How to Become a Media Expert | Part 1

Honestly, I don’t like being a “media expert.” 

When I first started working for Axis three years ago, I was asked during training to listen to an excerpt from a then-popular Katy Perry song, then give a one- to two-minute oral critique of the lyrics. Since that was my first time hearing the song and since I couldn’t have even told you that Katy Perry became famous for “I Kissed a Girl,” I stuttered and stumbled my way through it. Had it been a pop-quiz (get it? I’m so punny!), I would’ve gotten zero points. Not even one half of a point.

Sadly, that was the beginning of the end of my self-imposed “media naiveté.” In middle- and high-school, I was like my fellow classmates: I knew all the biggest songs and artists and movies. I wanted to fit in. But after I hit the proverbial “rock bottom” in my downward spiral throughout college, the Holy Spirit opened my mind to finally understand what it meant to “follow Jesus,” and I slowly learned how intensely media affected my worldview, my thoughts, and, consequently, my actions. So I decided to forget about pop culture. And for two years, I did, which is why I barely even knew the names Katy Perry or Lady Gaga in 2010.

But now I know more than I care to know. I listen to interviews, watch music videos, read lyrics, watch live performances, read articles and blogs, follow Twitter accounts, watch TV shows, have discussions, see movies, make slides, and write blogs about pop culture. When it comes to the Internet, I’ve been (almost) everywhere, man. At times, it is maddening. And saddening. There are many things I wish I could un-watch, un-read, or un-hear—or, as my boss once said to me in an email in which he asked me to listen to some Lil’ Wayne lyrics: “Step 3: Remove your brain from your skull and wash it with bleach. Repeat a million times.”

So why do I do it? And why would I encourage you to do it?

Because what we don’t know can hurt us and the ones we love. Because our not knowing keeps us from having the tools and knowledge we need to disciple and protect those who do not yet have the discernment necessary to know what is harmful and what brings life. And because it’s biblical.

“Wait. Did she just . . . I can’t . . . I just . . .” is probably what most of you are thinking right now. I don’t blame you, and this is crazy. How could I possibly claim that watching music videos is biblical?! Clearly, iTunes, YouTube, DirecTV, XBox, and Pixar come after the Bible was written. But allow me to explain. . . .

In Part 2, coming Wednesday, I will explain why I believe it’s biblical to know pop culture.

This series of blogs was written by Melanie, our Associate Director of Research.

The Hunger Games Revisited

This blog was originally posted when the first Hunger Games movie was released. Since the second Hunger Games movie comes out in 2 weeks, we thought we'd repost it for those who missed it or for those whose students are asking again if they can be allowed to see/read the series.

To watch or not to watch The Hunger Games? That is the question many parents, reviews, websites, blogs, and Christians have raised since the release of the film. But maybe it’s the wrong question to be asking. . . .

Based on the book by Suzanne Collins (first in a set of 3), the movie is set in future North America, where the citizens of Panem are forced by the Capitol to live in Districts in third-world conditions and to work backbreaking labor jobs that keep the Capitol and its citizens wealthy and well fed. Each year, these Districts must participate in the “The Hunger Games,” a ritual imposed by the Capitol as a reminder of the deadly consequences of trying to rebel. Each District is required to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to the Capitol, where they are put into an arena to fight to the death.

Reminiscent of works like George Orwell’s 1984, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Lois Lowry’s The Giver, and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, The Hunger Games books raise many questions about governmental control, morality, sacrifice, reality TV, and entertainment, to name just a few. Admittedly, Collins wrote these books for young adults between the ages of 10 and 20, so one should not expect such literary genius as can be found in these classics, but even the older readers will find the books compelling and hard to put down.

Interestingly enough, the emergence of the books seems a bit serendipitous in timing. There are many who believe that the US could already be in the early stages of a country similar to Panem. Even if one finds that idea a bit too far fetched, we must all recognize that such conditions currently do exist in North Korea, parts of China, and elsewhere. But even more difficult to swallow is the reality that the idea of people killing other people for sport and entertainment has existed for centuries, with the Roman Coliseum being most prominent. But how did the Romans get to the point where the masses had no qualms about watching others kill each other for fun? And is it possible that it could happen again? What needs to be done to prevent it?

Questions like these and many more should arise in one’s mind after reading the books. And since the movies are such close adaptations of the books, they have the potential, indeed the power, to ask questions and question assumptions in much more poignant ways. But the question remains: will they? And even if they do, will our youth notice these questions? Or will they be too “entertained” to notice?

