Readings for December 1 and 3 (2 posts)

11/30/2014

Rebecca Gagne

11/30/2014 01:47:36 am

Rebecca Gagne
ENG 493
Professor Anderson
December 1, 2014

Critical Response: “Anti-aging skin”

The article “Age transcended: A semiotic and rhetorical analysis of the discourse of agelessness in North American anti-aging skin care advertisements” discusses the print advertisements for anti-aging skin care products. The concept of agelessness is a vision of perfection that everyone strives for, because in this society, no one wants to appear older than they look. Looking young and flawless is a need that society has established. The reading discusses advertisements and how they relate the ads in different ways to relate to potential users. They include elements of science, linguistic anchors, and nature. These characteristics of advertisement gimmicks create a connection between the ad and potential users of the product. By drawing potential users who want to look younger into the ad they must connect with them on some element. Science makes it difficult to disprove that a product won’t work. If something is scientifically proven, people drawn into facts will be drawn into a product facing a science category as a means for advertisement. Linguistic anchors include words such as “restore,” “amplify,” “stimulate,” “boost,” “rejuvenate,” to name a few draw people in because these are words that will draw them into a product. Of course this makes a good advertisement gimmick, who wouldn’t want to “rejuvenate” their skin.
The reading specifically focusses on the analytical structure of advertisements. The article states that “the connoted visual meanings of an advertisement are always accompanied by a linguistic message, functioning to guide the viewer’s reading of the image, controlling not only the focus of his or her gaze, but also how this vision is understood and interpreted.” (22). Advertisements are created are to draw the viewer in to see the purpose of the advertisement- to see the perfect skin they too can achieve with use of an anti-aging product. The advertisements are designed to show the “healthy glow” users of these products will achieve if using the product. Their skin will begin to appear healthier and will give them a longer, healthier life with younger looking skin.
The advertisements in this article under the science category feature two visual mechanisms. The first is unveiling. In unveiling the advertisement depicts a visual image where is an unveiling process that shows your skin removing a cover and appearing younger. It is like you are removing a mask of dead, old skin and showing the new, healthy skin after the use of the product it will show you looking younger and age-less. The second visual mechanism is science. No one can question the act of a scientifically proven advertisement because after all it has been proven, right? The uses of science in advertisements include DNA strings or cells somewhere in the advertisement. The use of science in ads shows the genetic effects of use of the product. It is implied that if you use this product your skin will transform through the ways of science and become age-reduced and younger.

Shannon Olenick

11/30/2014 02:09:19 am

“Age transcended: A semiotic and rhetorical analysis of the discourse of agelessness in North American anti-aging skin care advertisements” by Kirsten L. Ellison brings up some very interesting points about aging and North America’s view’s of age and body image.

I was particularly intrigued by the connotations to science and nature that the ads portray in order to increase the consumer’s desire to purchase the product. Not only is it interesting because they are such a sharp contrast, but because the images in the ads are not always relevant. The example that is discussed in which a turtle is carrying the product on its back exemplifies that perfectly.

The amount of these aging ads has increased quite a bit, which is a testament to North America’s fixation on their physical appearance. As we talked about in class before, when a woman reaches a certain age, she becomes “worthless” to society. If a woman’s worth rests in her body then an aged woman is not worth much. When you’re young you’re beautiful and desirable, when you’re a little older you can be a mother, but when you get older than that what are you good for?

One claim about the validity of these anti-aging serums and creams really stood out to me: “Whether presented as ‘nothing short of miraculous’ or as part of a “simple equation,” the products in these advertisements are validated through the absence of a claim to legitimacy or authority. Four years later these themes continue to surface, with new products, new imagery, and new ‘weapons’ in the fight for transcendence. “ The fact that these companies advertise the lack of proof towards their usefulness is a bit concerning. There is no real evidence given in the ads but people eat them up and purchase their products anyway.

