Stand In the Light

This post harkens back to our discussion about music we had in class a few weeks ago.  I found a pro social song that I really like.  It is called "Stand In the Light" by Jordan Smith.  I just appreciated the promotion of courage, kindness, and not being afraid to be seen as we are.

Movie Review: Allegiant*

To celebrate my friend's birthday this week we went and watched the new movie, Allegiant.  Afterwards my friends commented that at one exciting part of the movie, they noticed that they were all on the edge of their seats excitedly enthralled in the drama of the movie, and then they noticed that I was just sitting calmly staring at the screen.  I kind of laughed it off, saying that I hadn't noticed at all, but I knew the real reason that I hadn't been as into the movie as they were.  It's because the whole time I was thinking about what we've learned in class about the messages that the media sends to us.  My friends were seeing an entertaining show, but this is what I was seeing:

• Not only men, but also women shouldn't show emotion.  They must be strong and use violence to get what they want.   
• There was little character development.  One effect of this was that you didn't feel sorrow over the death of the characters because you were never emotionally attached to them.  Some of them were just nameless faces who were in the movie only so they could be killed.  
• Romantic relationships = kissing.  I guess that it could have been worse than kissing, but also anytime the two main characters were together and happy, they were kissing.  There were no words of affirmation, no conversations, no meaningful acts of service or sacrifice for each other.  That is not what a real relationship is like or what it should be like.  
• The man main character was invincible.  Fighting (and killing) ten people and crashing a helicopter, would do more damage than a scratch on the face and a cut on your side.  And then, walking through a desert through a blood storm and being beat up again would take a toll, even if you were a strong manly man. 
• The movie portrayed the main woman character as "genetically pure."  She was also the one who had all the plans, who was in charge most of the time.  Overall it gave the impression that she was better than the other characters.  Which sounds great from a feminist perspective, a strong woman, leading the expedition to save the world.  The problem was that she didn't really do anything to deserve that position.  She seemed to be in charge simply because she was a woman, and she was just as violent as the men.  
• All of the powerful leaders of the different groups who were at war were women.  They all sanctioned violent acts and killing. 
• At first glance, it seems like women have been brought to almost the same level as men in the media (they are given the same amount of power, and they are just as violent) except they are still sexually objectified. 
• The movie showed the woman main character completely naked.  Sure, it was in the dark, so it only showed her silhouette (and may I add that her silhouette fit very well with the idealized body image we've discussed in class) but still, why did they put that scene in?  It wasn't necessary for the plot development. 
• Because, there was little plot development.  The movie was mostly a conglomeration of ACTION (aka violence) and kissing.
• AND the person who was really in charge and had the most power was a white, older man dressed in a business suit. 

So, those are just a few of the thoughts that went through my head during the movie, and that's why I wasn't on the edge of my seat enthralled by the movie while my friends were.

*warning: reading this post may be associated with a slight decrease in one's ability to be mindlessly entertained by the media

Captain Moroni and the Media

While reading from the Book of Mormon this week, I was impressed by what motivated Captain Moroni and his men in their battles against the Lamanites.  


"They were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church." (Alma 43:45)


The Book of Mormon was written for our day, and I believe this part is especially applicable because we are fighting the same battle as Captain Moroni.  We don't use swords or slings, but Latter-Day Saint prophets today have called us to protect homes, liberties, families, and religious rights in the political arena, on the home front, and especially with regards to the media.  

In this light, I thought our discussion in class about media in the family was very interesting.  Dr. Coyne talked about the situation she found herself in when immodestly dressed dancers came on screen while she was watching Dancing With the Stars with her children.  She could have turned the tv off, but instead she took time to talk to her children about what was going on.  

This reminded me of a situation that Capitan Moroni faced when the war to protect families and religion became desperate.  He threatened his enemy saying, 

"I will come against you with my armies; yea, even I will arm my women and my children" (Alma 54:12)


and then he followed through with the threat,  

"And Moroni had prepared his men with weapons of war; and he went to the city Gid, while the Lamanites were in a deep sleep and drunken, and cast in weapons of war unto the prisoners, insomuch that they were all armed;  Yea, even to their women, and all those of their children, as many as were able to use a weapon of war"  (Alma 55:16-17)

What sticks out to me is the fact that he armed the men, women, and children.  

I don't thing Captain Moroni really wanted to give children weapons, but he realized it was necessary in their situation.  Similarly, in our modern battles, we may not want to expose our children to the weapons used against families today, but it might be necessary.  As adults we might instinctively want to shield children from all of the bad things in the media and in the world, but realistically, we won't be able to protect them from everything.  Perhaps we, like Captain Moroni, can arm children by teaching them about the dangerous aspects of the media and then let them participate in defending families, liberties, and religion.  

Miss Representation

Watching this movie in class was kind of depressing for me.  I went home wondering what could be done to change the warped ideas that the media present to us about women's role in the world.  Like Dr. Coyne, I thought maybe I should run for congress.  I worried about this for a couple of days and then this morning I reread President Russell M. Nelson's October conference talk entitled, A Plea to My Sisters.  He quoted President Kimball who said that the women of the church must be distinct and different-in happy ways-from the women of the world.  I thought to myself, maybe I can't singlehandedly change the media industry, but this is one area that I as a woman in the church can be different from women of the world.  We talked in class today about how the media has effected our culture even at BYU, and I think that as mormon women, we can do better.
President Nelson also quoted President Boyd K. Packer who plead for women to detect "the trends in the world...that, however popular, are shallow and dangerous."  I think the gender roles for both women and men that we have learned about in the past two days of class fall under this category of popular but shallow and damaging trends.  Since we, as students, now know that, I think it is our responsibility to do as President Nelson pleaded, and become "defenders of morality and family in a sin sick world."