Eliminating the Division

Media hegemony is the power of one group over a weaker one. This concept leads to the birth of status quo. People develop hierarchy among the different groups found in a society. This has affected the world in a sense that is has created a division of people. One problem that has risen nowadays and has been a very big dilemma for the world is social class. Before the development of technology came about, back in the day when societies weren’t as complex as they are now hierarchy wasn’t given much importance to. In a community, everyone would share the land they live in and the resources they had. There was no division between the rich and the poor. But as the world further developed, complexity came along. Competition for resources were present, people wanted to become richer than others thus having people with less fortune as compared to others.

            This problem has been made a bigger one because of the media. The media has played a big role in the division of classes in a sense that it constantly stresses on the idea of groups being stronger than others. This is a big problem because if the poor are labeled as citizens who are worth less then they will be stuck in their situation without even seeing the opportunity to get out of it. The idea has become so fixed that they have become unaware of it already and instead of striving to get out of the situation they tend to do nothing to change their state. For the “poor” to have the chance to improve their lives, the media should stop underlining the division of classes and instead come up with a way to embed the fact that there is hope to improve their current situation.

            Counter hegemony would certainly play an important role in solving this problem. Media content must be produced in a way that it goes against the current status quo of groups of people over other groups specifically the poor. If media content is produced to challenge the current dominant narratives presented, then maybe it would open the eyes of the “poor” and give them a sense of hope instead of keeping them where they are taking away the chance for them to live the best lives they can.

A Space Beyond the Limits of the World

                        

            As defined in class, public sphere is a space where the exchanges of views on a particular topic are discussed and all opinions are considered legitimate. In my own perspective, this is vital to keep the balance in a society. There cannot just be one accepted view as regards to a certain topic, because we human beings have different understandings and assessments towards things. Most especially considering the fact that we are in a very complex world wherein almost every corner of the street would have different views over things.

           

            A public sphere can be found up to the extent of the opposing poles or even in the simplest household. A good example of a public sphere takes place in peace talks between two opposing groups in the midst of a war. In the middle of a battlefield, your side is supposed to do anything in order to end up victorious, which usually meanings killing the soldiers of the enemy. In peace talks, however, there is temporary restrain from firing bullets to the enemy. A mutual understanding is present between the two forces. In the peace talk, both sides are given the chance to express and negotiate whatever they wish, and the other must allow them to be able to convey it freely. The public sphere plays a vital role here because it allows opposing groups to negotiate freely without the need of bloodshed. It allows a balance between the two parties. Without the public sphere then the world will just be one sided, without opinions being accepted freely

            In every day life, we can see a public sphere present when we students talk about a certain teacher outside the classroom. Such place may be in jsec, in the library, or any area where the discussion may occur. I see this as something important because it enables us students to comment about our teacher and find ways that would help us get along with the teacher and understand the lesson more effectively.

            This aspect of life is more often than not taken for granted in a sense that people experience it everyday, but fail to realize it’s importance or even do not know that it is called a public sphere. These things are what make me appreciate our communication class because it opens me to see life in a new perspective of life being able to see the importance of everything we do. 

Stepping Out of My Restrictions

 Some people live in their own cages, preventing them from seeing and experiencing life to its fullest. People are stuck in their comfort zones not because they have chosen such but the environment which that are found in prevents them from ceasing the chance and opportunity to see the beauty of life in other aspects.

Cultivation theory talks about the stereotypes that people have because of prolonged exposure to the media. Media would put into our heads things that aren't actually the truth. Because of the media, you would probably look at riding the MRT or LRT on a deceiving way. You would probably think that the stations would smell awfully bad, or the people would seem all dangerous in your eyes, or that it is not convenient at all, or probably that it is the means of transportation of lower class citizens. Well, this is what cultivation theory does if you are so restricted to your area of comfort. The Ateneans we are, inclines us to be naive about the reality of life because frankly speaking, Ateneo is probably the most comfortable school to study college in here in the Philippines. It's like having an own barangay inside the premises of Ateneo.

At the cusp of who i am, i have decided to step out of the restrictions of my home, and the restrictions of Ateneo. I have started to commute, even if my grandmother would be very much frightened to hear about this. Recently i have been taking the LRT often because it is cheaper, and it saves me time. Do the stations smell awfully bad? Well, even when walking along katipunan or inside Ateneo, you cannot avoid but allow your nose to smell whatever comes your way. Dangerous? Its dangerous every where, you just have to learn how to be aware and take caution. In fact, if it were that dangerous then why do thousands and thousands of people still ride the LRT OF MRT. Not convenient? Like i said, it saves time and money. Try visiting your friends in taft driving a car and then try taking the LRT. It may be crowded but its much faster, and less tiring. Riding the LRT made be realize some things, but what struck me most was how the people inside the train are. Despite how crowded the train may be, no one was complaining, everyone would make room for other people and they were surprisingly friendly. Some people might be irritable because of a long day, but there are still many who are still polite and still practice common courtesy. As crowded as it was, people would still chatter and crack jokes causing a spark of laughter. People would talk to you randomly when they see you are new to such experience. One girl saw how i was a little uneasy because of how crowded it was and she smiled at me saying, "hindi pa yan masyadong masikip." and laughed.