Understandably, some students are not yet ready to tackle certain concepts and abstract ideas; only you, as the parent, can know exactly what your student is capable of handling. But if he/she is ready to handle them, then you are doing him/her a disservice either by not allowing him/her to watch it OR by allowing him/her to watch it with no questions asked. Both of these reactions are polarizing and extreme in the case of The Hunger Games. There is a middle ground, which is to engage the subject matter with your student. Rather than imposing more boundaries and rules, see this as an opportunity to allow your children to grow, mature, and live up to the responsibilities God has given them.

If you happen to have students who are begging you to see the film or read the books, use it as an opportunity to not only oblige them but give them some homework. That probably means you’ll have to read the books and watch the movies, as well as have meaningful, intentional discussions with your students about the content. But isn’t all the work worth it? Isn’t it much better to raise students who actively engage and think about culture, who could one day drastically change culture for the better or prevent a world like in The Hunger Games from becoming a reality? (A quick suggestion: tell your students that if they want to read the books, they must also read some or all of the classics that deal with the same subject matter.)

All in all, approaching the books and movies in this way means more work for viewers, especially parents. But since when were we, as followers of Christ, supposed to passively become part of (or disengage from) the world around us? To learn or not to learn from The Hunger Games? Maybe that is the question.

*poster from http://www.thehungergamesexplorer.com/us/epk/catching-fire/posters/final-poster

How To Help People Recognize Your Generosity Without Being Prideful

“It’s not generosity if no one knows about it.” – the other Daniel Day

Note: This blog was written by the other Daniel Day, the guy who is more selfish and conceited than the real Director of Content and Marketing for Axis.

Let me be honest for a moment. It’s fun to be generous, especially when everyone finds out about it. I mean, come on, who doesn’t want to be known as “the generous guy/gal”? But (for most people – not me) it’s hard to let people know about your generosity without them feeling like you’re arrogant, prideful, or being generous for the wrong reasons. So I have created a list of ways you can help people recognize your generosity without them also condemning you as conceited.

1. Use paper checks. Paper checks have your name, address, and phone number printed on the top, and there’s a memo line where you can write in your Twitter handle.

2. Pick up a homeless person to take them out to lunch, but make sure you “forget” your wallet at the office. When you stop by the office to pick up your wallet, remember that it’s rude to leave your guest in the car. Invite him in to the office, but don’t introduce him to anyone. Most likely the extroverts in the office will greet him, and they will want to know how he knows you. Ta-da!

3. Buy Starbucks for a friend with your gold card, but forget to tell the barista that the drink isn’t for you. They will automatically write your name on the cup so that when you leave the drink on your friend’s desk, they will be confused and ask you about it. You will be able to play it off with, “Shoot, I forgot to tell them that it wasn’t for me. I meant to surprise you anonymously, but oh well.”

4. Create a “meal sign-up” for your friends who just had a baby. Make sure you volunteer to take them the first meal, and leave a space on the list to tell exactly what you’re bringing. Type in “Filet Mignon, roasted red potatoes, and spinach salad with chocolate lava cake and a raspberry reduction sauce.” You don’t have to actually bring them a Filet or chocolate cake because things change and you could run out of time. Remember, it’s the thought that counts. McDonald’s is still better than no food at all.

5. Buy flowers and chocolate for your wife, and post a photo on Facebook or Instagram (or both). Your wife and others will just think you’re being sweet, especially when you post something like, “To the most amazing wife in the world. I love you, baby.” Make sure you tag your wife in the photo so that more people will see it.

Those are my top 5. What other ways can you think of to help people recognize your generosity? Comment below and continue the discussion…

Bonus Idea 1 (from my cousin): use your office as the return address for charity donation receipts and leave them on your desk.

Bonus Idea 2: Instead of a check, bring your tithe to church as a wad of $1 bills. When the collection plate (or basket for contemporary churches) comes to you, break the rubber band and drop the wad of cash on the floor (make it look like an accident). If your church has a wooden or concrete floor, consider quarters. Not only will they roll, but they will make a loud crashing sound when you drop them.

P.S. Matthew 6:1-4 reads… 

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Daniel Ryan Day has been working as the Director of Content and Marketing for Axis for 3

years, and is the author of Axis' first book Ten Days Without. You can follow him on Twitter: @danielryanday