THE BEGINNING

When my project began I had the intention of simply finding an organization of interest, interviewing a representative, and devising a plan and recommendation for this representative regarding their use of modern electronic media to advance their goals. I would convieniently use the material from class and readings to construct a persuasive reccomendation. I began by researching the Radiant Peace Foundation, The Radiant Peace Foundation International is a St. Petersburg based organization recognized across the world and dedicated to the promotion of the ideals derived from the phrase “radiant peace.” Radiant peace is defined by the organization as “natural, whole, harmless, benevolent, energy within our hearts relating us all and making us whole.” The organization ties itself to no religion or political party and is funded and ran by donations and volunteers. The organization works for the protection of animals and other living things on earth, the protection of natural sites, and promotes walks and events around the world. The organization operates on entrys from children of essays, posters ect. containing their representations of "radiant peace"

THE FIRST CONNECTION

I conducted an interview with Shoshana Shay of the RPF, and enjoyed chatting with her about radiant peace, religion, politics, and community literacy. One story really made us (CLASS) ponder the uncharted level of documentation technology posses over our history:

“And politics?” I said. Shoshana had a few more words for me on this one. She was quick to clarify that the organization is not a bunch of anti-war “peaceniks.” (I was kind of hoping they were, but oh well.) She told me that sometimes misconceptions about the group arise due to the semantics of the word peace. She explained that in this context peace should not be interpreted as the opposite of war. She told me that radiant peace has a place in the presence of war, and goes on to describe a soldier in Iraq who found out from friends that when you Google his name they found themselves on “some peace website”. Shoshana answered the concerned soldiers phone call, and reminded him of his “award winning” example of radiant peace submitted when he was eleven. This made me think of how crazy it is that the internet has provided us a window to our past selves that was not there before. How documented will our youthful endeavors become as technology progresses? How will we communicate with, and interpret the old us? After examining Marshall Mchulan I wonder if in retrospect our regression into slaves of technology, and our shock into numbness will be apparent. Maybe if the concept of radiant peace is instilled into the youth now, and a revolt against the attrocities of consumerism, advertising, nationalism, and self promotion begins, then we will be able to see the shift when we look back.

NEW PATH

After readings from Marshall Mchulan aggrevated some of my "resist media control" demons, I found that the core ethic of the RPF, could easily align itself a world view insistant on rejecting the horrors of media imperialism and a consumption drunk, apathetic culture.

THE REASEARCH: ALLLEGIANCE, ADVERTISING, MEDIA

My intent with my research is to connect the concept of hot and cool media (high and low participation) to ideas of allegiance, symbolism, religion, politics, and media control/obsession in modern American culture.

My reseach consists of journal articles that convey different situations in which these ideas and institutions are blended together into a representation of the advancement of a "controlled" society. My research highlights span government imposed loyalty oaths, media effect on happiness, motivation, and prosperity with regards to our usual choice of wealth over happiness, consistant censorship of the News media, stations, journalists, ect.

NATIONALISM, SYMBOLISM, FLAGS

It is clear that it is part of culture to use flags, symbols, stickers, clothing and more to represent who we are and what we believe. In the technological age we have networking sites that enable us to disclose to the masses how we wish to be classified. We love to belong. We use symbols as representations of our personality outside our skin. The unfortunate thing with nationalism is that this craved sense of human belonging is costly. It can spiral us into an attitude of seperateness from the rest of humanity. I can understand how on paper this seems like a bit of a frivolouse and idealistic concern, however, it is not. The use of symbols and nationalistic rheteric does not only seperate us from the rest of humanity on an "everyday" basis, but it sets the stage for our conditioned support of injustice, war, and racism as we defend the nation that waves the flag we recognize as most comforting. Media magnetically attach themselves to the power of nationalistic symbols, and other symbols of belonging, as our obsessions our profitible. The media created need for allegiance can be exploited and marketed with ease.

MCHULAN

I have found Mchulan’s thoughts promote a discovery is knowledge perspective, and this can be applied to education devoted to developing beliefs, not by shopping for, and labeling ourselves with beliefs and ideologies, instead by discovering them through resistance of media, propaganda, constraining dogma, and the choicelessness of nationalism. Mchulan serves as a resource in that his clear explanation of media as extentions of human mind and body functions create a path to understanding that not only do we have a choice in the matter, but that the alternative is a zombie like existence. while we can exersise our minds eye, develop our cognitive abilities, and create remarkable pathways by reading a book, there is an illusion IN OUR SOCIETY that we can aquire the same knoledge by watching the movie. This illusion can be interpreted as a representation of American culture AS A PREPACKAGED MIND NUMBING DEAL, that is unhealthy for the development of today’s youth.

He shows us how the extentions of ourselves represented by the media decentralize access to activities that lend themselves to survival, making these activies second nature, and reducing the necessity for human contact to meet our needs.

