NAM EthnoBlog

CBS, WTF?

By Nadia Prupis, Feb 4, 2010 9:58 PM

In 2004, CBS rejected would-be Superbowl Sunday ads from the United Church of Christ, with a message of tolerance, and from MoveOn.org, with a criticism of then-President George W. Bush. At the time, the network claimed that its policies prohibit “advocacy ads.”

In 2010, CBS changed its anti-advocacy policy just in time to accept a Super Bowl Sunday ad from the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, with an overtly pro-life message, featuring Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow on the one day this year that renders him conveniently and undeniably relevant.

Although it hasn't aired yet, the 30-second commercial is said to feature Tim Tebow and his mother Pam, as she explains her choice—notice the keyword—not to end her difficult pregnancy in 1987, despite her doctor's advice. Today her son is a healthy, talented, award-winning athlete. And that's truly a happy ending for them.

For them.

Tags:
CBS,
entertainment,
superbowl

L.A. Gang Tours: Innovative or Dehumanizing?

By Leticia Miranda, Jan 20, 2010 2:56 PM

Hmm...voyeuristic, dehumanizing, fetishizing and exploitative sound right to me.

Alfred Lomas (pictured below) is leading the L.A. Gang Tours which will host paid bus tours through South Central Los Angeles for people who want to learn about local gangs and gang culture.

For 65 bucks, tourists will get a two-hour tour through Los Angeles, Calif. Stops include the L.A. County Jail, the Metropolitan Detention Center and the Jordan Downs Housing Project. And, all of the profits from the tours will go towards encouraging capitalist entrepreneurs through jobs, franchised tours in new areas, and microloans to inner-city entrepreneurs, according to the Boston Globe.

No, There Are No Vampires in My YA Novel.

By Laura Goode, Jan 13, 2010 12:15 PM

The Twilight phenomenon has monopolized media chatter for over a year now, and while many have vetted, bemoaned, and dissected the complicated sexuality of the ballad of Bella and Edward, few have done so in the greater context of Twilight’s paramount position in popular young adult fiction. Twilight, and our culture’s current vogue of vampires, reveals a subtly toxic sexual messaging still being slipped into the literature young American women are consuming en masse.

Full disclosure: I am a recovering teenage girl with a YA novel, Sister Mischief, coming out next year. In the early stages of conceptualizing SM, I realized that writing the book was a way of putting my money where my mouth was: giving young people access to candid, high-quality literature is important to me, so I figured I should try to produce some.

Young green activists rise up in Vietnam

By Anirvan Chatterjee, Dec 8, 2009 11:41 AM

Editor's note: This blog originally appeared on Year of No Flying. Anirvan Chatterjee is an entrepreneur and South Asian American community activist from Berkeley, California.

Climate change will ravage Vietnam. If we let sea levels rise by 1 meter, 5% of Vietnam may drown, impacting 11% of the population and a huge chunk of the rice crop. Poor coastal communities already face more typhoons, salination, flooding, and drought. But in the midst of the gloom, a new wave of young urban Vietnamese environmental activists are getting organized. In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), we met almost fifty teen and twentysomething green activists--interviewing new friends over long meals, learning Vietnamese dances with young leaders, braving insane rush hour motorcycle traffic, watching students do water quality testing, and speaking at a gathering of local green clubs.

Even Michelle's Doing It: Hula Hooping Wheels into Newfound Popularity

By Crystal Carter, Nov 3, 2009 3:25 PM

Editor's note: Crystal Carter, NAM intern, is a freelance journalist in San Francisco. She has her own blog called www.popscampaign.blogspot.com.

Michelle Obama, the youngest first lady since 31-year-old Jacqueline Kennedy, is 45 and America’s new embodiment of health and femininity. Obama was photographed hula hooping on the White House’s South Lawn to promote physical fitness at the Healthy Kids Fair last week. She also double-dutched and completed an obstacle course.

“Hooping is a strong symbol of health and power,” said Cressie Mae Akin, 22, a hooping enthusiast and freelance hoopmaker. “Some people think that it’s just a toy from childhood, but it’s so much more.”

Facebook's New Era?

By Inga Buchbinder, Sep 8, 2009 4:15 PM

Editor's Note: As Baby Boomers discover social media like Facebook, their babies are dreading the thought of having to become "friends" with their parents. NAM Ethnoblog's Inga Buchbinder looks at how she and her friends are dealing with this parent invasion of what used to be the child's playground.

As the shiny glow of Facebook wears off for Gen Y, another generation has stepped up to the plate. The Baby Boomer generation, otherwise known as our parents, has begun to flock to the crack that is Facebook. We were all there: late nights searching your friends' pages, checking your newsfeed every two minutes for updates, reloading your profile to see if anyone had commented on (or “liked”) your most recent post. It’s addictive--I can admit that.

20 Years After "Do The Right Thing"

By Eming Piansay, Jul 19, 2009 9:44 PM

I just had to shine the spotlight on Spike Lee. Here’s a friendly fact about ya girl: I’m black, I love black people, Spike Lee is the shit in my universe, and A Different World was the best show to ever be on television with Living Single coming in for a close second. Back to Spike, his catalog of films is probably the biggest inspiration I’ve had to spark my interest and involvement with the arts.

EthnoBlog

Category: Entertainment

CBS, WTF?

L.A. Gang Tours: Innovative or Dehumanizing?

No, There Are No Vampires in My YA Novel.

Young green activists rise up in Vietnam

Even Michelle's Doing It: Hula Hooping Wheels into Newfound Popularity

Facebook's New Era?

20 Years After "Do The Right Thing"

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