Review of the 5 articles

1 – “The Ballad of Big Mike,” has become a well-known story thanks to the movie, “The Blindside.” It is the true story of a boy named Michael Oher, who goes from a life of poverty to a life of fulfillment. It concludes with his selection in the NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens, where he still plays, today. This story of “Big Mike” is great storytelling. We are shown a complete picture of Mike, from a child who the school system has abused to a man that the nation embraced.

2 – The article about virtual violence explored violence in video games. It explored the part violent content played in how well these games sell and also how the content affects the minds of the youth that play them. The violence has become quite realistic and is being linked to feelings of aggression exhibited by the players. The article also touches on the role women are given in today’s video games. They are usually portrayed as objects of sexual desire. Male characters are the heroes while females are, at best, side characters in most games.

3- The article by Kimberly L. Bissell focuses on the way the body image of modern female athletes is amplified and distorted by today’s media. In collegiate athletics, sports such as gymnastics and cross-country have uniforms that make a woman’s body more of a spectacle. The looser fighting clothing used in sports such as basketball do not cause the same problems. Of course, collegiate men’s sports feature female cheerleaders and dance teams, so colleges have found a way to add feminine appeal to just about every athletic event.

4 – In the article focusing on gender equity, a key component to the study is the coverage of women’s sports at the collegiate level. Gender domination is enjoyed by men with women receiving fair coverage, but not nearly the quantity of the coverage that men have. While over fifty percent of the population of most colleges are women, men still get much more coverage. So while the quality has risen over the years, the quantity has not followed suit.

5 – The article, “Spreading Global Consumerism: Effects of Mass Media and Advertising on Consumerist Values in China,” focuses on the Western cultural model of consumption that is becoming more prominent in China. The Chinese people are having their purchasing assumptions influenced to fit more of an American model. This has led to more defined social classes and an emphasis on peer-compared status and luxury items. This study suggests that the impact of this is not going to be completely understood for quite some time because of the massive size of the Chinese market.