no ,o u . friday, december 12, 1980 page 12 daily nebraskan 1,1 y' oaGi?(ifiirainniinifi Centennial class looks at women's media roles By Pete Schmitz No one is going to tic me to this machine Giving me formula forced dreams (jetting more hold on me than it seems. . . Heart Americans born after World War II would be hard -put to deny their signifigance of the mass media in their every day lives. When many of us arc not at work we arc watch ing television, going to the movies, listening to the radio, putting on an album, glancing through a magaine or read ing a newspaper. After the 50s, it became acceptable for scholars and journalists to study and write about the effects of the media on audiences. Yet until recently, little concern was given to how the mass media, or popular culture, reflect and reinforce traditional sex roles. This semester Centennial College offered a course that deals with sexism in the media titled, "The Construction of self: Wimmin And The Mass Media." Feminist perspective Mary Jo Deegan, assistant professor of sociology, and Terry Nygren, curator of Sheldon Film Theatre's "Trav eling Motion Picture Exhibition," taught the class from a feminist perspective. According to Nygren, many people were critical of the idea of a class being taught in a politically-based way. claiming that to do so was academically irresponsible. Classmembcr Theresa Holder said, "I think every class taught at this university comes from a political perspect ive." Although "Wimmin And The Mass Media" is a femin ist course, other schools of thought were considered such as Marxism, Freudianism, and Structuralism. Instead of viewing these theories as opposed to each other, the instructors and students explored how each of these interpretations of history and everyday life can be combined in order to explain a woman's place in society. Theoretical understanding Many students stressed the importance of learning how to use "theoretical tools." Aside from looking for examp les of sexist stereotypes, students in the class were expect ed to explain why these stereotypes still exist as well as how they were constructed and accepted. According to Nygren. "The members of this class have reached an extremely sophisticated concept of theoretical understanding." Early classes consisted of discussing the required texts and listening to some lectures. Later classes were devoted to presenting student projects. Children's television, images of black women in white magazines of the World War II era, magazines for work ing women, magazine and television advertisements, women in popular music, representations of women in science fiction, women in sitcoms, and the movie Caddy shack were discussed. While working in various theoretical frameworks, the women in this class used an assortment of analytical methods such as historical documentation, content anal ysis and statistical analysis. In the future, the class plans to put all its projects to gether in book form. Affects outlook When asked how this class has affected their outlook on the media, Lori Grajeda remarked, "We all get sick ol watching T.V. as a result of being in tins class. Jean I'otmesil questioned the frequent use ol male voice-overs in television commercials where many times a woman is holding the product being advertised. Judy dangler also mentioned that television was oppressive in the disproportionate number of men it shows. One class member said, "I came into this class thinking that everything is fine. Maybe this class will affVct the way I raise my children." Another added, "My little sister will now see things in television commercials." Others in class have run into barriers, though. Sheila Krueger said that others have responded to her criticism of various media by saying she reads too much into things. Nancy Grant-Colson added that people cannot understand the dynamics of the socialization process." Deegan commented that consciousness-raising is dif ficult when people are embedded in various traditional relationships. Julie Engel summarized the intent of this class saying that it "is like the pebble in the pond with a ripple eff fect." The other students said they have gotten friends, roommates and relatives, to view television critically. Don we now our clean apparel D eck the halls with dirty laundry, Fa let lei The problems with the holiday season is that the most banal, everyday things in life go on in spite of the festive atmosphere. I look under the Christmas tree and I see not a trea sure trove of gaudily-wrapped presents, but a couple of piles of dirty laundry. Mixed in with the daily haul of Christmas cards is the monthly bill from Cengas. The electric bill, the grocery shopping and the dirty dishes also know no holiday. But the task which least reflects the holiday spirit remains the laundry. dark There has to be something about these chores that could be highlighted so as to make them palatable dur ing the holiday season. They will never be glamourous, of course; even the companies that make money on such tasks, companies like the laundry soap manufac turers, realize this. You never hear ads like, "If you've got a very personal message for that someone special this Christmas, remember to say it with Ciorox." What we need is a mundane