American TV, Does it Capture the Diversity of America Yet?

As humans, we are addicted to stories and the Hollywood entertainment industry caters to our thirst for these stories by providing us with an endless stream of them. Whether it be theatrical films or Television shows, we live vicariously through the pain and pleasure of the multitude of characters presented in these productions. We in a sense try on their predicaments for size and in the process of doing so we reflect on who we are, who we are not, and who we hope to be.    

Historically speaking there has been a dearth of gender, racial and ethnic diversity in film and television, both in front and behind the camera. This reality has meant limited access to employment for women and minorities and to a truncating of the domain of media images available for circulation in contemporary society. 

After many years of watching television change, I had to ask my self, does American TV capture the diversity in America?  Sadly the answer at least in my opinion is a resounding no. We are however making changes that could lead to it finally becoming a Yes.  

Take for example Saturday Night Live, which has been on air since 1975 has in its life time only hired on three black women and had only featured one other black women, Yvonne Hudson in 1980, this says more about the show than about the talent pool. All three women casted over the four decades only lasted for a season or less.

In this context its no wonder that a prime cast member Kenan Thompson launched a debate in early November of 2013 explaining that the show is dearth of black women. Most people know that Saturday Night Live was built on the premise that the actor weren't quite ready for Prime Time TV, but this doesn't mean that the show’s executive producer is racist or is discriminating, just that he doesn't see the value in having a diverse cast. It begs the question, is television to white? 

In contrast Jay Pharoah, who predominately plays President Obama on the show does see the value in having a more diverse cast. He has reach out and argued with "SNL" that they should hire Darmirra Brunson a comedian on Tyler Perry's sitcom "Love Thy Neighbor.” When Pharoah was asked why they should hire her, his pointedly response was " Because she's black, First of all," but he also went on to praise her talent.

The majority of Prime Time television fails in truly representing the country that the majority of its stories are based in. When marginalized groups in society are excluded from the stories a nation tells about it self, or when those images in the media are rooted so deep in stereotypes, inequality is normalized and is more likely to be reinforced over time through our practices and prejudices.  

Recently ABC has taken a stand and Paul Lee the networks entertainment programming head states  "We really do think ABC reflects the new face of America", "America has changed. It's the right thing to do.".  The new 2014-2015 line up host 10 new shows featuring non-white characters and/or show creators, numbers that have not been seen since the days of the Cosby show and the flux of people trying to clone it. Don't think that this change is about fairness or altruism; over looking the fact the America has been a largely diverse country for a while now.  Can the network keep its agreement to make diversity a priority?, or will they screw this up?

Nothing and I mean nothing can reverse the efforts of trying to make television more diverse then epic failure.  But let us not focus on their potential failure and take a look at the ground breaking new season.  ABC came in strong by handing off their Thursday night spot to Shonda Rhimes, creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal. Then they scheduled Rhimes newest show How to Get Away with Murder to air right after her two hits. Giving the most powerful black woman in scripted television her own night in primetime, with two shows starring black women. Which has never ever happened before in the history of television. 

ABC network has a whole slew of new shows that are ethnically and racially diverse, Black-ish, Cristela, Fresh Off the Boat, American Crime, casting more black, latino, and Asian people than any other network for the 2014-2015 season. 

                               

Fox has also stepped up by casting more non-white character in shows like Red Band Society, Bordertown, Empire, State of Affairs, and CBS is hosting Extant which features Hally Berry. 

Could television really be changing it tune about diversity of the roles it casts? Is this change going to last after the 2014-2015 season? 

What are your thoughts? Does American TV capture the diversity of America yet?

Seattle is heading to the Super Bowl- Oasap Edition

Most likely you already know, that the Seattle Seahawks are heading to the Superbowl once again.

That game was by far the most heart wrenching game ever.... I never lost faith in my Hawks though, I knew if they played right in the last few minutes they could at least get into overtime. 

In Honor of their victorious win over the Green Bay packers.

I suited up in full on Seahawks Gear, with some of my own touches thanks to Oasap.com

I am super impatient with waiting for the Superbowl. 

I have no doubt that we will take the win, and be Super Bowl Champions once Again!!

