Last night my friend had a game night at her apartment.  For one game, each person had to write the name of a popular person/character.   We used the names to play a version of charades.  It was interesting to note how the names we chose to write down had been influenced by the media.  A couple of names like Nemo and Mickey Mouse were repeated twice, but there were two names that had been written by several different people.  They were (consistent with the popular media in terms of politics and entertainment)  Donald Trump and Darth Vader.

Star Wars: Does it Awaken our Media Awareness?

I like the old star wars movies (4, 5, & 6).  While the newer movies (1, 2, & 3) are much more advanced and entertaining in terms of plot line, special effects, and etc, they seem to have degenerated in terms of decency.  Because of that, I wasn't overly excited to see the newest star wars movie.  I didn't see it until yesterday, but when I did, I was pleasantly surprised.  Not only did they bring back the original characters and actors from the old movies, I felt like they also brought back the wholesome, good verses evil aspect of the original movies.  
I work at an elementary school and all of the children (third graders) I asked had seen the movie over Christmas break or were going to see it soon.  There were a few moments in the movie that I wouldn't have recommended for a third grader, for example, when one of the storm troopers was walking around with a bloody handprint on his helmet, or when another storm trooper was stabbed clean through with a lightsaber.  But, in thinking about our class discussions, I realized that at least they were showing the negative, but realistic, consequences of violence.  Which is certainly better than showing no negative results of violence.  Is it better than showing no violence at all?

For one of my classes, I have to read the middle grade chapter book, Flora and Ulysses.  Four of the five main characters are either writers or are inclined to writing tendencies.  This fact reminded me about something I read in a book about introverts.  Books are often written by introverts because they tend to enjoy things like sitting still, pondering, and etc. that are inherent in writing.  Also, there are some introverts who wish they weren't introverted but the fear of being social is so great that it overpowers their desire to engage in social situations.  Books, like other media, provide shy authors a way for them to become involved in situations that their shyness prevents them from engaging in.  Because of that, book characters themselves often demonstrate introvert characteristics.

Since authors generally write about characters similar to themselves, whether they portray them as writers or as introverts, it is interesting to think about how people who are like the authors will generally be the ones who like to read.  Perhaps a love of reading doesn't stem from actually enjoying the reading process, but more from characteristics that the writer and the reader have in common.