Final Thoughts

Initially when I signed up for this class, I was unsure what expect, other than what the course catalogue said. It turned out to be a lot more than what I expected (in a good way) and the most interesting part for me was applying all of what I experienced in this class to other classes I am taking. I enjoyed the group discussions and how it is truly the study of the media in our world today, not necessarily like other journalism classes that teach you how to produce news stories. It is just as important to know about the media you are going to enter once you graduate as it is to be able to write a news story.

If there were aspects about the class I would change, it would be to shorten the amount of group discussions and have more of the material presented by the professor. I always questioned whether or not I was getting accurate information about the presentations, because it wasn’t the professor presenting the material. Don’t get me wrong, I think that group presentations from your peers is very beneficial, but maybe not as lengthily.

I think that the journal assignment was very interesting, and that when taken seriously could teach you a lot about another country. It was also interesting to see how the media functions in another country and compare it to our media.

Overall I think that this class was good, and I have definitely recommended it to people. One aspect I like about the class is that the curriculum changes along with what’s going on in the world, and that there is always something to be discussed. I think that maybe this class should not have a text book and just have articles off of e-reserves and have parts of the book from there. It seems to be somewhat counter productive to have to many articles outside the book, and not have many chapters in the book assigned.

The Internet

This section is all about the internet, without it, I wouldn't have this blog. This is just one example of how the internet has transformed our lives and the way we communicate. For me, it is hard to imagine what college would be like without my laptop, let alone life without the internet. I am definitely the generation that grew up with the internet, and it is interesting to see, looking through a different lens, as how the internet has truly changed the world.

People talk and talk about the pros and cons of the internet, but I think that when is comes down to it, the internet could be the tool to bring the media back to its roots. Newspapers began in our country being completely partisan and people could read the other opinions and debate and discuss. The internet provides an open forum for many voices to be heard, debated and discussed.

Dutch Soldiers Under Investigation

Dutch soldiers are under investigation about the presence of an "electric weapons stick" in the interrogation of a Saudi in Iraq in 2003. The interogation will take place in the CPA house (Coalition Provisional Authority - the temporary American administration after the fall of the regime of Saddam Hussein in 2003). The weapon in question was not official equipment at the time.

I understand why they may be under investigation about the weapon in question, but what I don't understand why the US is in charge of it. We have had questions brought up about our interrogation techniques, so why should we be in charge of it?

Global Advertising

This section interested me the most in this class. It tied in a lot with my theory of rhetoric class, where my professor did a section about the rhetoric of the media. This also ties in a lot with the section about corporate democracy. But the truth is, advertising runs the media in our country. From small newspapers, struggling to sell ad space to loyal advertisers influencing corporate media content, it has all gone down hill since newspapers started advertising. One thing I have been noticing is that you can see the news affiliations with their advertisers. Have you noticed that the Today show only has stories about NBC's and other "sister company's" movies and books? Once you know who owns what, it becomes really obvious.

Welfare Claims Down

Welfare claims have gone down this year in the Netherlands by 30,000 this year. In a country with a population of over 16 million, that is a lore portion of the population off of welfare.

In an earlier post, I talked about new policies to help with unemployment rates, and although they wouldn't be showing results this quickly, obviously something has been getting done right. I think that our country should take notes, maybe by helping people at one point and (this is the key) giving them the tools to get a job and get their lives working.

Mayors to Raise the Drinking Age?

Because of the Netherlands problems with underage drinking, they are proposing that the mayors of each region raise the drinking age from 16 to 18 (the same age they can get their license). They are choosing to do this from region to region because the seriousness of the problem varies. The punishment for the teens will be similar to the US and they are going to be cracking down on the places that have been selling to minors. Holland has the worst underage drinking problem in Europe.

FInally, and argument against the age-old statement "we should lower the drinking age in the US, look at Europe, they have a lower drinking age and they don't have the same problems as we do..." Well, yes actually they do. Currently the drinking age is 16 and they are still having problems with underage drinking. Yup, thats the 13-year-olds drinking. But what I don't get is why they aren't doing it nationally. In a country about the size of New Jersey, with about 12 regions, it would be pretty darn easy to go across the line and get some alcohol.

Minister Speaks Out Against Anti-Immigration

This week the integration minister Ella Vogelaar spoke out against her fellow politicians, saying their stance against immigration was all for show. She plans to increase the ethnic diversity in Holland and thinks that the gap between native Dutch people and immigrants is not beneficial for the society. The Dutch people find the increasing visibility of Islamic people threatening, even though non-western immigrants aren't accepted as ordinary citizens.

I think that politicians can talk about "bridging the gap" all they want, but they have a long road ahead of them to change people's core beliefs, and in this case hatred. It won't change anything to have a law making eastern immigrants true citizens, or to make it easier for them to come into the country, if the people of the country don't have the same core beliefs that they do, it is a long road ahead. I am not saying that you shouldn't try to change what people believe, especially if it is hate, but it is going to take a lot more than what Vogelaar has proposed.