So fellow Hawk Lover and Seattleites Get your Game Day Gear Ready... 

and prepare for the most epic game of the year!

Lastly but most definitely not least. Thanks Oasap for sending me the lovely Infinity Scarf, Helping me complete my game day look!

Loop Knit Infinity Scarf- Oasap

Why We Fail at Relationships

We all have read or heard countless reasons to why relationships fail, and while some of the reasons are valid, such as lack of trust, or our lives become routine and we stop caring as much. 

The Truth of the matter is 

 Relationships don't fail; we do. 

We live in the age of technology; where social media, text messages and Internet porn are consuming almost every free second we have.  

We constantly compare one another to other men, to other women, and then we start comparing ourselves to people. We compare each other to TV stars, to models, to porn stars, etc. Then we start to wonder why we never measure up and we fill ourselves with self-doubt, and we forget how to love ourselves. 

If we cant love ourselves how can we expect anyone else to love us, or for  that matter for ourselves to love anyone. 

The answer: We cannot.

The problem stems from many things; but mostly from Internet and cellphone apps. Take for example Snapchat, where the illusion of the idea that photos will be instantly deleted once seen, unless the receiver is smart enough to know how to use screenshot.  How about Instagram, where we post half nude selfies in order to get likes, where we post photos of our lives in order to see how many people like the way we live, or Hot or not where we set ourselves up to be rated by our peers, and then we wonder why people have eating disorders or body image issues. We constantly look for approval everywhere, except where it matter the most. The approval to live our lives how we want without caring what others think.

 Lastly but not least of all in the list of things that tearing us from what a true relationship is the unlimited dating sites at our fingertips, in which we can flip through thousands of people, find one we think is attractive and in a sense order them up to our door like you would order pizza. If you didn't like that particular slice you have the option of sending it back and looking for a new slice to order up. Sometimes you might even order up more than one person to your door at a time. We start treating each other like we are options on an endless buffet, we constantly claim that if our relationship fails, that its not a big deal because there are more fish in the sea. Yet we are never ever truly satisfied. 

Yet we still wonder why people are afraid to commit. 

We parade our relationship around on social media, portraying that we have a perfect one. Where its all love and not a single fight. We post our couple photos up on facebook and Instagram to get the satisfaction that others see how perfect our truly imperfect relationship is. Other couple compare themselves to these photos and question why they don't have photos like that with their partner. We constantly try to one up each other in our relationships by posting every outing and every single event to our timelines. Constantly we look to the approval of others in our everyday lives, never satisfied just living life for ourselves.   

We walk down the street with our significant other and know that every woman that passes by gets the sideway glances from our man, and that we as women are just as guilty of looking at men. Society tells us that its okay to look as long as we don't touch, its okay to lust after someone when you are already in a relationship, and that above all its okay to cheat as long as you don't get caught. We live in a society that openly accepts and promotes infidelity. With T.V. shows like Mistresses, Satisfaction, The Affair and Married that showing us just how easily we could get away with it.

We get lost in our phones, whether it be games, Facebook, tumblr or any other site for that matter. We use text messaging as a means to communicate our thoughts and feelings, but words no matter how well written, it can not convey the context in your voice or the true emotion behind your emojis. We consider "Good morning" or "Good night" texts to be a good effort in our relationships. 

Is there any reason to wonder why thing don't work out? 

Romance has been so watered down that we what we think is romantic is in fact not. 

We think Romance is doing something new or spontaneous for our partner, like wearing lingerie to entice the man we are seeing or spending absurd amounts of money on jewelry to buy that persons love. 

Romance is more than that, its not manufactured in a store, you can not buy it, it is completely individual. What one person thinks is romantic may not be for someone else, but I can tell you what I think is romantic at least for the majority of people. Romance; it comes from holding hands while going on a long walk, sitting at the beach while watching the sunset or rise. Its having dinner alone where cellphones are turned off, and for once all your attention is given to the person sitting directly in front of you and not to the glowing blue light of your phone. It the conversations about nothing in particular, its the enjoyment of the company before you, it is an always will be more than chocolate cover fruit and roses, its about quality time spent together. 

