The Bluest Eye

I believe outward appearances do affects inward understanding of ones self and identity especially after reading the book "The Bluest Eye." Which is about a little girl named Pecola who was constantly teased and made fun of and told she was ugly from everyone. Even her own family didn't help make her feel better about herself. So after hearing that you are ugly and get put down so much it is hard to feel good about yourself. Then eventually she believe she was ugly and the only way for her to be pretty was to have blue eyes. So she went to this guy that said he talks with God and can give people what they want. So he told her he would give her blue eyes. Then even after she believed she had blue eyes she still thought they went blue enough and that for her to be pretty she needed the bluest eyes in the world. I believe she still felt that way because no matter what she believes she will never be pretty enough because all the stuff she has been through in her life.

Mid Term Research Paper

I am writing my paper on how today's society is obsesses with only buying name brand items to the point that people will steal, hurt others or even kill others just to get stuff. Where before this class I never thought of how the advertising is making us want to buy name brand items so that you are cooler to let others know that you have money. I know I'm guilty I only buy name brand clothes and stuff but now after this class I have a different outlook on it all. It seam like they companies are trying to sell us a fake lifestyle and we will be so happy with all of our name brand items.

I also will take about how they target younger kids to make their parents spend money on items. I know when I was younger it was never as bad as it now when I look at my younger sister its crazy how different she is growing up that what I did and I'm only 8 year older than her. Everything to her is all about looks and what her and her friends have and if they don't fit in to the looking "Cool" and having what is "Cool" they wont talk to those other kids. I think the advertising industry is making her generation really shallow minded. That's all they think about is name brand stuff and at the end of the day its still just stuff it doesn't make you who you are and they are going to find that out soon.

I plan on getting my research from the Internet through the Wayne State library or googling name brands. Hopefully I can find some really good articles to back my ideas up. I also plan on using some points from the Naomi Klein "No Logo" book and maybe the movie "The Corporation". So that way I have a couple different type of sources to use and or different points of views. Then I also plan on using a paragraph to talk about what I think about the whole name brand society that we have become.

The Corporatin

That movie really made me aware of how wrong all these big corporations are and how they don’t care about the health and wellbeing of there consumers “Us” buying their products or services. They only care about making money. I guess I cant blame them but it makes me sick to my stomach how greedy some people are. Especially about that Mansanto with the milk thing. I cant believe how much trouble and money they spent on trying to cover up what they were doing. Instead they could have took that money and used it to make their product better, so people don’t get sick from drinking milk.


I also never looked at advertising how they described it in the movie. For example all big corporations main advertising tool or marketing tool is to make kids nag their parents to buy a toy for them. I also think that is wrong they are using kids to get people to spend money on their products. While they are paying other country works especially young children 3 cents an hour to make their products and then selling them in the US for hundreds of dollars. That is so wrong on numerous levels. I really wonder how some of these CEO can sleep at night.


I think the government should step in and stop these companies from not only harming us individuals all over the world but also from harming our environment. These corporations are just thinking of themselves right now and making as much money as they can. Well what is going to happen to our grandkids, grandkids if there is nothing left or the environment is so destroyed. People arent thinking about that now but we should. The Government should have standards and regulations these corporations have to follow so our environment isn’t destroyed in the future.

Mass Culture Industry

After reading both articles “Selling Culture” by Ohman and “Culture Industry by Adorno & Horkheimer they both feel that our society is centered around Capitalism brought on by heavy advertising. In other words our country is a mass culture industry and there is no way to escape it. Although they agree on that they both look at and talk about it in very different ways. Take Ohmans article he portrays our society in a more enlightening way. Hes telling us we are part of this mass culture industry because we let advertisements control what “we think” we need and want. Especially when it comes to name brand items, those are all ways portrayed as better. He doesn’t point a finger and just blame the advertising companies its more like he is just letting us know what is really going on because we are blinded by all the Ads. He explains Capital as “wealth capable of producing more wealth” which is true but in Adorno & Horheimer’s article they explain it more like we are being brainwashed by the wealthy people and letting them control our lives. We let them tell us what we want and what we need to be in the in crowd. If you don’t have these items then you’re an outsider even if you don’t like the item and see through it you still buy it to be cool. Where they are more straightforward with their accusations but they don’t have the facts to back it up where Ohman listed quite a few different ones.

So after reading both of these articles I came to the conclusion its easier to take in what Ohman says more seriously and actually think about it. For example maybe I don’t need to spend a hundred dollars on a pair of pants just because of the name brand or maybe I don’t need every new item that comes out and is advertised on TV as the new hot thing to have. But after I read Adorno & Horkheimer article I just thought they were crazy telling everyone they are being brainwashed and we aren’t really happy when we work because we work to buy stuff and so on. So I didn’t even think twice about what he said or about not spending so much money on something I really don’t need. I think it’s all about the way Ohman approached his audience but awaring us of our surroundings.

Intoduction of Myself

Hi my name is Natalie Potter I was unable to attend the first class today. I was on my way and I hit some ice on the Van Dyke expressway and did a 360 and smashed into the metal railing. Thank God I didn't hit anyone else and I am ok. As for my car yeah it doesn't look to good. I guess that saying is true"When it rains it pours".

Well I just started Wayne State last semester. I am going to school for my Bachelor's in Marketing. Although I am a Junior it is going to take me about 4 more years to get my degree. I work full time as a marketing assistant and I have a 2 year old son. I wish I could do the opposite go to school full time and work part time but I have bills and a son to raise. Some times I wish I didn't need sleep so I could do both full time.