12 Angry Men is a classic that I’ve actually read about previous to watching this film. To quickly summarize the movie, it places 12 jurors in a court who must deliberate between each other to find whether a teenage boy should be found guilty of first-degree murder. The film is pretty straight forward and has a happy ending but there are multiple overshadowed issues that are hinted during the film. In whole the film has a much deeper meaning than the gazing eye may happen to see. 12 Angry Men sheds light on issues regarding race, stereotypes, and the United States justice system.

The racial and stereotypical views and issues have caused major issues in our country and it is ever so true in the film 12 Angry Men. 11 jurors came to the conclusion that a young Puerto Rican boy was to be found guilty even with a lack of evidence because he basically fit a description and was falsely testified against. Look our nation and how easily people are racial stereotyped, its a real and scary thing for minorities. We are look at as “capable” for certain crimes so it isn’t hard to pinpoint us as suspects. Calling the Puerto Rican boy guilty was the easy decision and that is what all but one agreed to do. The one juror who decided to be different by voting guilty and seeing that there were holes in the witness statement shows that sometimes all you need is one person to make a change. The minority in a situation can have a voice, it is just about having the strength to go against the norm because you will face backlash for your decision.

The United States justice system is flawed in many areas but that is a much deeper conversation to get into another time. Just touching on the subject of the justice system and juries, you have people who are in positions to change someone’s life forever without much care because of selfish desires. In 12 Angry Men you had an individual who only wanted to make a decision so they could attend a baseball game. A jury can altering a beings entire livelihood and walk away like nothing ever happen. With jury duty there has to be some type of accountability that comes with it, if people have no care then they can’t judge something. The most interesting thing within the film is that even with all the arguing and opinions that were thrown around during the trial, at the end the jurors went there different directions with no animosity towards one another. The deeper meaning behind 12 Angry Men is that in any case there must be a sense of responsibility, unity, and understanding or we will all fall. DON’T BE SCARED TO BE DIFFERENT !

It seems a little surreal to be saying that this is my last blog for our class because this semester feels like it just flew by. Blog writing has been a creative outlet for me outside of class so to incorporate that intellectual flow in my schoolwork has made learning more enjoyable. I am also a big fan of media and have enjoyed discussing different genres and media outlets, especially in relation to how they affect our society.

The 1957 Film ’12 Angry Men’ was an interesting movie to watch as it was not only powerful and thought-invoking, but shone light on important issues of our judicial process within sentencing defendants. The movie focuses on 12 jurors called to serve on the trial of a Hispanic teenager accused of stabbing his father with a switchblade knife, sentenced to the death-chair if proven guilty. The odds seem stacked against the boy who already has a criminal record and grew up with limited education in tenement housing. The 12 all-male jurors are extremely similar, being of mostly white ethnicity, around middle age and of a middle-class background. The viewer witnesses the harsh pressures they are put under while deliberating, sitting around rectangular tables in sweaty cramped rooms after hearing sub-par evidence in the teen’s defense from his uninterested public-defendant- who didn’t want to take the job in the first place. This clearly disadvantaged minority boy’s life is on the line and this trial is unfair to say the least.

However there is hope. One influential, open-minded juror (Henry Fonda) provides reasonable evidence on the teenagers behalf, urging the other jurors to refrain in resolving the accused with such simple evidence, considering the situation more holistically. He see’s reasonable doubt in the defendant’s inadequate case to be heard and understood in ways that the other jurors are simply unable to resonate with- even if some believe to have been through similar struggles themselves. This film highlights the vast differences in personality types of these men, some angry and quick to judge, some indifferent and eager to just vote ‘guilty’ and go about their life. Others are refreshingly more thoughtful and inclined to help the oppressed. In many ways this courtroom is representative of the survival of the fittest mentality shown in many societies. Either you are liked and established or have too many roadblocks to prove yourself and succeed, especially in a construct built to tear you down.

As my last blog for Social Media and Society comes to an end I’d like to reflect on some concepts that we’ve used in deciphering common media messages and effects. Whenever I watch a movie from now on I don’t think I’ll use the initial rating as my point of reference for it being too much of anything- vulgar, scary or violent. I’ll look for hidden messages in television and movies alluding to our society and how different demographics are represented amongst plot-lines and characters. Additionally, I don’t think that I’ll discriminate against watching older movies in black and white or ones that didn’t make it to the theaters or have a lot of hype upon their releases. Overall I really enjoyed this class and reading everyones blogs. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read mine and comment on my ideas and respond to class questions.

