Ethan Pham's Media Blogs

4/22/19           Pete Buttigieg is currently having an explosion of popularity in mainstream media.  From being a "nobody" candidate just two weeks ago, he is now headlining dozens of articles from CNN, MSNBC, and other large media establishments.  Not only is he getting plenty of exposure, but every article I have seen has been positive and practically fawning over him.  In this CNN article, titled "Pete Buttigieg is the hottest candidate in the race right now" by Chris Cillizza, there are numerous examples of how he uses language to influence our perspective of Pete.           First of all, I disagree with the placement of CNN on the chart of media bias.  There is bias beyond just right and left because CNN is an example of heavily pro-establishment bias.  This means that they only show positive support upon candidates that will maintain the status quo, who mostly have no policy substance.  For example, they write almost no negative articles about Kamala, Pete,

       4/22/19           As an asian boy growing up, it was hard to find western movies or TV shows that not only had asian men in lead roles, but just generally portrayed them in a positive light.  Of course, there were the cool asian spies, such as Jackie Chan, that gave a certain image to asian people, but it was always one of the two extremes.  The asian man has always either been the sidekick, the nerd, or bad kung fu guy with nunchucks, but never a normal character or protagonist.  When I was a child seeing this, it made me believe that I had to fit into one of these extremes.  I can now see how it has changed the way me and my asian peers grew up.  Personally, I believe it played a part in me pushing my parents for me to give me karate lessons, when looking back I don't know why I wanted them.  In middle school, a few of my friends purchased fake glasses to wear to school, I'm guessing to fit the stereotype of being the smart asian kid.           Another impact that t

4/11/19           What is media? Is it the social media apps that I have on my phone, or could they be the billboards I see as I pass them on the highway? Through this year, I have come to discover that media is involved in every aspect of my life and has influenced every thought.    I feel as if I have become progressively more addicted to my phone and media over the course of my middle to high school years.  Now, I turn off my screen time statistics because I'm afraid of seeing the truth about my relationship with media.           In 6th grade, my parents gave me a phone and placed harsh regulations on my usage.  As time passed, those restrictions decreased to this point where I am basically given full freedom over how much time I spend on my phone.  Out of the last few years, the total amount of days where I have been without my phone are probably only in the range of 10-20.  I have been without my phone or access to media during the week where it was taken by Mr. Starace and