Kailey Brennan

11/30/2014 04:19:23 am

I found "Age Transcended: A Semiotic and Rhetorical Analysis of Discourse of Agelessness in North American Anti-Aging Skin Care Advertisements" to be extremely eye opening. By taking individual advertisements targeting woman about anti aging products and breaking them down, I really got to see just how far our society is willing to go to reverse the "effects" of the natural aging process. I have always noticed that our society values youthful looks over all. People are only considering attractive if they "look good for their age," which of course implys that they look younger than they are suppose to. It is rather stange when you think about it because there is no way to reverse time and everyone has to get older, it's just the way the world works. Why fight so strongly against something you have no control over, something that is natural?

I was shocked by the opening lines about what the President of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, Dr. Ronald Klatz, said during a conference. "We, the leaders of the anti-aging movements,will help to usher in a new modern age for humanity, The Ageless Society. We will make REAL humanity's oldest dream: to bring an end to aging as we know it." This seems like such a powerful statement, that Klatz and his company literally have control over the aging process. Which of course they don't. I also noticed it because I think humanity's oldest dream is to live forever and not die. I am not sure it has anything to do with actually "looking" old. I think the idea of youth has always been attractive because it means that the person is so far away from death. However, now we only see it as attractive because that is what beauty is. Beauty is youth, beauty is a young body.

Nicole Doniger

11/30/2014 06:13:44 am

Nicole Doniger
ENGL 493
Dr. Joyce Rain Anderson
30 November 2014

Aging Studies

Within the article, “Age Transcended: A Semiotic and Rhetorical Analysis of the Discourse of Agelessness in North American Anti-Aging Skin Care Advertisements” by Kirsten E Ellison, Kirsten discusses how the concept of agelessness is what all people hope to achieve one day. Most people look up to the advertisements they see in both magazines and on television, and often strive to look just like the actors do in the advertisements. The article talks about different ads that advertise anti-aging products geared toward women between the ages of 25-60+. I found this article to be very interesting.

When I think of advertisements, I often think about how much they are photo-shopped. While I don’t necessarily find this a bad thing, I do think it can be a problem when it comes to women changing themselves to look like these models that aren’t even real. When they put these photo-shopped women in anti-aging advertisements in beauty products, it might make it seem as if the product itself is doing the change in the model. Sometimes, women don’t see that they will never look like the models, their skin won’t be perfectly smooth, without a single wrinkle despite how much of a certain product they use. I think that if a company is advertising a beauty product, the company should show a natural picture. I understand that the companies are mostly selfish in their attempts, hoping to make a lot of money, but it still isn’t right for the people.

All of these graphs, illustrations, arrows, close up pictures only make the product’s effects seem more realistic on the person. As Kirstin writes, these advertisements seem like they are medical diagnosis’. Kristin notes, “Beginning first by identifying the problem: age, and its symptoms: wrinkles, the page turns to reveal Vichy's solution: the product, followed by the desired result: an image of “ageless beauty”, and finished finally with a page dedicated to the statistical validity of the advertisement's claims. The overall connoted message of this particular advertisement reads that through health, Vichy, and all that it now unifies, age can be fought, neutralized and ‘true beauty’ attained” (24). This all is so unrealistic though and it isn’t possible, despite how much they try to convince people that it is. People are so easily persuaded, and then they get angry and upset when they realize the product isn’t working. People need to stop believing everything they read because people’s trustworthiness is being used against them.

Amy Pistone

11/30/2014 01:35:22 pm

Amy Pistone
23 November 2014
ENGL 493
Dr. Joyce Rain Anderson

“Age Transcended”

