosexual? People have homosexual relations because they feel it is "natural" and they are born that way... well, some people are born beautiful, therefore people are attracted to them and they where appealing clothing which leads to lust and desire and they end up having premarital sex. And it's still a sin. Whoop-dee-doo. It's all a matter of how you look at it. I hate when people are homophobic... it's so hypocritical. I don't want people to hate me for being divorced... I don't want my friends to be hated for taking God's name in vain... so why should we hate homosexuals for being homosexual?? It's just ridiculous.
Sure, straight people don't like hearing about homosexual intercourse... just like guys don't want to hear about girls' menstrual cycles; people don't like hearing about fat people or old people or ugly people having sex; no one wants to know about their parents having sex; and that's fine. So if you're homosexual, know that not everyone enjoys thinking about your intercourse. But heterosexuals, don't be hypocritical. They probably don't like hearing about your hetero sex either.

Another thing....

I've realized throughout this semester that diversity is not just about color or ethnicity anymore. It's about your background, where you come from, even your height and weight. One of my roommates struggles with being very short and being disrespected as a teacher because she looks 12, but she's 24. My other roommate struggles with her weight, and she always talks about how "skinny people don't understand." When I heard that statement one time, I was almost offended that I was referred to as a "skinny person." I struggle with my weight just like she does--I'm just not classified as "overweight," but I'm still pudgy around the edges and could stand to lose 15 or 20 pounds.

Diversity like height and weight are differences that people don't think of as "diverse," but I think it's important to realize that sometimes these are some of the greatest differences between people. Someone of Hispanic origin may have been raised in the U.S. and doesn't speak a lick of Spanish, but they are still classified as "different" just because of their skin color; they may take the same classes, have the same personality and views, and partake in the same activities you do. However, differences like height and weight can hinder the things you have in common--someone short most likely isn't going to play basketball with all their tall friends... someone overweight probably won't go swimming with their "skinny" friends. It's important to be sensitive to these differences and be aware of how diversity affects each person in their own way.

Race

Race has been portrayed in many ways in the media throughout the years, and I find it interesting to think about why the media portrays each race the way they do. For instance, is it a self-fulfilling prophecy when stereotypical people of a certain race are featured in the media?... and then people of that same race look at media and think, "Oh, maybe I'm supposed to act that way!" So it's a vicious cycle of stereotypes fulfilling themselves... Maybe conspiracy, maybe over-analyzation.

I thought about this today because yesterday one of my supervisors, a black man, came into work with baggy jeans and Timberlands on, untied and loose on his feet. He stomped around the office all day with a walk that seemed to say, "I own this place." He's very confident, and he usually walks that way in the office, but this time it was more noticeable to me--I think it's because he usually dresses very professionally, unlike he did yesterday. I thought to myself, "Wow, I don't ever see him dressed this way, and usually I have a lot of respect for him but today for some reason I don't feel like showing him that same amount of respect." Believe me--I'm not proud of thinking this way. It was completely wrong of me to think that just because of what he was wearing. But then he made a comment that almost pissed me off... he said something about why he had to do a certain project and he said, "I know it's just cuz I'm black." I was shocked that he said that. The project is part of his job--it's not like someone was making him do it because of the color of his skin. I'm sure he was kidding, but it still made me think...

I don't know why this frustrates me so much, but it really got to me yesterday. He was dressed very unprofessionally, and I guarantee if a white man had walked in dressed that way, he would have been asked to leave. But it's ok for this man to "because he's black." I don't think it's a legitimate excuse to dress that way... I'm sorry. This is a very controversial issue, I know, but I just don't see how people will ever be treated with equality when race is still used as an excuse or defense mechanism.

Levi's.... Live Unbuttoned

There is a new Levi's campaign where the tag line is "Live Unbuttoned." I decided to change my topic to the history of Levi's campaigns, starting from back in the day (maybe 50 years?) when the actual JEANS were being advertised... until today where it's really the sex that's being sold. The commercials basically consist of a man and a woman taking each other's jeans off. Also, I've observed that in the transition from the old advertising to new advertising, it used to be women sexualized in the jeans commercials, yet now it is both male and female, which results in selling the sexuality or sexiness of the jeans instead of the jeans themselves.

It should be interesting...

Celebrity Divorces

"It seems like people get married these days in anticipation of a future pay off. It’s like firing a powerful CEO, you know he is walking away with a hefty compensation package."

This is a quote from a celebrity gossip website. I'm doing my final project on the media coverage of celebrity marriages/divorces and how they were represented in the past compared to the present. I'm interested to find out more about how celebrity divorces are so highly anticipated these days and how celebrities almost get praised for getting divorced because they get media attention.

It should be interesting...