Film & Social Issues

Taking Action!

2007-09-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

How can we inspire social action in order to increase social justice in our society and in the world? Think long and hard on this one. Do the research and tell us what you have found.

Maxing Out

2007-09-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

As Americans bury themselves in debt, is it possible the "American Dream" will vanish? Or, has it already disappeared or changed long ago? What is the American Dream today? Is it different than in generations past and is it harder to achieve?

On "An Inconvenient Truth"

2007-09-26T14:58:00.000-07:00

Why are we allowing environments across the earth to destruct? Is it human nature to consume and destroy? Or, have we simply been kept ignorant about the conseqeuences of our consumption? Alternatively, perhaps we have been too busy taking care of only ourselves, we haven't been paying attention. What has brought us to the current catastrophic extreme we now find out planet? Discuss this.

Has K-12 Education Improved Since the 1968 Student Walkout?

2007-09-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

In 1968, Los Angeles Latino students at Roosevelt High School took a brave stand and called for a better education. They asked for basic things, such as books, equal opportunity and access to the information they needed to get ahead in life. Other students in other high schools spoke out and walked out in solidarity with them. It was a proud time for Latinos in the community. Their voices were heard.

The question: Have things changed? Are our students in this city being provided the tools they require to succeed in this competitive world?

To be Extraordinarily Thin: Who Set the Standard?

2007-09-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

In the popular media, you know who excels at achieving extraordinary thinness. Fashion models, actresses, musicians, and female power players in corporate America, seem to be continually pushing the envelop to more extreme degrees of tiny. Such luminaries as Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Richie, Kate Moss, Jennifer Aniston, and Angelina Jolie look like they have lost significant muscle mass over the last several years. Those arms and legs are now little more than bony limbs on frail human frames.

Who said this is the way women's bodies should look? Why are young people starving themselves to seemingly emulate an extremely unhealthy body type? Is this starvation mode an elite response to the obesity epidemic in the U.S.? Is it a sick competition on who can be thinnest in the film and fashion industries? Do film studios put the pressure on or does the fashion industry lead the charge, demanding mere human clothing hangers to put their new lines into movement on the runway?

Share your thoughts on this issue. And, what can be done to let corporate America comprehend that we want a more balanced vision of beauty? Or, is the image of women as now depicted in popular media THE ideal, in your opinion? What is right and wrong about it? Is there cultural variation? Is this a social class issue? A West Coast-East Coast thing? Analyze it.

The Power to Inform and Transform: Film and Social Issues

2007-08-24T16:44:00.000-07:00

The fundamental medium of this century that has the power to inspire people to consider the social issues of our time is film. This blog is dedicated to exploring important social problems that have been examined through film. Please visit our blog often and add your thoughtful comments to the topics discussed.

Mount St. Mary's students are particularly encouraged to let their voices be heard through this blog. Watch for new topics weekly or biweekly. The process that transforms individuals into activists for social change is to first empower them through speaking out, making the case, and joining together in a common cause.

A few issues to be discussed: The distortion of the idealized female body in American Society, the lack of real advancement in equal educational opportunity for all, global environmental degradation and our lack of proactive action on it, and a reflection on the progess (or lack thereof) of women in leadership.