Wonder or Wander

Chapter 11: Media Knowledges, Warrior Citizenry and Postmodern Literacies (Peter McLaren and Rhonda Hammer) Media knowledges are accumulated through collective cognitive engagement in various cultural forms such as film, television and radio, and the complexity of media forms calls for postmodern literacies. To that extent, media knowledge is refered as "perpetual pedagogy" delivered by the postmodern flaneur, who carries a camera and bombard audience with assembled images in which geohistorical context of an event is annihilated. The power of media subjugates our subjectivities and cognition of social structure and struggles, and thus controls political life; therefore education on critical media literacy is necessary and the aim of the education is to create "communities of resistance, counter-hegemonic sphere and oppositioned pedagogy." (P.137, dilemmas on the credibility of the critical pedagogy of media literacy are explained, but I don't get it.) Chapter 1...

Chapter 6: Chomsky, the Empire, and Media Literacy (Joe Kincheloe) Introducing the next chapter written by Chomsky in 1991. Kincheloe calls the 21st century, where free-market policies and neo-conservatists prevail and justify neo-imperial invasions, the recovery movement as a continued passion from the "Vietnam syndrome" and points out media responsibility for failing to investigate the claim made by the U.S. to justify the pre-emptive war against Iraq. Chapter 7: The New World Order (Noam Chomsky) According to Chomsky, the New World Order is being created by the political leadershop in Washington and London, where corporate interests dominate their governmental decisions, and it turns their countries into "mercenary states" and the global Mafia with their exploitative military power; Furthermore, while German-led Europe and Japan "Latin-Americanize" the old Soviet tyranny, the rest of the Third World is controlled by "economic pressure if possible, ...

Directed and Photographed by Tom Peosay (2002) Beautiful and powerful images were taken for over 10 years. Very patiently and engagingly observed through a camera lens. It is about the history of Tibet and the people's struggles for freedom. It also shows how intellectuals can join to be part of the movement. "For Tibetans, religion is a source of fun" (one of the interviewees), and monks and nuns stood up non-violently to protect their freedom for their religion as well as the life of their people. When Chinese military troops arrived in Tibet, where prosperity and peace had been kept for over 700 years, justified their violent occupation by saying saving the people from Anglo-American imperialism. But ironically the Tibetans didn't seem to even be widely exposed to it yet, although they had been invaded by the British before Chinese came. This documentary doesn't mention this part. Overall, it is a very touching and compelling documentary.

Chapter 2: Preface to the Myth of the Liberal Media (Noam Chomsky) Historically political/economical elites have tried to grant limited rights to the public. In the U.S., this tendency is well reflected in the market control of media. According to Edward Herman, the audiences are the "product" sold to markets all linked to state power. Chapter 3: Word Tricks and Propaganda (Edward Herman) Frame works of the usage of words to serve state propaganda. (1) Purring: reform, responsible, flexible, national security, moderate, etc. (2) Snarling: extremist, terrorist, dictator, welfare(--why is this a snarling word?). Provokes public anger. (3) Putdowns: less aggressive words, such as noisy leftist vs. quiet neoliberalist. (4) Playing down violence: violence executed by the state or client state is described only "tough" action in the pursuit of security, thus justified. (5) Obscuring appeasement of client state terror: commercial diplomacy, quiet diplomacy, constructive en...