Me and My Neighborhood

Does your neighborhood make you who you are? Are you who you are in spite of your neighborhood?





                        
I am a product of my neighborhood and I feel that Oakland has been a big part of the man that I am today. Everyone has choices in life and decisions they make that comes with a certain consequences. Growing up in my neighborhood was hard and made me aware of different activities at a young age. Their were drugs, violence, and other provocative activities that occurred. While being exposed to those activities, I have learned alot and helped me have more knowledge when basically, walking down a street.

There are beautiful parts of Oakland as well that people don't see, even people that are Oakland natives. Due to the gentrification in Oakland, only the upper class citizens tend be residents in those areas. The most popular areas in Oakland that best describes gentrification in Oakland are Rockridge, Oakland Hills, Piedmont.There are obstacles you overcome growing up, but some neighborhoods have more or less than others based on their social and economic statuses.

I knew numerous of people who have taken different routes because of the neighborhood. Now that I look back on how I grew up, I feel proud that I made it out of my neighborhood alive.

Advertisements

How many times have you seen an advertisement and you start to think critically about it? Sometimes? All the time?

Well I have seen many advertisements that made me look twice this particular advertisement caught my eye.

This advertisement catches my eye because it is very political. The ad has very patriotic look to it similar to Barack Obama campaign. Both the democratic and republic looks as if they are joining forces, which leads me to believe it may be a positive step into the future. By looking at this billboard, I wonder why the statue of liberty has a bandanna over its face, but at the same time shows equality while hold the balance scale.

Ultimately, this is the type of ad i like to see because it is interesting. Observing this piece of propaganda makes me think critically because of the deeper meaning behind the ad.

  There are many ads that perceive to be what they are not. For example the McDonald's ad (above) portrays that the food at the restaurant is healthy when in fact it is not. McDonald's uses process foods to make their meals and has the possibility of making a person feel ill a few moments after it is consumed. This subliminal ad effects children and gives a good first impression but can hurt customers in the future.

A popular movie by the name of "Super-size Me" makes viewers aware of the consequences that McDonald's food can do to you. It's different  when people just talk about it, but a man took action and put his life on the line to eat McDonald's for a month straight. His health dropped tremendously to having high blood pressure and high cholesterol.