My point is that the media us not always right. They may be the structure of the beliefs of people, but they are not always right. To see truth about life, we should learn how to step our of our comfort zones and experiences things first hand.

Everyone has a Calling

           Organizational culture is the set of beliefs, values, practices, way of doing things a certain group of people under an organization follow. An organization can vary from big ones and small ones, but no matter what size organizational culture unifies how the people in the group behave. Such aspect of an organization is what creates camaraderie among employees. As much as culture is present in every organization, people carry certain roles and some how live life as if it were a theatrical performance. Just as i talked about in one of my past blogs, we might be part of a play up in heaven.

           In life, we all play different roles depending on who we are and what we choose to do. We have teachers because they enjoy sharing their knowledge and teaching such to students. Policemen risk their lives to everyday because they have a sense of nationalism within them and what to contribute in promoting peace and order among citizens. We have priests because they have answered God's call to preach what is written in the gospel. Each and every individual has a role in this world and it is up to them to find out what they are called to do.

           It has been very Filipino for the eldest son to be the father figure whenever the father is not around. We use to term, "kuya" to show our respect to siblings or even people who are older than us. If you take a look at american families, you will never see younger siblings calling their older siblings such words to show respect. In my family for instance, i am the eldest son and the eldest grandchild for that matter. I serve as a role model for all my younger cousins, and they all follow the way i dress up, the sports i play, the way i talk, etc. I always watch the way i act because i know a lot look up on me. As for my sisters, i play a bigger role because my father left when i was in grade one. Since then, i have served as the father figure to my younger sisters. When my sisters have problems they run to me for comfort or for advice. This has done me well in a way because it has made me grow up into a mature young man. It's as if we are all part of a play and we all have distinct roles, but unlike plays our actions affect lives of others.

           Finding out roles in this world does not always come easy, sometimes it comes in a way least expected, and that least expected way may be a blessing in disguise.
        

Old Things Still Come in Handy

            Imagine a world with no cellphones and computers. Imagine having to contact your girlfriend or boyfriend through a pager. A pager isn’t as convenient as a cellphone, mind you. You would have to call the operator and say your message to the operator and then the operator will deliver your message to the other person. It isn’t as simultaneous as how we can now hold a conversation over the phone or simply send a text message and expect a response in a matter of seconds. Wouldn’t it be weird to call an operator and say, “goodnight baby I love you!” or “I’m mad at you!” and here snickers at the background then have the operator deliver that message to your girlfriend’s pager? What if you’re a photographer for a wedding and a fortuitous event occurred while you were on the road going to the church, how will you let the organizers know that you won’t be able to come?

            Setting technology’s role in communication aside, technology has made life easier in almost every aspect. Machines have made production more efficient and effective. Hundreds or even thousands of water bottles are packaged in no time because of the machinery used for mass production. Go to a Krispy Kreme branch and watch how the donuts are made; you’ll see how amazing machines are and how it brings forth convenience in our lives.

            Technology, especially in communication does not choose class in social structures. As sad as it may be, it is evident that there is a big gap between the rich and the poor, but in this case, both benefit from the technology used for communication. Even if the majority have a hard time sustaining life and feeding their families, it would be very rare to someone in the mall or even any ordinary worker without a cellphone.

            Whenever, I take part in an outreach program, I start the day with a heavy heart, not because I don’t want to reach out to the less fortunate, but because it saddens me that I will not be able to communicate with them after that day. During third year high school, my class had an interaction with the prisoners of bilibid prison. It frightened me at the beginning, but when I got to meet my partner, my stereotypical views towards prisoners changed dramatically. They are friendly people, its just that sometimes the hardships poor people face take away their presence of mind and blue their chances of thinking right.  I got attached to my partner and I felt down when we had to go because it’s not like I will be able to text him or chat with him again. This is where the importance of “primitive” things comes in. Even if we cannot contact through the use of a phone or a computer, there is always an alternative, which is writing letters. After that day, I continuously sent him letters and he wrote back as I gave the address of Xavier School and they would hand it to me. This classic form of communicating allows us to communicate with people who to not have the chance to use the technology we have today just like people in prison. Even if I am a frequent user of the cellphone and the computer, I do not fail to appreciate how important writing letters were and are still as of today. As important as technology’s role in communication may be, we should never take for granted the old way of doing things, because without such, we would not have been able to make the leap to where we are today. 