Relationships, like many things take time to grow and mature, most people jump in head first without building a solid foundation to land on. We rush in with our hearts full of lust, but when the initial feelings start to fade we snap back to reality, we start to second guess our choices, and that is when doubt set in. 

So maybe just maybe you are the reason things are not working out for you the way you would like. 

Lets try an experiment, regardless if you are in a relationship now, or looking for someone, when you are with that person, give them your attention. If you just went on a date with someone you met online, delete the dating app if it went well. If you're on a date set everything else aside as if it doesn't matter and talk to the person. Ask them about their day, their goals, and their dreams. 

Stop comparing them to other people, stop comparing yourself. 

Stop acting like people are options, because eventually they will choose to leave you. 

Stop acting like social media is more important than the rough day your partner had.

Nothing and I mean nothing is more important that what is happening right before your eyes. 

Stop having unrealistic expectations about your partner, they are not perfect and neither are you.  

XOXO- That Girl Rika

Baby its Cold Outside

School has been keeping me busy, but here is a little update, I have been super stoked about all the snow, winter is one of my favorite times of year, I absolutely love the scenery when its covered in snow.   
As you can see Winter has certainly come at full force these past week. We had an insane freak snow storm here in Washington state. I am just grateful the Jacket I order from Oasap.com came just in time. 

Here are a few photos from that day....

Want to get these Item for yourself, just click on the photos below.

Shadow Play- Lost in the Digital World

I have so much to say to you all, but how can I get what I have to say across to you, how can I get you to understand the importance behind what I have to say. 

I guess this will have to do, so this post is a call to action to all of you who will read this.

Don't take what I say lightly, for if you listen closely and truly read and try to understand my point, you will be a better person for it. 

You are selfish, you might not even know it, but by nature you do what it takes it insure your survival and yours alone. 

This needs to change, we as a society are consumed with ourselves, I too am guilty of this, but at least I can admit it, and I am doing something to change it. 

I have already lived through a school shooting in which I lost a dear friend, and what bothered me most was not the fact that it happened, but that we as a community only came together in the wake of the travesty.  It is the same for all community who has suffered a loss as great as this, they come together to stand in solidarity with other schools who have also shared this experience, but why cant we just support each other always. Why does it take such extreme violence to ignite the spark of comradery between people.  

In the wake of the recent shootings to hit Seattle and many other cities around the country, has anyone, any single person thought, what can I do to make this stop?. I doubt that anyone has thought this, but rather you have all been thinking WHY? why did this happen, why did they do it, why, why, why. 

Well here is my opinion on why the youth of today is going a bit insane, and my answer to the allusive WHY.

I am much older than most college students, I am a non-traditional student, entering in way after graduating from high school. I have observed over the last 4 years of my college education as well as my earlier education years, the way my peers interact with each other. 

We spend countless hours attached to our phones, our computers, our televisions. 

What are we really gaining from these things? 

Not much... I can tell you at least a dozen things we are losing, and the biggest of them all is our ability to think critically, to analyze situations, and to communicate effectively.

 Why is it that no matter what school you attend people tend to flock into predefined clicks. Why is it that the jocks only hangout with jocks and cheerleaders. The nerds only with each other. and so on for each labeled group there is. 

It is because we allow ourselves to be defined but what we do and not who we are. 

I am not just a Business student, a worker, a friend, a girlfriend, a daughter, a mentor...

I am all of this and more, and I refuse to let anyone define me any other way. 

You are not just one thing , you are many things, and those things are what make you special. 

So don't be afraid to befriend people from a different place, venture outside your comfort zone.  

I mean life is only a sum of your experience so why not try to experience it all. 

To be quite frank, people don't actually interact anymore, or at least the majority no longer do. How can you listen to someone while your face is practically glued to your phone. How can you comprehend what is being asked of you if you're busy reading, typing or watching something else while someone is talking to you. 

The answer is you can't, and chances are what you are reading or listening to is just mindless time filler crap anyways, that has no value to your life. 

How do you think the Kardashian's got famous, I can tell you its not because they actually do anything worth knowing about, but because the sell themselves off to be mindless filler in your Friday night line up.  