In the article “Age Transcended” by Kirsten L. Ellison, there is a discussion of the rhetoric surrounding “ageless” products and their marketing. Ellison puts a detailed focus upon specific words and rhetorical tropes used within this marketing and what it suggests about the societal fear of aging and the movement towards agelessness. Notably, there is an emphasis on the connection between age, nature, and the human body and how these ideas become complicated once they are intermingled.
I really appreciated Ellison’s liberal use of specific advertisements and her accompanying analysis; it allows for a clearer argument to form when paired with the appalling ageless marketing. She refers to a Prevage Day ad and how it signifies a devotion to “scientific conquest” when it displays “an antique fencing mask in order to illustrate the protective nature of their scientific ingenuity, with the caption: ‘Prepare yourself for the beauty battlefield’.” This was particularly compelling to me as it seems to prompt many troubling implications about the advertisement as well as society as a whole. On one hand, its literal meaning translates to a battle in which the target audience needs this product to flourish as the most beautiful. But on a deeper level, its unintended meaning seems to be that we are all part of this “beauty battlefield” and the real war is with the advertisers themselves; there is a battle with these societal expectations and this slogan meant to empower turns tragic. These ads are symbolic of a society constantly fighting against itself, with each individual desperately clinging to this imagined “youth” even when simple biology is negating it. Furthermore, this marketing is solely concerned with the aesthetics of the body – appearing to be ageless despite reality. The goal is to maintain this youthful façade as the body continues to age, with bones getting weaker and minds becoming tired.
The advertising is also a façade, yet it seems unavoidable. In the beginning of her study, Ellison explains the particulars of her research and how she chose various magazines, stating that she, “[attempted] to choose advertisements that reach the maximum amount of female viewers within the median age range of 25 to 60+, ages at which these products would most likely be consumed.” On face-value, this statistic is discomforting – after all, a 25 year old seems to be the epitome of youth – but at the same time, the statement is also unsurprising as it seems as if women would choose this time to attempt to preserve this youthfulness, maybe at the sight of their first gray hair or wrinkle. However, this statement also has horrifying implications if the outliers are considered – those younger than 25 who are viewing these advertisements and are possibly buying these products. I read somewhere that individuals in America now may see thousands of ads in a day; while I do not know if this is true, the thought is terrifying as there are children and young adults without fully-formed personalities and beliefs who are being indoctrinated by these advertisements. If we, as a culture, are celebrating agelessness, what is that teaching to these children? Are they meant to fear growing up, or are they just expected to purchase the products without question? Right now it’s a 25-year-old woman buying the age-defying serum, but 4 years from now it might be a 22 year old, and eventually we might have girls going into the store buying eye creams along with their training bras. This is probably extreme, but the sentiment stands as this: if we keep promoting agelessness as the ideal, our lives will be spent trying to attain this ideal instead of actually embracing our age and celebrating our bodies.

Jessica St. George

12/1/2014 01:23:24 am

This article on agelessness was very interesting. Especially how they started off talking about an organizationthat wants to get rid of aging because they don't want the world to become a wrinkled diseased mess of people. It sounds almost like they want everyone to be immortal and live forever. But that would definitely mess up the balance of nature. The earth is already overpopulated with people as it is and I doubt that everyone is just going to stop having children. It was just a strange concept. Now I know that i have seen all these ads for antiaging cream and whatnot but I have never really paid that much attention to any of them. I don't necessarily care that much about that kind of thing. If we were meant to look young our how lives then we would. Just let nature take its course And try to be graceful about it. I know my mom has already started telling me to use this cream or that cream to keep myself looking younger for longer but I'm not really that worried. I mean I use creams and stuff but that has more to do with my skin being dry sometimes due to allergies and things. I have no idea whether they have these supposed anti aging ingredients in them. They could and they couldn't. Wouldn't really make a difference to me. What I also thought was interesting were the ads. The only actual natural looking one that I saw was avenno. The biotherm skin vivo ad looked futuristic in the way that It pixelized part of the image. It makes it look unrealistic and I am not sure why people would want that. The chanel ad had the woman half in dark. You can barely even see any of her skin. How is this helpful in showing that she looks ageless? The prevage day ad had a cool message saying that being beautiful is difficult and is like a war. But they also have basically her whole face covered with a mask. You can barely tell what she looks like let alone if she looks ageless or not. I just feel like if they have ads where they are trying to show people looking ageless then they should actually let people see the women in their ads instead of trying to hide them behind all of these different things. I think that the avenno ad has the right idea because the woman looks completely natural and there is nothing to distract you or block you from looking at her. It also does not look as touched up as the other ads which I think is a good thing. People should be able to see what they are paying for. It Is just kind of upsetting that society is so focused on looking so young and attractive all the time. I personally think that older people and people with wrinkles can quite often still be beautiful. I know that I have always thought that my grandma was one of the most beautiful people in the world and she didn't even do anything to try and hide the fact that she was old.

