Reilly's Ramblings

A Morningside fall morning with no one in sight and no leaves on one tree while leaves are all over the grass.

These last two years of college has brought the thought into my head. “Why don’t I have a boyfriend?” There are two answers to this question.

One, I am very focused on my education and want to graduate from Morningside College with a bachelor’s of arts degree in Mass Communications.  Two, my social life is going to work, to the grocery store, and helping my mom clean the house and yard.

I have this debate in my head almost every day, and I always pick school over having a decent, healthy social life that includes having a boyfriend. Ever since I came to Morningside, this feeling of loneliness is dominating my mindset. But I feel like I’m not the only one with this feeling on campus.

There is this sense that having a boyfriend will be fun and exciting. But, there is also the sense of trying to juggle a romantic relationship and school at the same time. You’re in college to earn a degree not to get a boyfriend. Focus on yourself is what my mother tells me everytime that I’m thinking about wanting a boyfriend.

She says, “Everyone will feel lonely.”

College is supposed to be fun and exciting, not worrying about going on dates with your boyfriend or trying to find time to spend it with him. College is also supposed to be about your education and your future. My mom wants me to focus more on getting a degree than finding a boyfriend.

I’m just too focused on my future and not looking at the present. I mean I have checked out a few guys on campus; it’s not like I’m not looking at all. It just I’m not checking out or dating the first guy that I see.

My dearest and understanding mother says, “For you, you are goal-oriented.”

That I know, for sure, is true. My mom is my best friend, and I can go to her for everything and anything. So going to her about this lingering problem was much more challenging than I thought. My thought was that she would feel that I’m odd and weird, but as it turned out, she’s having the problem of not going out like me but in the early-50’s version.

She has been divorced for five years and hasn’t gone on a date in over 25 years. I haven’t had a boyfriend and haven’t been out with a guy in six years. The “sad” part about all of this is that my gram and my aunt have boyfriends before my mom and I do.

My mom and I don’t go out a lot. We are too focused on work, paying the bills, and for me, school. We are almost like the same person but different at the same time.

She has to get out there and have a healthy social life too, like me. As people say, “Like mother, like daughter.” She puts it best about why I am in college and not to have a boyfriend or even a social life.

“You’re there to get a piece of paper, a significant piece of paper, that will stay with you for life.”

Having a college degree is very important for that dream job I always want. Especially in the money that I will be making in the position.

“It makes a big difference in your income.”

I wish that I can have the best of both worlds. I want to have a great boyfriend and be successful in school and out of school. The thing is that I have a crush on a guy that I saw in the library a couple of times. I know that it’s weird, but that’s life for you.

It all depends on what my mindset is and what I want my life to be at this point. I am more worried about my happiness than making others happy. But it is what it is. Life will always be complicated, and that is something that I will have to live with forever.

My mom says, overall, “It’s what you want in life.”

My mom and I’s relationship wasn’t always the best. There are a few reasons why starting the big one with me going through puberty. There is also the fact that my parents’ divorce was not a pleasant experience. I didn’t know the full extent of the reason behind the divorce until years later.

Every relationship goes through ups and downs in a lifetime. For me, I couldn’t understand why she left my dad. I was living in a bubble, and when the separation happened, the bubble burst like a balloon popping.

I had to learn to go with my gut instinct, and I have my mom to thank for that quality. The divorce was a life lesson that I didn’t know that I needed until I look back on it. My mom gave a chance and opportunity to find out about me and who I am.

She is someone that I look up to and having the strong bond with her is incredible. The ups and downs don’t change the fact that she will always be my mom. A relationship works both ways, and that’s the beauty of it.

The constant factor in talking about dating, school, the future, and past experiences in my life is my mom. She is the one factor that I can go to for everything and anything. Our relationship is similar to others because there are many factors and pieces that anyone takes from looking at us.

Moms will always be there to support you and love you no matter what. Every child learns that at a young age. The love and support from moms will never leave. I’m very thankful that my mom is always there for me and that our relationship is stronger than ever. I honestly wouldn’t be here where I’m at in life if it wasn’t for my mom.

The book was about the 1968 presidential campaign of Richard Nixon. It started on October 21^st but then goes back to introduce the main characters and most important people behind the scenes, which were Harry Treleaven, Len Garment, and Frank Shakespeare. Most of the people are entering in and out of the story some stay in like Roger Ailes and Gene Jones. After introducing them, then it goes to the beginning of the 1968 presidential election. It discusses the ups and downs in a political campaign and how anything can change. The overall, ongoing subject is Richard Nixon’s dislike of television and how hard it is for him to adapt. Marketing him will be the biggest challenge his campaign has to face.

The struggle for Nixon to even seem likable and more himself is enormous in the campaign. He gives the impression that he’s unexciting, dull, an ass, and someone that is not ‘up’ in the current state and society of the United States of America. There is also the problem that Nixon is trying too hard to get as many Humphrey votes as possible. He doesn’t understand why people don’t want to vote for him. The disconnect between the old and new seems very clear when Nixon’s friends come into the campaign and try to take over and the campaign people that have been there since day one have to move aside for his friends. All of this goes on the campaign season is winding down to Election Day.