Farewell or.. So Long!

This weeks screening of “12 Angry Men” was based in 1957 about a trial of a young man who killed his father by stabbing him to death. The jury was made up of 12 men who had to decide the sons fate. This movie actually reminded me of an episode of Family Guy that had a similar story line. The majority of the men stuck to one outcome just to get out of the trial fast to go home, but one of the men felt the opposite so they had to stay and decide the mans fate. The men weren’t given any names until the very last scene. Throughout the film, the men seem to have a range of different personalities, yet they still all settled in the case and just took the majorities favor in the group, but one of them kept standing up for what they believed happened. This to me was a great film to end the semester on since it is very relatable to todays current state. The country is so divided and people will see one statement and believe its true just because a lot of people agree with it, but that doesn’t necessarily make it true.

Though this semester had its many ups and downs, I could always count on this class to make my day. I really enjoyed all the material we looked at and discussed, it was very interesting to see the background and a lot of the phycological aspects that mass media has on people. When I was first coming into this class I had expected that we were going to focus more on the present day mass media outlets and was surprised to learn that we would start all the way back to the printing press. I have definitely learned a lot from this course. Prof. S, thank you so much for an amazing semester you were by far one of the best professors I have had at Alfred. Thank you again, I hope you have a wonderful and safe break! Happy Holidays!

Watching the film “12 Angry Men” wasn’t bad as I thought it would be. Due to the fact that it was an older movie in black & white it didn’t really grasp my attention at first. But when I got engaged, it was somewhat entertaining. I found it interesting how interactions went in a court room back then. It made me realize that people depend on other people’s thought process to generate their own. In the film there were twelve members of men who were selected to be a jury for a murder trial. The defendant was a young colored teen who was accused of killing his father. If the young teen was to be pronounced gulity he would be facing a death sentence in the electric chair. With the evidence provided for the jury, 11 out of the 12 men decided mark the young man as guilty. Due to the fact that 12 out of 12 men did not mark the defendant guilty the trail had to continue until the jury made a final decision. These men were already aggy that they had to be apart of the jury so they became even more frustrated that they had to stay longer until a decision was made. Jury #8 was the jury who found the boy not guilty. He was bothered that the other men were so quick to send a possible young man to be sentenced to death. Some parts of the case was bothering him, he wanted more time to think. Since the jury needs an unanimous decision to be made Jury #8 expresses his reasoning to the other jury to why the young teen could possibly not be guilty. After Jury #8 became vocal with his thoughts on the case the jury was issued to vote again to come to a verdict. However this time around jury #8 wasn’t involved in this round of voting. Sure enough out of the remaining men another jury decided to agree and votes not guilty so the trail continues. The longer the discussion the more jurors seem to realize what Jury #8 was saying makes sense. At the end of the conversation all jurors changed their verdict from guilty to not guilty expect one person Jury #3. Jury #3 had a personal grudge against defendant because of certain things he went through in his life. He felt the need to punish someone for his downfall in life. He had to let go of that past hurt and realize that a young boys life was on the line. He then made a change in decision and voted not guilty. Jury #8 was basically able to spare a young innocent boys life and prove his innocence. It’s crazy how at first the other men were so quick to vote the young boy as guilty without having that consious that he just might not be guilty. It took someone to go against the grain for the other men to actually see.

This class this semster was easier than expected. If time management and more effort was put in on my part I would’ve realized that from the beggining. In due time one will learn form their mistakes and strive for better.

This is my final blog in Mass Media and American life. Overall, I really enjoyed this course and everything we learned and researched. Usually I use Professor Schlegel’s zoom classes as a podcast. Very interesting stuff all the time around the world of media in the past and even looking more in depth into the future. Last year I took Social Media and Society with Professor S. If I had to pick between the two courses, I would pick this one, even though the previous course with him was all about social media, we still covered a lot of that in this class and then a lot more added onto that as well. There was definitely more thrown at us during this course with the history and dilemmas with the media and American Culture. I wish we could have been in person for these classes because you pay attention better and are more tuned in if you’re in person learning face to face, however we have to adapt to new changes due to the COVID outbreak. I hope this goes away soon as it is getting very old and tiring. The class was fine over zoom though as we had no major group work or hands on activities. I look forward to taking more media classes in the future. 