Rebecca Gagne

12/2/2014 07:21:02 am

Rebecca Gagne
ENG 493
Professor Anderson
December 3, 2014

Critical Response: the body and technology

Technology is a significant part of our world today. It influences how we socialize and communicate, and shows us information and advertisements using the web to connect us to tons of information. Technology in today’s time is so advanced that we are able to do pretty much anything with it. With the use of technology comes with the art of visuals that uses text or images. Thinking about technology and the body the article, The Body and Technology allowed me to think about how bodies are represented through technology and photographs. Photos serve as visual aids to depict a physical appearance of a person and do not necessarily represent who they are race wise. While the article discusses technology and the body in relation to images and the body, a relationship between the artist and creator to the industry (consumer or user) promotes a powerful visual statement. Images and pictures promote a goal for the artist to make a connection with a body. When you take a photo you are selecting which part of the body you want to show like a headshot or a full body shot. In a photo you are seeing the physically elements that make up a person rather than see the genetic makeup that make them who they are and how they identify themselves within a race.
I found the section on the use of the Latino/a body and the appearance of the body to fit with the theme of technology and the body as it addressed how people view a person and how they connect it to a race. The article discusses Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin’s appearance of the buffed bod and blonde highlights. They are two people who refer to themselves as Hispanic, but because of the buff bod and blonde highlights is a call for controversy. Many see the blonde hair and fit body as an image that does not portray a typical Hispanic body. While some argue that they are not Hispanic because of their look, they are still considered Hispanic, under the “U.S. Bureau of the Census, “Hispanic” refers to people whose origins are Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Hispanic/Latino” (24). Dr. Harold P. Freeman addressed the appearance by posing the question “if you ask what percentage of your genes is reflected in your external appearance, the basis by which we talk about race, the answer seems to be in the range of .01 percent” (24). This states that your external appearance does not always show the elements of your race or ethnicity by the way you look. So while Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin have blond hair, and do not appear to fall under the “look” of Hispanic, it has no effect to how they identify with their race.

Shannon Olenick

12/2/2014 09:35:53 am

“The Body and Technology” covers numerous topics throughout its length, and makes some very interesting points. I was particularly intrigued by the portion that discusses latino bodies. The statistics about the increase in income amongst whites, blacks, and latinos was shocking. There was hardly and difference between whites and blacks, but latinos were staggeringly behind. There is also debate as to what exactly qualifies one as Hispanic or latino.
The section about cyborgs is also interesting, as this is the second work about cyborgs that I have read this semester, by some strange coincidence. According to the other article I read, most of us are cyborgs. I am, for example, because I wear glasses. Others may be because they always have their phone in their hand. Cyborgs are “a hybrid of machine and organism” (28).

The final section brought both of these ideas together, and in doing so is very strange and different, but very informative. Essentially there is a staged radio show in which two Mexican cyborgs are supposedly being interviewed. It is metafictional and staged for artistic purposes. The interview is 80% scripted and intends to encourage people to confess their beliefs of hispanics. Upon reading it I was surprised by how blatently stereotypical, racist, and offensive it is. It is actually terrible! But it is interesting to see how it is expressed, and when it is presented like this it makes it very clear how judgmental and uninformed our society is (or was when this was created).