The author is this book is Joe McGinniss. He rose up in fame because of this book and changed how political writing is done, according to a statement Roger Ailes made in the Associated Press in 2014. McGinniss wrote more non-fiction books later on including Fatal Vision, Cruel Doubt, Blind Faith, Going to the Extremes, and The Miracle of Castel di Sangro. McGinniss was not a political reporter at the time he wrote the book. McGinniss was a columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer when he received access to the Nixon campaign. He got the idea to write the book one day by chance when someone on the train boasted about getting the Humphrey deal and making him look better than President Lincoln in six weeks. He contacted the Humphrey first, but they turned him down. So, he reached to the Nixon campaign, and they said yes to getting access to behind the scenes of a presidential campaign.

He wrote the book to give everyone a view that they haven’t seen before, what it is like to be a part of a presidential campaign in 1968. He described the “new” way to market Richard Nixon in a time where old school was out, and the new school was in for politics. Nixon had to change his ways to win the election, and that itself is a historical piece of history that not a lot of people knew what was happening. McGinniss accomplished writing about the 1968 Nixon presidential campaign and the journey of ups and downs and the changes they went through from the beginning to the end, where Nixon won.

Joe McGinniss gave an excellent insight into the advertising and marketing departments of the Nixon campaign. He was able to talk to the Garment, Ailes, Treleaven, and Shakespeare and get into their “circle” and know what they were thinking when they were planning what to do next in their conquest of helping Nixon win the presidency. He used mostly used reporting what’s going on, observing and participating with the people involved in the campaign to write this book because he was on the road with the campaign. He also did some interview, but they were only short conversations with Ailes, Treleaven, Shakespeare, and Garment.

The most important thing that McGinniss wanted to accomplish writing this book is that there is growth in Nixon to use television to his advantage to help win the election. He also discussed how anything could change for a political campaign in a moment or even a day. It seems like he wanted to make a book about his time with the campaign but it turned out to be about the four prominent characters’, Shakespeare, Garment, Ailes, and Treleaven, respective parts in the campaign.

McGinniss is mostly objective observations throughout the entire book, except for the conversations he has with the main characters. He is on a journey of a lifetime that changed the course of American history and American political history. He is not involved in the story to the point where you think that these conversations were recorded for the book and that the events were almost filmed to be written down. He is very good at taking himself out unless someone from the campaign talks to him. Once someone like Garment has discussions with McGinniss, then he is involved in the story but not that much.

He put an appendix section in the book to prove to the readers that he is using credible information in the book. In the appendix section, there are notes from the Nixon Advertising by Harry Treleaven, extracts from Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan, and an analysis by William Gavin. McGinniss also used memorandums by Ray Price, Len Garment, and William Gavin. He also used an article from Harry Treleaven about why Nixon should use magazine advertising in the New Hampshire Primary.

He uses an outline of strategy from Patrick Buchanan, Television advertising notes in New Hampshire and notes for Oregon RNFP advertising by Treleaven. McGinniss also used notes for recruiting panels for the question and answer tapings by Fuller and Smith and Ross office memorandum, notes on NFP advertising phase one and on Nixon advertising after September first by Treleaven, and seven different scripts written by E.S.J. Productions, Inc.

My reactions to reading this book are that if you’re a political science major, someone who likes politics, or someone that loves history and wants to know the background and insights of a historical event, then this book is for you. The book is long and tedious just like a presidential campaign. It was tough to read this book and not get easily bored to death by it. Some parts to go on forever and other parts seemed to go fast like a snap of your fingers. The further in you read, the more bored or intrigued you are, depending on who’s reading the book.

The book is very racist and sexist and was written in a time where this was unfortunately alright to say and write in a non-fiction text book. The word “negro” was used a lot and the “n” with the double “g” and ended with an “r” was used only once in the entire book. When Nixon was doing the panel shows, he had to have at least one “negro” on the panel to give a diversity look to make it seem like “everyone” is included. Beautiful women were called broads by men when they were talking about them.

I didn’t feel very comfortable when reading those parts in the book. It made me see that things have indeed changed since the 1968 presidential campaign. Women and minorities are treated better now than in 1968, but not where the country needs it to be. Presidential campaigns were male-dominated, and the women were used as a prop or as “Barbie dolls.” This book made me appreciate what the social and political world of the United States and that we have a right to say and speak up for things that we believe in that need to change.

I wouldn’t reread this book for a very long time. I’m just glad to have this book read and done. The boredom of the book made it hard for me to understand. It was written in a way that the reader can picture him/herself being a part of the campaign. For those who don’t like politics, this is not a book for you to read. For those who love politics or history and like discussing politics, then this book is for you to read. This book gives deep insight on the makings and conflicts inside of a presidential election, especially one that changed the course of history for the United States. Even if you’re not someone who likes politics, Nixon is a fascinating yet dull person to talk about and reading this book showed me how many people it took to make Nixon look good on television and advertising. The book is a journey back to a critical time in history.