We are so self consumed about the daily lives of others that we forget to live our own. We are losing our means of effective communication, and when someone does something to make us upset, instead of talking it out with them, we either bottle it up, or react in an unsettling way. 

This needs to stop, if someone makes you mad, tell them, how can we learn what hurts and doesn't hurt if no one tells you. 

Think about it ...

how did you learn that fire was hot... 

someone told you, and if they didn't tell you then well you probably got burned. 

We are no longer disciplined for our actions, we are sent into time out, where we don't fully understand the consequence of our actions. So we repeat them, until its too late to learn the right way to deal with our issues. 

I am not saying that a timeout doesn't work, but if all you are doing is isolating someone what have they really learned from their actions. That they can leave others for a while, then return as if nothing happened, and repeat or continue to do whatever it was they were doing in the first place. 

Children, Teens, Adults, I call you to action. Stop isolating your peers, stop judging people based on what they wear, where they are from, who they know, how they talk, or anything else for that matter. No one is perfect, no one is above anyone else, we all live on this planet together, so why not do it peacefully. You are the future of this world, and if you make it a dark place to live in all you will ever get in return is shadow play.  People hiding in the dark waiting for you to be vulnerable, and alone. Not because this is how they want to be, but because society as a whole has made them this way. 

So before you talk behind someones back, or gossip, or make fun of somebody, think about the impact it will have not only on them, but also how your peers will see you. Do you want to be known as a bully, a bitch, a whore, any of these things.. probably not, so why call someone else these things.  

Parents I call you to action, if your child does something that is unethical, harmful, hurtful or just plain rude, EXPLAIN to them why it is. DO NOT just reprimand them for the actions, all that teaches them is that punishment equals nothing. They need to understand why they are in trouble, and that certain actions equate to the loss of certain rights and freedoms. 

Our youth of today does not know how to effectively communicate their issues, troubles, fears, dreams, hopes, goals. We need to better equip them for the real world, not the fantasy one you would like them to believe is out there. 

If you send your child in to the world, without the right tools how can you expect them to succeed. 

Failure, yes is an important part of the learning process, but how they deal with failure will determine how they deal with other things in their lives. Failure does not have to be bad, it can be a learning experience in which they see the good in the bad, and not just the bad. 

Stop letting your self and the people around you stay naive and closed minded to the harsh reality of the world. 

Lastly, Mental Disabilities and  Mental disorders and issues are real, and we need to take care of the people who have these issues. We need to stop condemning them as if they had a choice in the matter. Being of sound mind is not a choice, some people are born a particular way, and we need to invest the time to research how to help them overcome this. 

WE SHOULD NOT BELITTLE ANYONE FOR ANY REASON

Many people suffer and end up on the streets because no one wanted to help them, or people are frighten of them. We need to take a stand as a country, we need to focus on the needs of our people and save the lives of the people here. before stretching out our hands to other countries. Charity is great, it does wonders, but if we can't help the people in our own backyard, what makes us think we can help others. 

Finally the answer to the WHY: is simple...

These people who commit acts of violence against their peers do it for many reason, but above all they do it because they want to be heard. They are making a statement, which more often than not is that they no longer wish to be ignored. 

So I urge you all to listen closely when someone speaks to you, and to take what they have to say seriously. Put down your phone, in fact turn it off, nothing that is on facebook, or twitter or instagram is more important than hearing someone hopes and dreams, fears and regrets.

They might be troubled by something, hurt or even feel lost. 

If you fail to do this, and decide not to hear them out all they will ever learn is that they do not matter and how they feel is not important. What they do is irrelevant in the eyes of others, and that their actions have no consequences. 

So stop playing in the shadows of life, and enter in to light. Be a beacon for the people around you, and set examples for your peers.

I am not saying that Technology is the reason to why shootings occur, but it is the reason we have lost the ability to communicate in person effectively. Why we have trouble talking about our feelings, because its easier to hide behind the screen and pretend all is okay. We allow the false sense of Internet friendships/relationships to over run our real life ones.
Take a break from technology to explore and learn in the real world, you would be surprised by what you find.

XOXO- Rika