- SCWAAMP- An Acronym that represents the dominant Ideology
- Straightness This is valued because of the rampant negative images of LGBTQ, and positive is always reserved for straight couples.
- Christianity (the institution) This is valued then because it is always visible and available, it has tax exemptions and school and federal holidays, that other religions don't.
- Whiteness We see evidence of this everyday, there skin bleaching, most stars are white, political leaders historically shows us that whiteness is valued.
- Able-Bodiedness. This is valued because in movies the villain is always portrayed as having some deformity, there are everyday issues like the construction of doorknobs.
- Americaness evidence of this is in the recitation of the pledge of allegiance in school, the recitation of the Star Spangled Banner at sporting events, "The American Dream."
- Maleness (Different from masculinity,) Evidence for this is the way men are still payed more than women (although there have been recent attempts to change this), There are very few women in politics.
- Property The evidence of this is everywhere, plaques and dedications, women taking their husbands last name.
- Straightness This is valued because of the rampant negative images of LGBTQ, and positive is always reserved for straight couples.
- (Croteau, David, and William Hoynes. "Media and Ideology," in Media Society: Industries, Images, and Audiences, 159-168. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Pine Forge Press, 2003.)
Media is a form of control, and despite the wide variety of medias (Television, Movies, Magazines and now the internet), they present narrow ideals. These ideals include body image, class. Whatever doesn't fit these ideals is something strange and "other." Additionally, the repetition of these images is key. They are presented over and over again and that causes those images to become "normal." Because the image is normal, and not unexpected, the image is not questioned. Finally, is the idea of consent. Because silence is a form of consent, and when people don't question what is presented to them they are consenting. This form of consent and rule is also known as hegemony. Hegemony is the system that wins our consent not only because of the normalization of images, but also because there is often punishment for challenging the hegemony, from becoming social outcast, to violence. - (Christensen, Linda. "Unlearning the myths that bind us." Rethinking our classrooms: Teaching for equity and justice (1994): 8-10.)
We are given a "Secret Education". We are taught not to rebel, because there is a punishment if we do, even if the media is the one portraying that rebellion: we are taught obedience. We are taught to want, to feel like we need material things.
In order to combat this secret education, we must take action: question, disobey, be active and take an active stance. When you take that active stance, you are demonstrating agency. Agency is a feeling a sense of self and empowerment. This can happen from asserting ourselves into the media, when we are all represented, because then we do not feel isolated. - (Raby, Rebecca C. "A tangle of discourses: Girls negotiating adolescence." Journal of Youth Studies 5, no. 4 (2002): 425-448.) There are five discourses that we apply to teenagers. It how we think and talk about teenagers.
- Storm is the idea that teenagers, due to puberty, are constantly moody, irrational, unpredictable. They are experimenting with drugs and bad behavior, all while in search for their identities. This is a very negative view of teenagers, it portrays this time as turbulent and painful for teenagers and parents, who are constantly at war due this 'storm.'
- Becoming is the idea that teenagers do not yet have their own identity, instead they are searching and exploring for their own identity. This is also negative for teenagers because it makes them something less them human, it alienated them from the rest of the world, because they are not yet people. It takes away from their individual identities, by grouping all teenagers into one group without diversity.
- At-Risk is the idea that adults have about teenagers, they are constantly concerned that teenagers will turn to drinking, drugs, depression, sex and other believed irresponsible behavior. This is the belief that teenagers are not able to protect themselves from outside forces. This is negative for teenagers because the belief that teens are prone to outside forces justifies social control and surveillance.
- Social Problem portrays teens as them as a disruption to the rest of the world. Because they are "stormy" they are also a danger to the peace. It establishes that teenagers need saving, that with intervention they can be put on the 'correct' path before it is too late. This has many of the same effects that that being a at-risk and storm.
- Pleasurable Consumption this is the approved method of self exploration. Teens are expected spend time at the mall buying things. Things like clothing, hair product. Teenagers are portrayed as having disposable time and income. This too takes away from the diversity of teenagers, especially in regard to class, not all teenagers have access to disposable income. Teenagers are taught to derive pleasure from consumerism because a teen is supposed to feel empowered by participating in our consumer culture. This is also viewed as the best way to express and explore identity, because it is viewed as safe. This is part of where we get the discourse teenage years are fun, and "the best years of our lives," when that is not true for everyone.
Guiding Assumptions
1. Media Matters
Medias existence teaches us about the world, societal expectations if you will. Media consists of magazines, movies, television and now the internet. We are constantly bombarded by messages that tell us the proper way to exist. A few examples would be about how to act, what to wear, what to see wrong about our bodies. Most people take these messages for granted and follow these expectations without thought about why they are doing so. Certain behaviors become naturalized (girls are “catty,” for instance). However, if we begin to examine these medias we can begin resisting and educating others.
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2. Youth is a Culturally Constructed Category
Because of those medias, we have an expectation about what a teenager is. However, these expectations do not take into account a number of factors: gender, class, race, or sexuality. All of these diversify the experience, and there fore the teenage experience cannot be the unified experience that is assumed. Because of these oversights, youth and youth culture have rebelled against their given roles. They will also continue to rebel against dominant ideology until we acknowledge and respond to it.
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3. Teenagers are Not Some Alien Life Form
By far the most prevalent of the themes. Teenagers are often portrayed as something apart and separate from ‘reasonable’ adults (although when adults don’t act reasonably they are referred to as ‘stuck in high school’). There is a wide spread belief that once you pass out of your teen years, you suddenly transform into a mature being. But that is not true. There is no sudden transformation on the night you turn 20. We are still the same people we were when we were in high school. To think of teenagers as foreign undermines any empowerment they have, it delegitimizes whatever teenagers have to say.
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