Going to Disneyland Paris is something I never thought I would do in my life. Although we were in a different country and certain things were different from Disneyland or Disney World in the United States, a majority of items were pretty similar, if not exactly the same. While at Disneyland, I noticed a lot of examples of cross-promotion and corporate ownership. For example, they only sold Coca-Cola products at all of the food stands and restaurants, no Pepsi. Disney most likely has a cross-brand promotion deal that says Disney can only sell Coca-Cola products, and they make a certain percentage of all sales. In addition to that, there were a lot of signs that were promoting not only Disney movies but also Pixar movies. As a consumer at Disney, it is important to be media literate because it gives you a better idea of why they are promoting certain films/products and who is getting the benefits of your purchases.
Author: ecooper
Media Literacy Ad/PR Analysis
I found this advertisement just around the corner from Citadines. This ad was published and created by Disneyland, and there were a lot of aesthetic components put into this to grab my attention. First, the signature Disney font in a large font across the middle of the advertisement immediately drew my attention, as well as the artwork and direction of the photos. I am not necessarily the biggest Spider-Man fan, so I was not particularly excited by this advertisement, but someone who is a big fan would react differently to it. Excitement, loyalty, and friendship are all values that are being represented in this advertisement. This message is being sent to try and encourage people to interact with these new Disney products and Disney as a whole. 
Art Museum Gift Shop
I have always enjoyed visiting the gift shops in the various museums I have seen, but I never thought about how the products could be ethically concerning until class on Monday. While visiting the gift shop at the Musée de l’Orangerie, I saw products that were both created ethically and also ethically concerning. The main product that stood out to me on the side of products designed ethically was the paperweight inspired by Monet’s water lilies. I think that the art in this is beautiful, and with minimal surrounding pieces, it does not take away from the beauty of the original work. On the other hand, I think that the water lilies on the portable speaker are horrible. The speaker dots make the art look blurry and grainy, removing the original work and beauty. A souvenir like this is ethically concerning because it makes the original art feel much less unique. 
Orsay and Louvre Reflection
After visiting the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre, I am overwhelmed with the amount I have learned and seen in the last week. I am not necessarily the most extensive art lover, so if I were to come to Paris by myself, there is a big chance I would not visit these museums during my stay. That being said, I am so happy and grateful that we can do this as a class so I have the opportunity to see things I probably wouldn’t have seen. My favorite part about the Musée d’Orsay was the architecture and furniture section of the museum because I thought it was so interesting how simple all of the pieces were, yet somehow so detailed and thought out. In compliance with that, my favorite part of the Louvre was seeing Napoleon III’s “quarters” and seeing all of the original architecture. The Louvre was beautiful; I did not like the crowds and long lines because they made it very difficult to examine the art itself.
Normandy Reflection
Normandy was a very intense emotional rollercoaster for me. From the start, I knew that the sights we would see would be equally as beautiful as it was heartbreaking. It was not until we got to Pointe du Hoc that I was astonished by how beautiful the scenery was. I am the type of person who really appreciates beautiful scenery, so that was my first thought. I was then quickly reminded about the tragedy that happened there when we went inside the bunkers. As soon as we stepped foot inside, I felt a very strange feeling. Just knowing the struggle that occurred in those rooms made me very uncomfortable and sad. Then when we went to Omaha beach, I was very confused by the people that were treating it like any beach – swimming, tanning, family trips. I knew it was a beautiful beach, but I was not expecting people to be there swimming. Finally, the D-Day memorial was heartbreaking to me. The insane amount of white crosses, or stars, was something that I was not expecting.
Semiotics
Picasso Museum Reflection
After being at the Picasso Museum for a few hours today, I am amazed at the artwork he created. Growing up, my mom was always very into art and enjoyed buying and selling different pieces of fantastic art for our home. Because of this, I always had a very special place in my art for art, although I rarely saw anything like Picasso’s work in my home. Seeing his work in person and being educated on the various parts of his life that influenced his art was very interesting to me. I was unaware of how many children he had and how they influenced his paintings so drastically. I also noticed that his painting got very depressing, which was related to the many different painful feelings he felt during his years. While we were there, I felt very educated about Picasso and his life after reading the explanation of the photos.
Aesthetics
Duties and Consequences
The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events
Daniel Boorstin, a well-known historical and political figure, published The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America in 1962. This book explains how events that happen in society are frequently not truly actual events; instead, they are events that other members put on to increase reaction from the remaining members of society. Throughout the book, Boorstin argues that many of the “events” that happen in America are not natural, which is why American society has such a skewed perception of news. He believes that for an event to be actual news, it cannot be premeditated, used for media, have an unclear underlying relation to reality, nor be used for a self-fulfilling prophecy. He uses the example of a hotel holding a banquet for the upcoming opening anniversary and how the hotel did not need to hold this event; they merely held it for the press to capture media to present to the public. Boorstin also argues that traveling has become a way for humans to create pseudo-events for their benefit. He believes that tourists are searching for unauthentic and unintended events that better suit their image for traveling.
Since reading this piece of work, it has made me think differently about travel. I was, and still am, the traveler who loves to go on adventures. That has not changed; what has changed is now I am questioning what my intentions behind that were. Was I eager to explore because I was thoroughly interested in what we were doing, or did I want that experience because it fit my image of travel? I cannot answer the question now, but I believe traveling to Paris will help me figure it out. Focusing on media ethics and media literacy will alter how I see this trip because I will think of certain aspects of our journey differently than ever before.