The contrast between this and the section about Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez was interesting. The two stars were so adored that you could enter to win Martin’s pants or purchases wallpaper with Lopez’s face on it, but at the same time the prejudice against hispanics and latinos is so obviously strong. Particularly since the distinction between these groups is apparently rather blurry. Why are those latinos idolized while these hispanics are torn down?

Sarah Machado

12/2/2014 11:32:20 pm

Sarah Machado
Professor Anderson
English 493
December 3, 2014

Response to “The Body and Technology”

This article was unlike the rest that we have read this semester. It was a combination of pieces written by different authors on a similar subject. It was interesting to see what information each author brought to the article.
The first point that was interesting was the discussion of photography. Today, people take pictures of everything at several different angles. I have never considered a photograph to be a form of touch. Batchen states, “Photography allows an imagined exchange of touches between subject, photograph, and viewer.” He had also stated that “light is a skin shared with anyone who has been photographed.” This concept is amazing, and also somewhat disturbing. Sometimes and oftentimes, personal pictures fall into the wrong hands. Having this concept in mind, it provides a different perception of photographs. Maybe if this idea was present in everyone's minds, people would be much more cautious about posting their personal photos on the internet and social media.
The article focuses much attention on the Latino body. Technology has played a big role in promoting stereotypes and perceptions of different ethnicities and cultures. The media does this through the casting of roles and the portrayals of these characters on television or movies. They search for a certain “look” to fit the image of these ethnicities that have been planted in the viewer's minds. The article uses Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin as examples. People are fed images of these celebrities and associate everyone of the Latino race to have similar features. The problem with celebrity icons such as Jennifer Lopez representing the race is that they have changed their racial features with plastic surgery. Jennifer Lopez does not look anything like what she used to when she was younger. She has reduced the size of her nose and changed many other facial and body features to get away from her natural Latino look. This has detrimental effects on people's perception of Latino bodies. If a woman of Latino decent can not accept and be proud of her body, other people will start to have the same ideas. If people treat something as if it is a bad thing, than it starts to become a bad thing.
The final point I want to address is the mock interview. While Latino people are stereotyped, I do not think everything that was said in the interview was fair especially in regards to immigration. There is a distinct difference between immigration and illegal immigration. The interview made the woman who was against illegal immigration sound crazy and irrational. Being against illegal immigration is not being racist or insensitive, but I feel as though that is what we are being taught to believe. I did, however, agree with the point that people are much more likely to voice their negative opinions when anonymously behind a computer screen. As stated in the article, “There are no moral, physical, or social repercussions in cyberspace, and this can be quite liberating.” This is a sad truth that comes along with technology. If people want to express negative thoughts and opinions that they would be penalized for saying in person, they can make fake social media accounts and express themselves there. This is why cyber bullying is so common. When a bully cannot see the pain in they are causing their victim or be punished for their actions, they are more likely to continue. Technology, like everything else, comes with positive and negative aspects.

Amy Pistone

12/2/2014 11:48:10 pm

Amy Pistone
3 December 2014
ENGL 493
Dr. Joyce Rain Anderson

“The Body and Technology”