Blending With the World

            As much as groupthink can keep the harmony in a group, it also has its bad effects. It may lead to bad decisions; it may hinder the chance of a great idea to be known, and many other things. People see me as someone who doesn’t and isn’t shy when it comes to expressing what I want to say and what I feel, but little to they know that I am very shy inside. I’m only comfortable with people I am close to, and because of this, I am not shy when it comes to them. When I tell them I am that I am a really shy person, they just laugh and think I am messing with them. For this reason, no one really knows that I am that kind of person.

            I’ve experienced a good number of situations wherein I’ve had ideas in mind, but I chose to keep it to myself because I didn’t want to go against the other ideas already present and agreed upon by the people in the group. Although this only happens when I am around people I am new to. During the first semester of my first year in the Ateneo College, I faced people I’ve never seen or heard of in my life. At the beginning of the year, I didn’t talk much because I didn’t know whom I could converse with. I was rather waiting for someone to approach me and start a conversation, but I don’t think I look like one of those approachable people. Haha. I hated having group works so badly. In fact, there was a time when we experimented on a rat. One of the group members suggested that we just slice it open. I knew that if we did that we might hit some organs, destroying them and making it impossible to study those parts, but I didn’t voice out. I just kept the idea in my headed hoping they wouldn’t destroy the organs. In five minutes time, I was in utter regret, regret that I was too shy and scared to suggest what I knew was right because just like I thought, they sliced it open too roughly that it broke some parts. This shows an example of how groupthink can lead to mishaps. Some times, people have great things in mind and choose to keep quiet about it because they are shy and do not want to break the harmony going on.

            During the second semester, I met knew people again from different classes just like in the first semester. This time, I was more open towards meeting other people and more open even during the group works we had. I learned how to voice out the ideas I had and share my opinion on certain topics. This is where the topic we discussed in class proves its worth. According to an online dictionary the adaptive structuration theory means that A structure whose geometric and inherent structural characteristics can be changed beneficially in response to external stimulation by either remote commands. This theory explains how I have learned to adapt to the culture brought about by the college way of life. Because we meet new people almost every day, unlike in high school, meeting others becomes a very ordinary occurrence 

The Human Tendency to go with the Flow of Life

Nowadays, individuality has been a blur to many because of a good number of factors such as social norms, pop culture, trends, and other influences. Every individual is affected and influenced by the society in one way or another Ateneans for example tend to stay away from things that would lead to them being classified as “jejemons” because such lifestyle is uncommon to our crowd. Almost the whole world hates Rebecca Black for her song entitled “Friday” and I haven’t heard of any group or anyone for that matter who is defending her. There is no law that states that only women can wear bras, but men don’t go out of the house wearing a bra underneath their shirts because it’s taboo. These kinds of actions or decision-making happens because people have the tendency to follow what is accepted because not doing so would lead to complications. By complications I mean people saying things about you, people judging you, and other things that would cause stress in life, which everyone would naturally want to avoid.
As discussed in class, there is such term as “groupthink”, which falls under the theories of groups and organizations. Groupthink doesn’t involve any fancy definitions to it. It simply means people agreeing or going with the flow of a certain something despite having better ideas in mind in order to give way for harmony. This kind of decision-making is not beneficial for the development and growth of the society because this leaves us stagnant since everyone is inclined to agree with the rest. Whereas if people voice out their ideas, there will be room for further improvement. Humans constantly come up with new innovative ideas and they lack confidence and will in letting their ideas be known to others.
Last week, my grandfather went through an operation that involved his heart being repaired by the use of an angioplasty stent. The decision to have him operated died not come in a snap of a finger. The decision was vital for my lolo’s life and it concerned the whole family. After the doctor announced what had to be done to my lolo, my whole family started murmuring in the hospital room. My mother being the only girl among five siblings called the attention of everyone and asked that everyone take part in voting whether they approved for my lolo’s operation or not. One by one, everyone started saying that they didn’t want to vote because it might cause tension in the family. So they ended up with a group decision and decided that my lolo be operated on. This story of mine shows how a group would usually come up with the same decision and agree with the rest of the group. This happens because in our case we all had the same concern for my lolo. The decision-making of groups are affected by different factors, some times it may be because cohesiveness is involved in the group or it may be because of external stressors. “Groupthink” does not always lead to bad decisions, at times a good decision may also spring about from such way of deciding on things.