The world of the text Or…context

Here’s an easy one Snow White: 1937

And another Princess & the Frog: 2009

And this… Enchanted: 2007

The distinction is Social milieu or zeitgeist (fancy words for social environment) *Every text embodies some element of era it was created by. *From Snow White to Downsizing, from the NYTimes to Fox, you must remember the author’s agenda, and the reader’s obligation to the text. You cannot take it simply at face value for what it is. Variety, and critical thinking, is key.

Let’s try something more difficult Gym ads

Equinox made me do it Who is equinox?

It’s a gym. Here’s a quick breakdown.

Here’s their old campaign 2010 by Terry Richardson

ALL ABOUT THE SEXY.

2016 cAMPAIGN

This cat lady.

This weird cult.

This feminist.

This guy, with his $$$.

Not sure what’s happening here. People did not like this ad.

This guy with the tropies.

If you’re confused, you’re not alone.

Now…go find your own ad. Pick a big brand. *Do a quick review of it: -When was it released? -What’s the message? -Who is the audience, and how do you know? Point to SPECIFIC examples. -What’s being sold, IN ADDITION to the product? -If possible, find a newer/older version to compare it to. What’s the difference? GET READY TO SHOW US AND WALK US THROUGH IT NEXT WEEK.

Here’s a text that REally matters (for very different audiences) “One graphic designer is taking a stand during Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Artist Daniel Rarela designed a series of memes to stop the late civil rights leader from getting whitewashed this year… ‘As a graphic designer, I wanted to shatter this false image of a Martin Luther King who everyone loved, never got arrested, was universally popular and made zero privileged people feel uncomfortable or angry enough to want to kill him’… ‘[I wanted] to emphasize how timeless Dr. King's message really is’” (staff).

Here are a few examples—old photos

And here are some new photos…

Discussion @ tables: Pick 2 *What did you notice about Rarela’s choice of photos? *What did you notice about Rarela’s choice of quotes? *Why did the artist create memes? *What does the artist “know” about his audience? *What do you “know” about modern audience? *Does format of information matter? Why?

Why should we care? Because… The census defines Hispanic as thus: For Census 2000, American Community Survey: People who identify with the terms "Hispanic" or "Latino" are those who classify themselves in one of the specific Hispanic or Latino categories listed on the Census 2000 or ACS questionnaire - "Mexican," "Puerto Rican," or "Cuban" - as well as those who indicate that they are "other Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino." Origin can be viewed as the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth of the person, or the person's parents or ancestors, before their arrival in the United States. People who identify their origin as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino may be of any race (Race and Ethnicity in US).

For clarification “The problem with using the word ‘race’ is that many Americans say they don’t know what it means, and how it is different from ‘origin.’ The agency’s focus group research found that some people think the words mean the same thing, while others see race as meaning skin color, ancestry or culture, while origin is the nation or place where they or their parents were born” (Census Considers).

Because between 1959-1964… “After Virginia's school-closing law was ruled unconstitutional in January 1959, the General Assembly repealed the compulsory school attendance law and made the operation of public schools a local option for the state's counties and cities. Schools that had been closed in Front Royal, Norfolk, and Charlottesville reopened because citizens there preferred integrated schools to none at all. It was not so in Prince Edward County. Ordered on May 1, 1959, to integrate its schools, the county instead closed its entire public school system” (The closing of Prince Edward County Schools).

Because this… …is not uncommon in the modern world. I can promise you that this conversation will come up. You will need to be well-spoken. You will need to be eloquent. You will need to be informed. You will need to state your case, proudly and with EVIDENCE.

So here’s the letter. In Full.