“Hollywood Shuffle” is an all right movie to watch but the comedy itself is very dry and hard to follow. For someone who likes to have a lot of laughs when watching a comedy film, there were only a couple of places where anyone can agree to have a chuckle or smile. It is not a movie that I will generally watch.

The movie gives a more profound message about how black actors are treated in being cast in films. The words “not black enough” is heard throughout the film. These words show how white directors, writers, and casting directors expect the black stereotypes out of black actors that are portraying in movies.

This film is about a black wannabe actor, name Bobby Taylor, played by Robert Townsend, who’s trying to make it in Hollywood by landing any role. The roles for black actors in Hollywood are gangsta stereotypes. Bobby wants to make his characters that are the opposite of what Hollywood expects from black male actors. He daydreams about the roles he wants to play throughout the movie.

The movie is a satirical comedy film that is about the racial stereotypes of black actors in television and movies. Robert Townsend is the director of the film. Townsend also co-produced with Lydia Nicole. He also co-wrote it with Keenen Ivory Wayans. Wayans also appears in it too.

The film is rated R for adult situations and language. The movie was released in theaters in wide-screen on March 20, 1987. The film also released on DVD on July 24, 2001. The cast of this film is called “The Hollywood Shuffle Players.” The players include Helen Martin, Anne-Marie Johnson, Starletta DuPois, and David McKnight.

The acting was excellent by the entire cast, especially Robert Townsend. Townsend gives the perception that this can happen to anyone when someone is trying to make it in Hollywood. Townsend also shows that he is leading the cast throughout the movie. This leading is good because the cast can carry themselves on their own and the spotlight is on Townsend. The plot is realistic because anyone that tries to make it in Hollywood is struggling to have a chance to show their talents in auditions and casting calls. It also shows how actors try to make ends meet while trying to find a role that can make their careers skyrocket.

The dialogue is mostly stereotypically for how African-Americans talk to one another and how white people would talk to blacks. It shows how stereotypically Hollywood was back in the 1980’s and what they were expecting from black actors. The cinematography was in mostly in color, and the camera shots were excellent, especially the close-up shots. The music fit perfectly with the movie. In the scenes that needed a particular type of music, the music was perfect and put into the right parts.

My biggest problem with the movie is trying to understand the jokes in the film. For someone who doesn’t get it, it is tough to tell what’s funny and what’s not funny. For someone who’s watched many satirical comedy movies, this movie will make you laugh a lot. I liked how the plot is connecting like a puzzle. Having a scenario like that makes the film easy to watch and understand what’s happening.

For a movie that had a budget of $100,000, the production is excellent. The film was very successful in the box office by making about $5.229 million. People who love satirical comedy are the targeted audience for this movie. For people who aren’t into satirical comedy, this movie is easy to follow, but they will not understand or get the jokes. This film receives two and a half out of four stars.

This movie is memorable by how it was made and put together. It is one that you will not forget. The jokes will go over your head, but the film itself will stick in your mind for a while after seeing it. The film will make you have your daydreams be similar to the movie. The message about the racial stereotypes against any black actors in Hollywood shown in the entire motion picture.

These last two years of college has brought the thought into my head of “Why don’t I have a boyfriend?” There are two answers to this question.

One, I am very focused on my education and want to graduate from Morningside College with a bachelor’s of arts degree in Mass Communications.  Two, my social life is going to work, to the grocery store, and helping my mom clean the house and yard.

I have this debate in my head almost every day, and I always pick school over having a decent, healthy social life that includes having a boyfriend. Ever since I came to Morningside, this feeling of loneliness is dominating my mindset. But I feel like I’m not the only one with this feeling on campus.

My mom says, “Everyone will feel lonely.”

I’m just too focused on my future and not looking at the present. I mean I have checked out a few guys on campus, it’s not like I’m not looking at all. It just I’m not checking out or dating the first guy that I see.

My dearest and understanding mother says, “For you, you are goal-oriented.”

That I know, for sure, is true. My mom is my best friend, and I can go to her for everything and anything. So going to her about this lingering problem was much more challenging than I thought. My thought was that she would feel that I’m odd and weird, but as it turned out, she’s having the problem as me but in the early-50’s version.

She has to get out there and have a healthy social life too, like me. Like people say, ‘Like mother, like daughter.’ She puts it best about why I am in college and not to have a boyfriend or even a social life.

“You’re there to get a piece of paper, a significant piece of paper, that will stay with you for life.”

Having a college degree is very important for that dream job I always want. Especially in the money that I will be making in the position.

“It makes a big difference in your income.”

I wish that I can have the best of both worlds. I want to have a great boyfriend and be successful in school and out of school. The thing is that I have a crush on a guy that I saw in the library a couple of time. I know that it weird but that’s life for you.

It all depends on what my mindset is and what I want my life to be at this point. I am more worry about my happiness than making others happy. But it is what it is. Life will always be complicated, and that is something that I will have to live with forever.

My mom says, overall “it’s what you want in life.”