Free Essays on Black Women In The Media

Mainstream media’s affect on the credibility and imaging of the Black Woman â€Å"Bend over to the front, touch your toes, bounce that ass up and down and get low!† blasts the latest rap song that seems to get a substantial amount of airtime. This particular song instructs a woman on how to perform an erotic strip tease. These lyrics are a small fragment of the images conveyed of Black women to audiences domestically as well as internationally. The American medium which includes radio, television, film, and other forms of advertisement continues to produce degrading, misleading, and destructive images of Black women. These images become unrelenting negative stereotypes that weaken the Political credibility of Black women in the White dominated patriarchic society. Cultural images of African American women based on stereotypes are at the very foundation of the problem of African American women’s limited access to societal resources and institutions (Jewell, 1992, p. 12). Stereotype as used here â€Å"is an imitation, a copy of something of someone that is, by means of the media machinery, held up first as THE symbol or symbols to the exclusion to others; and then repeatedly channeled out to viewers so often that in time it becomes a ‘common’ representation of something or someone in the minds of viewers† (Blackwood, 1986, p. 205). The purpose of this piece is to briefly examine factors that contribute to the social and political disenfranchisement of the Black woman. In particular, I examine how the oppressors use imagery and ideologies to maintain their superiority, while consigning Black women to an unscrupulous societal status. The media have been an effective instrument for conveying and proliferating cultural images (Jewell, 1992, p. 71). The â€Å"bad-black-girl† is depicted as alluring, sexually arousing and seductive. She fulfills the sex objectification requirement of White womanhood, although she is portrayed as... Free Essays on Black Women In The Media Free Essays on Black Women In The Media Mainstream media’s affect on the credibility and imaging of the Black Woman â€Å"Bend over to the front, touch your toes, bounce that ass up and down and get low!† blasts the latest rap song that seems to get a substantial amount of airtime. This particular song instructs a woman on how to perform an erotic strip tease. These lyrics are a small fragment of the images conveyed of Black women to audiences domestically as well as internationally. The American medium which includes radio, television, film, and other forms of advertisement continues to produce degrading, misleading, and destructive images of Black women. These images become unrelenting negative stereotypes that weaken the Political credibility of Black women in the White dominated patriarchic society. Cultural images of African American women based on stereotypes are at the very foundation of the problem of African American women’s limited access to societal resources and institutions (Jewell, 1992, p. 12). Stereotype as used here â€Å"is an imitation, a copy of something of someone that is, by means of the media machinery, held up first as THE symbol or symbols to the exclusion to others; and then repeatedly channeled out to viewers so often that in time it becomes a ‘common’ representation of something or someone in the minds of viewers† (Blackwood, 1986, p. 205). The purpose of this piece is to briefly examine factors that contribute to the social and political disenfranchisement of the Black woman. In particular, I examine how the oppressors use imagery and ideologies to maintain their superiority, while consigning Black women to an unscrupulous societal status. The media have been an effective instrument for conveying and proliferating cultural images (Jewell, 1992, p. 71). The â€Å"bad-black-girl† is depicted as alluring, sexually arousing and seductive. She fulfills the sex objectification requirement of White womanhood, although she is portrayed as...

The Science Behind How Popcorn Pops

The Science Behind How Popcorn Pops Popcorn has been a popular snack for thousands of years. Remnants of the tasty treat have been found in Mexico dating back to 3600 BC. Popcorn pops because each popcorn kernel is special. Heres a look at what makes popcorn different from other seeds and how popcorn pops. Why It Pops Popcorn kernels contain oil and water with starch, surrounded by a hard and strong outer coating. When popcorn is heated, the water inside the kernel tries to expand into steam, but it cannot escape through the seed coat (the popcorn hull or pericarp). The hot oil and steam gelatinizes the starch inside the popcorn kernel, making it softer and more pliable. When the popcorn reaches a temperature of 180 C (356 F),  the pressure inside the kernel is around 135 psi (930 kPa), which is sufficient pressure to rupture the popcorn hull, essentially turning the kernel inside-out. The pressure inside the kernel is released very quickly, expanding the proteins and starch inside the popcorn kernel into a foam, which cools and sets into the familiar popcorn puff. A popped piece of corn is about 20 to 50 times larger than the original kernel. If popcorn is heated too slowly, it wont pop because steam leaks out of the tender tip of the kernel. If popcorn is heated too quickly, it will pop, but the center of each kernel will be hard because the starch hasnt had time to gelatinize and form a foam. How Microwave Popcorn Works Originally, popcorn was made by directly heating the kernels. Bags of microwave popcorn are a bit different because the energy comes from microwaves rather than infrared radiation. The energy from the microwaves makes the water molecules in each kernel move faster, exerting more pressure on the hull until the kernel explodes. The bag that microwave popcorn comes in helps trap the steam and moisture so the corn can pop more quickly. Each bag is lined with flavors so when a kernel pops, it strikes the side of the bag and gets coated. Some microwave popcorn presents a health risk not encountered with regular popcorn because the flavorings are also affected by the microwave and get into the air. Does all corn pop? Popcorn that you buy at the store or grow as popcorn for a garden is a special variety of corn. The commonly cultivated strain is Zea mays everta, which is a type of flint corn. Some wild or heritage strains of corn will also pop. The most common types of popcorn have white or yellow pearl-type  kernels, although white, yellow, mauve, red, purple, and variegated colors are available in both pearl and rice shapes. Even the right strain of corn wont pop unless its moisture content has a moisture content around 14 to 15%. Freshly harvested corn pops, but the resulting popcorn will be chewy and dense. Sweet Corn and Field Corn Two other common types of corn are sweet corn and field corn. If these types of corn are dried so they have the right moisture content, a small number of kernels will pop. However, the corn that pops wont be as fluffy as regular popcorn and will have a different flavor. Attempting to pop field corn using oil is more likely to produce a snack more like Corn Nuts, where the corn kernels expand but dont break apart. Do other grains pop? Popcorn is not the only grain that pops! Sorghum, quinoa, millet, and amaranth grain all puff up when heated as the pressure from expanding steam breaks open the seed coat.