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The people of the United States of America are deep in the process of expressing and embodying their democratic tendencies.
This country and its people have a long way to go in this respect. People everywhere are searching for their collective
voice....
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| Democracy assumes we all have a voice, that we all have power. |
...built upon the voice of each individual. How is your voice heard? Corporate-controlled media does not speak in your
interest.
Democracy is a set of principles, organizational structures and collective behaviors. It is a dynamic process that behooves
us to be conscious and fully informed and socially activated. We are challenged to find a predominant validation of consciousness,
clear information or ethical social action within the abyss-mal caverns of television.
We
are likewise challenged to find it within the structures of mainstream United States (of America) society. We constantly
butt our heads against top-down thinking and trends at work, our schools as well as in our information sources like television.
We are advertised as individualistic consumers as opposed to collective thinkers and creators - which is what democracy requires.
So what then is the role of media in this society?
Cultural Media Literacy is a vital and underemphasized necessity in a world in which popular opinion and, therefore, action
or inaction is influenced by ever more powerful corporate media conglomerates. How do we as media consumers come to understand
the growing seriousness of this issue?
| M.L.King/Shake Up the World Conference, M.I.T. |
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| Ukumbwa discussing media with youth during his P:TD workshop |
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| Corporate whims loom large in our lives. |
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1) Become aware of your tv watching habits.
- limit viewing to specific choices
2) Get information from a variety of sources.
- don't forget to READ!
3) View with a discriminating, critical eye AND ear.
- information isn't true just because it's on tv
4) Watch with friends and family and discuss after.
- collective experiences breed deeper understanding
5) Learn how tv messages/programs are constructed
- book a Cultural Media Literacy workshop
with Ukumbwa TODAY!
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U.S.America Population:
Number of Households:
Total USA TV Households:
Persons age 2 & over
in USA TV Households:
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257,000,000
5,000,000
100,800,000*
259,930,000*
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Avg. TVs per Household:
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3.7
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* "2000 Report On Television", Nielsen Media Research
I have power and control of my own thoughts and actions! I WANT TO BOOK A CULTURAL MEDIA LITERACY PROGRAM TODAY!
| What do the images that media portray mean? |
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| It is more and more important that we clearly understand what we so readily consume. |
The above poster was displayed in a high-traffic area on a city street. Actually, there were about 20 of them all on the
same wall of a construction site! Interesting?
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"Media education programs, internal and external to the school systems, (are) necessary to stem the tide of advertiser-friendly
private opinion and culturallybiased program that was influencing the minds and lives of young people across the country.
Kubey asserted the following: “U.S. television viewers awash
in indigenous media product - especially parents - are increasingly sensing moisture, if not a flood, concluding that they
and their children are indeed surrounded by problematic media promulgating values that they themselves see as foreign
to their own value systems.” (2003, p. 362)
We (are) behooved
to create a vibrant and open learning environment, one that included a very serious embrace, practical foundation and teaching
of media literacy, with a culturally conscious frame of reference."
Excerpted
from my 2006 research paper, "Cultural Bias in Prime Time Television..." (see the links on the sidebar for the abstract and
an explanation page with link to the full document)
Send Ukumbwa an email.
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