The screening we had to watch to wrap up the semester was called “12 Angry Men”. A movie that was based in 1957 about a trial of a young teen who killed his father by stabbing him to death. The Jury is made up of 12 men, hence the name 12 Angry Men. None are given names throughout the entire film until the very ending of the screening. All of them having mixed personalities from each other, every member of the jury seems unique in some way. Most of the jury would just follow the group and settle with what the whole says instead of standing up with what they actually believe in. One of the members however consistently stands up for what he believes in, which really stands out because nobody else is really doing that. The film ends and it leaves you in immediate thought for a while, the directors purposely made it this way as you never really find out what ends up happening with the trial. 

I really enjoyed writing blogs for this course. I enjoy writing about what we learn and also see what everyone else has to say about the same topic. Even though we have specific guidelines to follow for each blog, there is a good amount of freedom that we are given to while writing our blogs, we can express ourselves an share what we think about a specific topics in the media world. Pictures below is a really cool “Mad Men” themed poster of the 1957 hit “12 Angry Men”

Sidney Lumet directs 12 Angry Men. 12 Angry Men is a closing argument of a murder trial as the jury attempts to figure if the defendant is guilty or not guilty. In this film, we discover the extent to which these 12 men would prove that the verdict was guilty. But in due time of notice, the courtroom’s facts had too many gray areas; a dozen men finally decided that the verdict was not guilty. I find it eye-opening in this film how easy going the men were talking about another man’s life. While I have never been a jury member, it only makes me wonder how many wrongful accusations were made because the jury wanted to hurry and watch a baseball game. This film illustrated the forgetfulness humans have for only another. Our attempt to forget to be empathic can lead us to do wrongful things. Secondly, the story of 12 Angry Men was so such a simple storyline with an amazing execution. The shots taken within 12 Angry Men of the men facing away from the table while the opposing men who choose guilt dispute were on the table was a fantastic shot. Also, each close-up of someone face, hand, or sweat provided a personal feeling to each character a they switched their vote to “not guilty.” Lastly, I would like to mention how media has diluted the mind of these men. A few of the men who thought the verdict was guilt at first used uncharted “facts” without any real evidence. Many of them used their thought of people who lived in the slum and why the verdict doesn’t know what he did. Instead of being unbiased and looking at the facts and evidence as data, it is apart from cultural stereotypes.

Reflection

Mass Media and American Life was an excellent class that better understood the media’s connection to society. Media has a way of consuming society’s ear way, minds, and sight. Sometimes so much that we don’t even notice how many times we see it in a day. Attending this course, however, has provided me with a to detect media in society. I have found that this course has illuminated the aftereffect media has on the culture and myself. I highly appreciate the lectures and the conversation in this class as they open up discussions and thoughts on cultural topics. I would recommend any student that’s thinking about trying a communication course to attend this class. The cultural references and how things connect in this world are far from any other courses I’ve participated in in the past

12 Angry Men was a masterpiece ahead of it’s time in my opinion. Almost everything detailed or inferred in this movie is still relevant and can be applied today. Taken at face value this is a movie about doing your due diligence and saving the life of a wrongfully convicted boy. Breaking it down I saw each juror involved in the deliberation of the case as representations of the different social groups and individuals we currently see in our country. I found it very interesting to see the thought processes and reasonings behind each juror compared to their occupation. Overall it was a pretty great movie and i’d love to look at it more in depth and learn the persuasion techniques used throughout the movie.

One of the biggest things that stuck out to me over anything was the way that the judge pushed the case onto the jurors. It didn’t seem like he gave the case too much thought and didn’t even care. What we’ve seen over this past year is how broken and corrupt our nation’s justice system is. There are thousands of people all around this country wrongfully convicted every single year. There are thousands of people being punished for crimes others walked away free from.

Throughout this semester I have further strengthened my political approach and broadened my outlook. Throughout this semester I really enjoyed analyzing the media and how/why the operate. The most interesting things that stuck out for me were the communication theories, as they contributed the most to my growth. This was one of my first non engineering/math/science courses since my freshman year so it was a really nice opportunity to step away and learn things that I tend to enjoy more. I have hardly had the chance to write essays or even a blog these past 3ish years so this was a fun experience that I missed from high school. Overall this semester and this year have been very rough on me, as I assume they have been with everyone else. I really appreciate the positive atmosphere you always brought to class and your approach to teaching. I absorbed more information that I expected out of this course and am very happy with having taken this course.

Thanks for a great semester and thanks again for all of the understanding and help you’ve given us during this pandemic! Happy Holidays!

Watching 12 angry men was a very interesting film to watch. Seeing 12 angry men and a almost completed murder case reminded of a family guy episode I watched. Over time they changed their opinion on a case that seemed to be completely closed. All it took is for one person to speak their opinion and question the majority. In today’s society the one that has a different opinion usually is pushed away and not even allowed to voice their opinion. It also is very rare for someone to question the majority in today’s society. If someone is told something or watches the news they believe it immediately because they don’t want to look into it or speak for themselves. Instead of taking the easy route they spoke up for themselves and the group was later convinced and realized that the man had a point. What he was saying was not just lets all do this quick and get this over with. They took the time to look into it and explore all possibilities.

This year learning the inside and outs of a blog has been very interesting. Going into this class and learning we had to make a blog every week, I’m not going to lie, I was not looking forward to. I’ve never thought of myself to make a blog but this class has been very changing. I feel my blogs haven’t been bad but not amazing. I don’t see the public wanting to read my blogs but reading some of the comments that my classmates have made they must not be awful. Reading everyone’s blogs every week allows us as students to see others perspectives on topics. The topics we have covered have been very interesting and its nice to see everyone’s thoughts on these topics. I think this is kind of what we needed during hard times with COVID. Everyone being able to voice their opinions and try something new in a form of a blog. And with everything being online it allows us to social distance and able to interact and communicate through our blogs. Overall I liked the class and learning something new.

12 Angry Men is a look of how society works and has worked for the longest time. The movie starts when a Puerto Rican kid is charged with the killing of his father. Most of the evidence seems to point to his guilt, and several witnesses testified to having seen or heard the boy commit the murder. A guilty verdict carries an automatic death sentence.the foreman Juror 1 tries to organize the jury, and most of the jurors appear eager to quickly confirm a guilty verdict and get on with their lives. But Juror 8 is the sole hold out. He believes the defense lawyer was poor, leaving many questions unanswered, and he demands the jury members fulfil their duty by delving into the various aspects of the case in more detail to examine whether or not there is reasonable doubt.

The quickness at which the jury want to get to a verdict is very resemblance of how many African Americans have felt with how the courts have treated them not caring about evidence and only caring about convictions. This very present when 7 of the men are really mad about not getting past this because they have “better” stuff to do. One wants to get back to watch a sports game… This shows you how much a persons life means to this juror.

The men represent a mosaic of the white men who made up American society of the day, from professionals to ordinary Joes, from the middle-aged to the elderly, from bigots to immigrants, and from the relatively rich to the relatively poor. The film becomes an examination of the jury’s motivation as much as it is a legal drama, the true colors of each juror sequentially emerging as the group delves into the difficult evidence of the case. This eventually leads to the decision which sees that the evidence presented shows that the kid is innocent and shouldn’t be convicted.

I read the play 12 Angry Men in high school and I remembered a lot from it. We actually read it out lot and did a little play of it, I was the foremen. We also watched this exact same movie after reading it. I think the story is very compelling and honestly still very relevant.

Humans do tend to just follow the group and not want to stick out and the play really highlights this. Juror 8 really stands up for himself and what he believes in which is hard to do in that kind of setting. It would have been easy for him to just go along with it move on with his life but he doesn’t he sits and fights for what he believes in.

I thought the class was a lot of fun! Going through all the media outputs and how they effect us is pretty interesting. This semester I was also taking an alternative marketing class which focused a lot of different types of media in marketing and I was able to pull a lot of similarities between the two classes. I do think we could have spent more time on music. It is such huge part of who we are as humans more so than any other form of media and it was sad to just brush pass it.