Kristen Reagan: Trivialization and "Sydney White"

For the movie, I watched the movie Sydney White, which is a modern spin on the Snow White story. In the movie, Sydney White is a girl whose has been raised by her father, a constructionist, after her mom died. Needless to say, Sydney is pretty much a tom-boy. All she knows about her mom is that she was in a sorority in college, so when Sydney heads off to college herself, she is determined to join the same sorority. However, once she gets to school, she figures out that the girls in the sorority are boy-crazy girly-girls, the complete opposite of her. This ties in to gender, because it is stereotyping girls. Most girls are seen as prissy girly-girls who only care about their hair, makeup and who they are going to date next. And then you have Sydney who is the non-stereotypical girl, who knows how to do hard labor thanks to her dad, and is not interested in the latest designers.

With the chapter on Trivialization, what I found most interesting was the part about trivial information in the media. McKee points out that we have the typical gossip magazines, which we would expect to publish trivial stories about celebrities lives. However, there are also the more "serious" media outlets that publish this material. He asks the question of it this should be applauded, or condemded. He asks if this material actually destroys the public sphere. He quotes someone who says that it should be illegal to publish this "trivial" material, because it takes the attention away from more important issues. In a way, I agree with this. When I am watching the news, I do not only want to hear about Britney Spears' latest breakdown. I would expect this if I were watching Entertainment Tonight, but not when I am watching CNN or MSNBC. Especially in the year of a Presidential election, there is more that can be discussed than the latest celebtiry gossip. However, I do not believe that the "trivial" material should be made illegal. I am a full supporter of the gossip magazines, and when I go to the grocery store, I pick up one of each kind. I just do not beleive it should be society's main focus...there are many other important things that can be discussed.