Christmas story, some thing specifically designed to artificially elevate those household drudgeries for the duration of the holidays. The scene: A laundromat. It is Christmas t i e and I have gone to do my laundry. I am trying to carry my load of rapidly mildewing clothes into the laundromat, but there is somebody in my way at the door. "Halt! Who goes there!" says the man at the door. He's real short, about three feet tall, and kind of swarthy looking. He's wearing one of those jumpsuits like garage mechanics wear with his name, "Tom," written in script above the breast pocket. He is smoking a cigar. "I just came to do my laundry," I say. "I'll bet. Let's see your identification." "Since when do I need identification to get into a coin op laundromat, and who are you to ask me for it?" You need identification ever since it became Christmas Eve, and the one that wants to know is me, Tom, one of Santa's elves." ''Santa's eleves, huh? How come you're dressed like that then?" "Union rules. Those stupid little silk jerkins and belled slippers we were wearing before we organized were maybe real nice for the cutesy-image, hut they were uncomfortable and unsafe." I have no explanation about why I started to be lieve him, but I did, at least partially. I wanted more proof that he was the real McCoy, though; I mean, anybody can go around saying he's one of Santa's elves. "If you are one of Santa's elves." I said, pointing a finger at his pudgy face, "then where is Santa?" "He's out collecting laundry, dope," said the elf, blowing a smoke ring in my face in the process, "just like he does every Christmas Eve." I thought I had him, and was ready to expose him as a fake. "Who are you kidding?" I said, "You don't even know the Santa Claus legend!" "You may know the legend," said Tom, unperturb ed, "but I know the real story." He had me convinced. "Santa Claus isn't the big toybearer?" "That's all a front. Geez. you ought to know that by now. I mean, you've bought Christmas gifts for years now, so you ought to know that's not his job. What Santa Claus does is go around to every house in the world and pick up the dirty clothes. He brings them here, we launder them, and he brings them back. What else would he bundle up in those big bags of his?" "I'd never thought about it before." "Probably not. And you've probably never stopped to ask why you're supposed to hang your stockings by the chimney with great care, either. Well, what you're supposed to do is put your laundry list in the stockings, and list your special instructions; you know, no starch, no bleach, pre-soak, stuff like that." I was impressed. "Santa Claus really gets around in that one night, huh?" "Oh, that's nothing. We've got people, elves I mean, running all over the world doing household chores. I hope you left your door unlocked, because we've got a representative swinging around your neighborhood right now to take out the garbage, if you live in the Nebraska-Iowa-Kansas tri-statc region." "No. I locked up." "Well, then get home kid. and hurry. Go. go, go!" "That's ho-ho-ho, I thought." "Don't get cute. Merry Christmas." Japanese 'can' their writers On his recent stopover in Lincoln, poetnovelist Richard Brautigan spoke glowingly of Japanese publish ing. The Japanese are apparently voracious readers, which has helped publishing in Japan to be somewhat of a boom industry. This is, of course, very healthy for Japanese writers, as well as those foreigners whose work is success ful in translation. lJUUUou , sangari The publishing houses have their own magazines, which is a rational way to give their prose wide market exposure. What is exciting though is that the houses give younger writers a chance to publish in these magazines, so there is a constant and healthy influx of new writers all the time. This is augmented by a great deal of prize money and' grants being made available to the rookies to encourage participation. The quality too, of Japanese fiction is incredibly high. The books themselves are printed on high quality pap' and are often very carefully put together. Japanese books are among the finest in the world. All this of course is sheer torture in the face of the pathetic state of American publishing, which has nose dived in the last few years. Tis a hitter tale for true. At any rate, the thing I find most fascinating about Japanese publishing, as described by Brautigan. are the hotels maintained by the industry. Brautigan says that the Japanese have borrowed an American phrase to describe them. The phrase is "can rung" or "canned." Writers arc literally -canned" at writers hotels. It s an oddly intriguing idea. What happens The publishing houses maintain entire hotels for writers. They pump in the purest breathable oxygen possi ble, provide the best food and provide pleasant surround ings. Then the writers (under contract) are locked in their rooms with their editors, who edit as they write They arc kept away from family, friend ard an sort of distrac tion that might get in the way of finishing the., work. If ired, the editor will allow them to sleep for six hours then wdl wake them up. and the writing-editing process starts all over again. 61 Brautigan says that ,t ha, been many a t.me when he mus, have a ,,, f, , m Continued on Page 13