We're Sorry...

In 1995 Jacques Chirac, the former president of france has publicly recognized France's responsibility for deporting thousands of Jews to Nazi death camps during the German occupation in World War II. His statement put an end to decades of equivocations by successive French Governments about France's wartime role, but what difference does this apology really make?

Cultural Imperialism

Throughout the years, the new media technology progresses and finds new faster, easier and cheaper ways of reaching its audiences. This enables to target large groups of people all over the world and to deliver the same information to everyone at the same time. While it is clear that the better access to information and the possibility for individuals to express themselves is beneficial, some threats come with it too; one of them is cultural imperialism.

Smoking on TV

Films and TV programs are rated based on what audiences they are appropriate for. Nonetheless, the classification system is controversial in many cases. One concerns the exposure of children and teenagers to images depicting smoking. Most of such films are rated 12A (suitable for 12 year olds and over), but many believe that they may be harmful and there should be a blanket ban on smoking in films.

Civilization Influence

Nowadays we cannot live without factories, oil drills, vehicles, smart phones, etc. and above all, the Internet. But is this really true? In the past people used to live without electricity and they were content. Have we really been spoiled so much?

Categorization of People

It is common knowledge that people tend to classify almost everything: animals, plants, objects, etc. people also tend to distinguish between each other. But is it okay to do that? Or can it be considered racism?

Believe Falsely or not to Believe at All?

Imagine Christmas: the feeling in the morning that someone has been there... The breeze of mysterious magic in the air... And only a few crumbs where the biscuits have been.

Is There Objective Truth

Recently I had a discussion with a friend. I do not exactly remember how we arrived at the topic, but we were talking about truth and whether there is an objective one.We considered the example of seeing things. We had different opinions on the matter, but now that I come to think of it, I'd have to say that we both had some valid points.

Self-Deception as a Destructive Power

Self-deception is a process of denying or rationalizing away the relevance, significance or importance of opposing evidence and logical argument. It is often used to make life more comfortable, so that the not always pleasant truth does not have to be dealt with, as it might not fit our personal beliefs. Self-deception does not alter realty, however, if we did not run away from truth but confronted it and learn more about it, we could change the current conditions into better ones.

And they lived happily ever after...

American movies which are highly ‘educative’, give a moral lesson and usually tend to end happily. But are happy endings in American movies always happy? Although it may seem so while watching the film, however after they are over, we are left with a strong feeling of unfulfillment.

Determinism

We like to think that we can change who we are, that our actions and experiences shape us who we are, but what if we are already coded to be someone? One such philosophy is described by determinism.

Brands

Mass culture enables the ruling class to brainwash the masses into believing that brands are a necessity. Brands are highlighted in a positive light and everything which is not a brand as seen as cheap and unnecessary.  Brands reveal a certain identity behind the person wearing the brand and is often advertised using wealthy endorsers, such as celebrities.

Marriage

Now that I am in my twenties, it is the time that my friends start getting married, getting children and enter the serious life of commitment. In order not to offend anybody, I will not give my extensive view on having kids, I'd like to talk about marriage instead.

Gold-Diggers

Recently I had a conversation with my friend who asked me the following question: "Do you think that women fall for guys because of their money?" Repulsed and on instinct I said, obviously, "no." And then he started pointing out all the 'evidence', all the girls who marry rich guys and if I would take more interest in a guy in a nice suit or in dirty sweatpants. Basically, he was trying to prove to me that indeed women are materialistic and I am wrong. After some reflection on the subject, here is what I think is true:

Inequality

There are many demonstrations, protests and parades trying to overthrow inequality and prejudice. They reflect people's frustration with inequality (gender, racial or any kind of it) and their strive to stand against it, to take action upon their beliefs. But is change coming? Can a group of people actually make a difference?

Downfall - An Analysis of Hitler

Downfall is not like any other war movie I have ever seen. It brings us closer to Hitler, the man responsible for deaths of millions and an uncle, employer and a beloved leader at the same time.

Perfection

Thanks to editing software like Photoshop, it is easier than ever to create an altered reality, but it is harder to separate it from the 'real' reality. Why do people believe what they see in the advertisements and magazines?

Post-Humanity

There are many futuristic movies trying to predict where humanity is heading and what will become of us, mainly due to the development of technology. But haven't we already reached post-humanity, in a way?

Competitiveness

In a world that we live in today there certainly is a lot more competition around. People live in larger groups, fighting for that job or promotion, competing against each other. But I realized that I do have a larger problem with competitiveness...

Puppy Stores

Look, mommy, look! Isn't he just ADORABLE??? Can I have it? Can I? Please, please, please!
Oh, he really is cute... Ok, let's get one of those...

The New Face of Modernity

Gatekeeping

 

       

Prosumer

We have become much more than just consumers of media messages. The hypodermic needle model claiming that we simply absorb unfiltered media seems to have lost its credibility.

Catharsis

Alienation

There are many types of alienation and, ironically, it would seem that the more people there are and the bigger the population density, individuals become more lonely and alienated on various levels.