The work “The Body and Technology” takes a unique form: it is a compilation or anthology of works by many authors that connect and even seem to converse with each other. I found this form to be intriguing and compelling as the works built upon one another and offered a multitude of perspectives over the years, but I also found this at times to be confusing due to the variety of voices displayed within the work. Still, this anthology resulted in a more complete picture of what it means to understand the body and its relationship to technology.
The notion of the “cyborg” was particularly compelling and even troublesome to me as it was used in the discussion of bodies in their fragmented nature. Ken Gonzales-Day chronicles this in reference to Latino bodies and their place as possible “cyborgs” within Western culture. He mentions the success of both Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez in the public eye, but pairs this with startling statistics about how, “Latinos have seen the lowest income growth, with the median household income increasing only $276 between 1980 and 1995, compared to $4,845 for whites and $4,576 for blacks.” In context of his discussion of cyborgs, I took this to mean that the Latino body is given a partial presence within Western culture – some can attain celebrity status, but many are rendered voiceless and fractured through technology that favors other bodies, such as white CEOs.
Peggy Phelan’s “Heaven Can Wait” was also especially enlightening, as she discusses the possibilities of technology and what it suggests for our future. She writes, “Technology promises. What it promises for contemporary art remains still unknown, still stored within the suspension of the promise.” While this seems to be in specific reference to art (as her previous discussion of Vincent van Gogh’s artwork would suggest) there are also applications to the body itself within her work. We utilize technology almost excessively as time progresses, and without knowledge of what the promises are. We are assured that technology will lead to our own humanity’s progress, like an artistic renaissance, but there is no way of knowing that for certain. In Phelan’s closing argument she remarks, “Human bodies still have holes in them. That’s their appeal and their limit.” The notion of humanity’s limitations seems to be an under-discussed issue within our society; we all believe humanity has endless potential. But as we become reliant on technology, it seems to reveal humanity’s “holes” and our limit – we’re willing to put blind faith in technology and its inherent goodness, but this sometimes proves to be a cheap source of fulfillment that harms our existence. If we become too involved with technology, like Apple products and websites, could we miss something right in front of our faces? Many have accused my generation of being apathetic, and while I disagree with this, I think the issue of technology and the body has become increasingly relevant as I have aged. We’re the people who grew up as the internet flourished, and we’re quick to post selfies and pictures of our food at Starbucks, and even angry posts at the state of the world, but a lot of the time it seems that people, of all ages, are reluctant to do anything about the world. We have become complacent with technology and how it affects our bodies to the point that maybe we’re all “cyborgs” in a sense. My life seems less “full” when I spend my days watching television or on the internet, and I long to read an actual book for pleasure, yet I still return to technology because of its ease of use.
Ultimately, I think “The Body and Technology” isn’t meant to conjure these feelings of anxiety within me, but make us aware of the importance in remaining critical of technology. We must not put blind faith within technology and hope it benefits the world, but instead keep a close eye on the progresses of humanity. Technology has limitless possibilities, but it’s humanity’s job to place a limit on its impacts on our world.

Nicole Doniger

12/2/2014 11:56:38 pm

Nicole Doniger
ENGL 493
Dr. Joyce Rain Anderson
3 December 2014

Technical Response

The Article, “The Body and Technology” written by Amelia Jones, Geoffrey Batchen, Ken Gonzales-Day, Peggy Phelan, Christine Ross, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Roberto Sifuentes and Matthew Finch discusses how technology has made an impact in rhetorical bodies. The authors discuss different modes of technology. Photography, art, Internet, television, painting, robotics, etc. are all broght forth and represented by the many different authors.

Ken Gonzalves-Day discusses the “Choloborg; or The Disappearing Latino Body”. He shows that there are Latino men and women who are celebrities that we see on television and the internet quite often. These include Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez. This shows that Latino bodies are visible in the media, on pop charts, in magazines, and on television. Despite this, studies prove that Latinos have seen the lowest income growth in comparison to white and black people. In addition, many other companies have been “”sued for racial discrimination or for failure to meet federal diversity deadlines” In a nutshell, new technologies have yet to transcend old race and class relations” (24). Even though these are just two people, while they are in the spotlight, they represent more than just themselves. Even if they don’t want to, they want to just be themselves, they can’t. People look up to them, and often compare them to all Latinos. They look up to them to be the image of the whole group, and when they do things to their bodies, people look at the whole group in the same way; that everyone does that too. But this is all completely wrong because most often, these celebrities (their famous image portrayed to the media) is nothing like the general population. I think these celebrities should be looked at as their own person, but it is how the media presents people from all different races and cultures not just this one.

While this article discusses technology as a whole, I think it discusses so many different topics in one paper that could probably be separated into their own papers. I think they are all so important that they shouldn’t just be thrown together. I did like learning about different aspects of technology that I haven’t learned much about.

