Reviewing Ross’s Blog
Review –
Overall I really like how Ross’s blog is set up. It’s very easy to find what I wanted and the website decorations did not distract but added to the personality of the page. He has one link on his page, which leads to RAINN, which seems to be a national organization helping victims of rape, abuse and incest. It is a very informative website and I learned quite a lot in the time I was able to look around. It’s nice to see where he places his interests as far as organizations go. I wonder if there are other places, blogs, or projects which hold some interest or even tell a little about where he’s coming from.
The blogs themselves are very insightful. He seems to have a lot of passion when it comes to the crossing of youth education and media. His review of Disney movies and cartoons was very inspiring. This was an amazingly well thought-out piece with some examples that I have never seen used in this type of analysis before. Drawing on matrix ideologies to bring together the representation of racism, tokenism, and racialization of characters and link it to the public climate and it’s representation in the media showed a larger picture of oppressive ideologies. These ideologies push us at a very young age to grow up and identify with these characters in one way or another. He continues on in other blogs discussing the ever changing faces of racism and how even though it starts early it certainly doesn’t end there for there are many factors guiding us not only in childhood.
Ross’s ability to explain and examine the patriarchal systems of oppression and privilege are very compelling as well. He is able to see the system as just that, a system, and with that lens observe it from a distance allowing for an accurate representation of the parts and their functions. Working from personal experiences he is able to show discovery not only through text but in an everyday arena. I really appreciated the personal view point grounding the text. It is very easy to read and then forget that the words describe systems that are playing out all around us and not just in the pages.
As it all wraps up I fund that I would like to know more about how he personally fits into the systems in which he writes about so passionately. I feel that the piece ‘Racism in Children’s Entertainment’ was a turning piece for him and there is much more to be said from his particular lens. Granted I have to keep in mind that the structural systems influencing my life are not necessarily the same as the ones he sees and I review this website based on what I believe is eye catching and makes me stop and think. In the end I find that possibly pulling in more inter-sectionality in the form of sexuality and class issues as well as keeping global ideologies and methods in mind even if it’s the absence of them will open the analysis for further reviews.
