Racism against....who???

On ABC News website, I found what I thought to be a shocking article.  An American man, though exact location is not mentioned, who owns the website Encyclopedia Dramatica has apparently posted "racist descriptions of Aboriginals."  If you are like me, you 1. don't know what Encyclopedia Dramatica is and 2. don't really know what Aboriginals are.  I did a little research.  Encyclopedia Dramatica is website that features half naked women, profanity, and has advice on how to pick up chicks and make "retards" less "retarded."  I'm sure this is offensive to everyone.  Nevertheless, whatever comment he made about "aboriginals" (this goes unnamed), was offensive enough to cause Google to take the website off Australian web searches and have the Human Rights Commission filing suit against them.  On top of that, a letter was written to the site's owner, signed with twenty complaints.  Instead of addressing the situation, the website's owner laughed, claiming "Encyclopedia Dramatica will never be censored."  The owner then went on to say, "We will keep publishing this content and our Australian users will be able to view it up until the point that your God-forsaken government blocks it with their soon-to-be-implemented secret list of banned material."  He must not realize how serious he has offended some Australians, as his lawyer advises him never to visit Australia.  The owner claims the article was written by actual Australians and it is making fun of racists, such as the movie Borat makes fun of anti-Semitism.

The problem with this is, not all Australians think it's funny.  For those who have personally experienced racist slurs or actions against them, the article is simply making fun of it.  Racism is something that should we taken seriously.  If we joke about it, how will we know when to joke and when to be serious? However, on the other side of the argument, the website has their freedom of speech and press- people don't have to look at their website.  Either way, it's still deeply offensive to everyone.  Whether or not they look, the racist words still exist and hurt people.  We as a society should care because this could happen to any of us.  Personally, if there was a website that was making fun of Italians, I'd probably be offended and annoyed.  With any heritage, ethnicity, or backround, it's easier to face the truth that some people truly treat others differently because of these qualities instead of joking about it and pretending like it's all funny.   



-Audra

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/18/2849731.htm?section=justin

Acting No Longer Requires An Actor; Just A Computer

Soon will actors no longer be needed in movies? Maybe. With technology advancing continuously, it seems that this may one day become true. This has been shown countless times already in movies such as The Polar Express (2004), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), and most recently in Avatar (2009).  The characters in these films were created through new aged technology that resulted in digitized actors. In the past, studios paid enormous amounts of money on actors and less money on technology; however, now it is vice versa. Movies are costing studios hundreds of millions of dollars, while actors are only getting paid a small fraction of that price. There has been talk saying that filmmakers are experimenting with new ways to make today’s animations seem more realistic and even bring back dead actors into modern movies. The world may be approaching a time when actors are no longer needed. But what effects would this have on the media industry?

This modern form of filmmaking is a great example of cost cutting to make a substantial profit. Although studios are spending more on technology and less on the actual actors, the money put out comes back in. Along with a big hit movie comes great profit. For instance, Transformers (2007) had a $200 million budget, but earned $835 million in the box office; a massive profit. Also, not only are actors being replaced by technology, but extras are also less needed. Therefore, the people who once starred in movies are loosing out on an enormous amount of money.

Today, when a new technology is formed or even closely perfected, people barely think of the consequences it may have later. Will this modern way of filmmaking be good for mass media? Or will it have a negative effect on mass media and even society later? –Any Thoughts?

-Dominique

March 15, 2010- Forbes Magazine

“A Star is Reborn” –Dorothy Pomerantz