Allison Stratton

12/3/2014 12:56:33 am

Allison Stratton
ENGL 493
Dr. Anderson
12/3/2014

This article was rather interesting. Like cyborg it was created using a mish mosh of different beings in order to form a whole. The authors all draw to a similar conclusion, the body of humanity has become a “cyborg”. Humans have become unable to empathize with what makes up the flesh and bone, and more consumed with the layers of advertisements the coat the skin and devour the mind. In the article “The Body and Technology” by Amelia Jones, Geoffrey Batchen, Ken Gonzales-Day, Peggy Phelan, Christine Ross, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Roberto Sifuentes and Matthew Finch, the authors discuss the trend and the impact it has on society.
Ken Gonzales-Day specifically talks about the lack of authentic Latino representation in the media. Instead, what is presented to society is a false spotlight prejudices. Such celebrities include Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez who have seen incredible growth in popularity, but like many other Latinos in the media, experience the lowest income growth among any other celebrity group. This racial stigma is due to the “cyborging” of their bodies. They are not portrayed in a natural manner on the camera or treated equally off of it. Due to Latinos “exotic” looks the media feels the need to portray them as the non-dangerous “other” that needs to be tamed. This can be linked back to the white man’s burden and also reminds me of Spurr’s The Rhetoric of Empire in which he talks about the need to capture “fertile lands” for the good of the white man”.
The metaphor of the cyborg is not a new one. It is the “othering” of something exotic and transforming to the audience as something that is foreign. Even our own bodies are becoming cyborgs. This is an intentional act by the media to control and deceive. Our society has been fraught with this for generations and at some point people need to become aware of the need to overcome the outside influences that wish to control them or else we will all be robots.

Jessica St. George

12/3/2014 01:12:24 am

I really like how this article had little blurbs from a bunch of different authors but they all still had to do with technology. It is interesting to think about the relationship between the body and technology especially nowadays when technology is so prevalent in society. I liked at the beginning when it talked about the fact that the utopian ideal has basically collapsed since the eruption of enhancements in technology. With all of the new military technology it just doesn’t seem like society can go back to the dream of a utopian world. A utopian world would have no need of weapons for wars because there would be no need for wars at all. I also liked in the second part where it talked about the relationship between bodies and photography. It talks about the shift between the photographic to electronic media. Actual photographs seem to create physicality while electronic media does not. Since you can actually hold a photograph in your hand it seems to make it all the more real. Just viewing photographs in electronic media is just not the same. It does not have quite the same impact as a physical photograph. In the next part I like how they compared race and gender to the idea of cyborgs. It mentions at the beginning that cyborgs are technological evolved monsters made of wholes and parts. They compare this to the fact that people fear Latinos as monsters. They talk about the huge discrepancy between what the average person makes compared to Latinos and I thought it was interesting to see what a big discrepancy there was. They mentioned Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez as Latinos that are in the spotlight but they also mentioned the fact that they are sporting buff bodies and blonde highlights which suggests that they had to change themselves in some way to be as big a part of technology as they are. I personally never would have thought to compare the idea of race and gender to the idea of a cyborg. They talk about cyborgs a lot throughout the whole article and I find that quite interesting. I have never really thought much about cyborgs but I guess in a way most people are kind of like cyborgs. People use technology to help them do all kinds of things. People use technology to hear and see better when without it they would not be able to. People who can’t walk are able to get around with the use of wheelchairs and such. It is actually kind of disconcerting to think about just how much people nowadays rely on technology to do pretty much everything. It makes me wonder about what would happen if technology just suddenly vanished. What would people do? The world certainly would not be the same as it is now. In the last part of the article I thought it was interesting that they had a radio show where that had Latinos as cyborgs who embodied everything that people are afraid of. They brought about a lot of interesting points within the interview. Like when they wanted people to call in and confess their views on Latinos. Some people’s responses were not what I expected them to be at all. I mean I expected there to be negative views and I am sure that is what the radio hosts had been looking for but I wasn’t quite expecting the things that they said. It is interesting to see just how much technology effects the body though.

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