For the week of November third to the seventh, educators across Canada were supposed to create awareness about media literacy. I think they failed.
The only reason I knew about “National Media Education Week” was because I had to write this blog and Professor Lipton had mentioned it in lecture. Other than that, there was nothing around campus, on the radio or the internet that enlightened me about this event or gave me any awareness of what it had to offer. To find out what is happening with the media, you have to go look for it yourself and cannot expect for it to be handed to you on a silver platter. The only people that are aware of the twistedness of the media are the ones who truly care, and those are the ones that are media literate. If only the people who know about the media keep striving for more media intelligence, than it is just going to be a never ending circle where information flows only to those inside the circle of knowledge, but no one outside of it. But it shouldn’t be that way. Even if people do not care about media education, others should still bring about awareness, so perhaps those people will care, or at least will think about it and take it into consideration, so we don’t have to live in a herd-like society.
I stand by everything what I say, but it is also our own fault that those who are media-illiterate are media-illiterate. Many people complain about how the media is taking over society, but they are not doing much about it. We have the right to know what is happening, and we have numerous sources to find out that information, whether we take it or not, is our own choice.
A choice. We can choose to be media-literate or not, but some people need that extra push. Many people know about the problems that are occurring in society, but choose not to do anything about it, that is their prerogative, but if they are the same people that complain about the immorality and dominance of media, there is a problem there.
On the whole, the whole point of “Media Education Week” was to create awareness, not only to the people that are literate, but those who aren’t as well. This is their little extra push. But if what it has to take is to be in a media class to hear about this week, than the ones who weren’t involved in media education, did not stand a chance.
