Reading Response 6

The Future Depends on Changes
A passage from, “Lest We Think the Revolution is a Revolution,” written by Cynthia Selfe. Selfe states about the illustrated ads called the “Land of Difference narrative,”-is present not in what they show, but what they fail to show. There is remarkable absence in all the images of people of color, and poor people, and people who are out of work, and single-parent families, and gay couples and foreigners. If citizens of all kinds are to have access to technology and the opportunities it provides, we do not see such a narrative imagined in the Land of Difference narrative; if technology is to improve the lives of all Americans regardless of race and class and other differences, our collective ability to envision such a world is not evident in these images.
What Selfe is basically saying here is we need to expand our advertising to include everyone that makes up our society. Not to limit our advertisements to show only a specific group of people based on the color of their skin, their level of income, education, or marital status. The world is changing with the use of technology and in order for the world to grow and expand with technology; we need to drop the stereotyping of citizens and except everyone equally.
Although I agree with Selfe up to a point, I cannot accept her overall conclusion that we as Americans would limit a person from pursuing a desire that they want to achieve. I have noticed a slow gradual change to media advertising. For example, President Obama’s, (who is our first African-American President of the United States) words of encouragement to return to college. By offering federal grants and financial income to help with furthering educational goals. Also, college advertisements; are offering online training, classes available to take around work schedule, and the people in these ads are colored, both genders, and middle age with children. So I do believe change is occurring, but it occurring slowly in order for American to adapt to change. Women today are not just homemakers; it is very much a reality to see them in the work force, and many times the man staying home to care for the children. It’s all about how far you want to look outside the “box.” I also foresee the first woman president is not very far from happening.

The countering strategy I used was IV. “Yes/No/Perhaps but…,” to show that I understood where she was coming from in her statement that she had wrote ten years ago, and also to illustrate how society has been changing since she wrote this. In order for change to happen it takes time and encouragement from others to allow this to happen.