I Am SO Glad I Don't Live In Jersey - Media Meditation #8

As I sit here trying to come up with a topic for my 8th and final media meditation, I start to thinking about what media I am currently consuming. I've already written about Facebook and Craig's List (two tabs I have open at the moment) so that's a bust. What about that background noise, the television. When I'm home I usually have the television on constantly just so I don't feel so alone in my 1 bedroom apartment. When I'm trying to work on homework I put on something I'm not terribly interested in so that I won't tune out my homework in favor of the TV.

Tonight's selection is "True Life: I Have a Summer Share" with the description: "Young people fuse together to rent weekend share houses on the Jersey Shore." Here's a little taste below for your viewing pleasure:



At this point, you are most likely agreeing whole heartily with this blog post's title.

Now, let's analyze their first tactic for picking up girls, waving them down on the side of the road with a "Let's Get Naked" sign. While these men were quite smart in attempting to reach the reptilian brain going for the natural instinct of sexual needs and the instinct to reproduce. However, they failed to realize that the reptilian brain contains the "fight or flight" function, and looking at them, I'd say the reaction is to run, and fast.

Another aspect of this tactic is the use of the neocortex. By holding a sign with writing on it, women driving by would need to use high levels of brain function to drive safely AND process the words on their sign at the same time. Taking this high level of brain function into consideration, these men were not aiming for their target market. They were hoping for attractive women who would be sexually promiscuous with them. Women with the high level of brain function needed to perform this task are certainly not the type to get with these guys. If they really wanted to attract their target market they should have had a much less sophisticated appeal.

Of course, who I am to judge? As I learned in our Media and Society text, social construction of reality is when a reality exists and we negotiate the meaning of that reality (pg. 7). These are just "Leah's Thoughts" and that doesn't mean everyone will agree with me. Especially this guy: