April 14, 2008

For the past week it has been almost impossible to avoid seeing the disturbing video of 6 teenage girls savagely beating one if their former friends. The idea that young teenagers could plot something so inhumane and disgusting is just mind blowing. The idea that these 8 teenagers ranging in age from 14 to 18 could all possibly be tried as adults seems a bit excessive so the question now being asked by the public and the media is, does the punishment fit the crime?  The young girl was kidnapped and  beaten unconscious for 30 minutes but  some media response to the arrest of the 8 teens is that this was just an act of kids being kids and sometime kids get beat up. Although i strongly disagree with this point and believe that this situation is much different than a kid getting beat up on the back of a school bus, I don’t believe throwing 8 teenagers in jail will solve anything.

in class movie

The film, The Queen, is a movie that depicts the aftermath of the death of Princess Diana dealt with by the Royal Family, the public, and at the time new British prime minister Tony Blair. The film deals with many issues surrounding public relations and its effects. For me, this was my second time viewing the film and watching it in relation to our class, cases and campaigns, gave me a different perspective on the film. While the plot of the film surrounds the death of Princess Diana, that is not what the movie is about. As you see how the Royal Family, in particular Queen Elizabeth II, responds to the public you begin to see how much media and society rely on that interaction.