I love the way Mchulan suggests that exposure to media is a shock to our nervouse system that blocks feelings of discomfort, and like lab rats has us mindlessly navigating through a maze for more satisfaction. . Mchulan provides a description of the human condition that is embodied by so many in this country when he explains pleasure and comfort as necessary for achieving "equilibrium." He presents technology/electric media as means for achieving this equilibrium promoting pleasure, and consiquently a means for dismantling not only our capability to think for ourselves, but the desire to do so

Mchulan begins the chapter by using the metaphor of "civil war" to create a mental picture of his interpretation of how electronic media function in our society. Mchulan is quick to provide one of his catchy phrases that Rich spoke about in class when he says, "...or the extensions of man, are 'make happen' agents, but not 'make aware' agents." Here I believe Mchulan summarizes his ongoing premis that allthough media function as human body parts, or represent functions of our brains, the emotional involvement required in performing these functions the "human way" is vacant from the media's replication.

In chapter 7 Mchulan observes the role of electronic media through the lens of a physician, providing speculation on how these extentions of man affect our physiology and psycology as individuals and as a "social body." Mchulan alludes to the idea of "medium is the message" with his analogy of a specific disease vs. the "syndrome of just being sick." In modern society we can compare this to individuals and organizations that have the intention of censoring or eliminating stations, or programs, or music deamed to be inappropriate, infectious if you will. However, this chapter brings the reader back to Mchulan's original premis that it is the system as a whole that has to be to blame if its offspring has any sort of effect. Mchulan compares introducing new technologies to a kind of social surgery that affects the originally unharmed portions of the social body, much as a mishap in actual physical surgery could affect/infect other areas of the body. Mchulan bounces around the idea of artists possessing an immunity to these social disruptions,RADIANT PEACE FOUNDATION ENTRIES? as they are assisted by a type of prophetic shield created by their observance and portrayal of what is natural and simple. Mchulan presents a frightening interpretation of the surrendering of our senses and therefore our rights to commercial interests through the media. He says ..."like handing over the common speech to a private corporation, or like giving the earth's atmosphere to a company as a monopoly." CREEPY!!! And still, Mchulan's radical-at- first-glance assertions make nothing less than perfect sense following yet another instalment of his "autopsy" (he he) on the effects of technology on the social body

COLLABORATION, CONNECTIONS, AND MT ZION

As this semester's research comes to an end, and we all "draw the line" on these few months, it is wonderfully refreshing to see that through our research, field work, and employment of our individual and collective beliefs and experiences arrived at some very common goals. To me these goals include the understanding and promotion of media literacy/responsibility in the face of troubling odds. Trey's mission to assist the Mt. Zion center and Pat Fried in her goals using Web 2.0 technology is one example of this. Patti has jumped on board, and her consistant idea (beginning with "robin hood") of providing access and help for those most in need regardless of social status is great. Amanda and Rich use Amanda's emotionally engaging nastalga, and Riches most necessarry experience in, and scrutiny/cynicysm of the school system alert us of the need for art and supplies for our youth. Tomeka's presentation on freelance web design charged up the classroom discussion, taking us in all sorts of different directions, and prooving the complications web 2.0 may alleviate. Tiffany and Felesha have also taken an active role at Mt. Zion using their research to help create a mentor pamphlet to help connect the most suitable individuals with the families involved at Mt. Zion. Kim has taken us on an awesome journey of first religion vs dogma (and their portrayal) in society....Kim creates a path to understanding dogma vs religion. To connect some Mchulan, a love for an ideology (religion) posseses a kind of "cool medium" identity filled with potential for discovery and growth, where as literal dogmatic practice posses a more "high definition" identity, filled with mind numbing, systematic robotism. Kim's statistics allude to this.

CONNECTING TO KIM'S ORIGINAL PROJECT i began drifting towards a "break the cycles" type of research. Our society seems to promote a pre-packaged version of identity as a means to fullfilment. Our spiritual, ethical, and political beliefs are like presents from the media. When we open them up we find a box full of labels (symbols) we can stick to ourselves, and then concentrate on other, obviously more pressing issues. Kim's research on David Wallace and his ideas of "the default setting" gave me a new angle for research, and a closer view of my audience. The "easy path" is so relateable to my rantings on nationalism and society, and are helping to steer my interest towards discovering the means to breaking these cycles early in our youth.

Kim closes her research with an astounding report on privacy and the internet. She awakens us to issues for a internet-dependent society as we offer up our passwords and lose ourselves.

THE RPF HAS ME inspired by the idea of peace transcending any sort of human classification, political agenda, media advertising or nationalistic rhetoric, and realizing that resistance of these things in itself is peaceful. This is the motivation to employ recommendations, or create a new organization, or advise youth oriented programs on resistance of propaganda, and recognition of censorship.

My final step is to take my research, and our collaboration in class to present Shoshana Shay of the RPF with our common assertions on media responsibility, and the fight for an informed, active youth with the tools (in school, physically, spiritually, technologically,) they need for opportunity. I want to break down all of our projects, offer a media resistance model, and encourage her to continue on making artwork the timeless transending focus of her mission.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iE0pbbqTjo&feature=related