Week 3 - your choice!

Well I've been waiting for Elodie to send me the link to a video clip she suggested but she seems to have forgotten all about me so here is the link to the Michelle Obama clip I spoke about. You can watch that and comment, I found this one too which is more negative. Alternatively Cecile/Florence suggested a discussion about The use of new technologies for your future jobs (I think but I was going to keep this for another week so I didn't get them to specify exactly). You can choose either subject or both if you wish.

Have fun!

edit: Here's the link from Elodie regarding [url= https://youtu.be/gkjW9PZBRfk]Emma Watson[/url] you can comment on this subject if you prefer.

Just read this story and thought it was "interesting".

Monk

Michelle Obama gathered experts, advocates and parents to talk about cultural shift that is happening in USA. She wants to keep moving forward together on this complex and challenging but very important issue.

She said that children food is on the way of a good evolution. For example, restaurants are serving nuggets and fries but also broccoli, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice… She said that the same mental evolution occurs online with health blogs, which provide better nutrition for kids. Moreover, a survey by the Food Marketing Institute found that 90% of grocery stores are offering healthy recipes to their customers, and 98% of them maintain health and wellness websites.
She is pleased because, since several decades, obesity rates among low-income preschoolers dropped in 19 states of USA.

Michelle Obama thanked every professional food industrial for making convenience foods when she needed to inculcate the benefits of healthy food and varied.
She wants that kids become passionate by good food, she said that gathered people today to thanks all of them, because their work allowed to improve in kids health. There are them who have the power to shape kids’ tastes and desires.
This is the problem. Today, an average child is spending nearly eight hours a day in front of some kind of screen. So many of his opinions and preferences are being shaped by the marketing campaigns they create. There are too much advertising for junk food and not enough advertising for healthy products. But new standards are beginning to have an impact, and she commends all of companies for taking action.

However, Michelle Obama wants more engagements from companies. She said that they can and remain competitive and profitable while sell healthy foods to American kids. She pressed on this point. She gathered people to say that: “the goal here is to empower parents instead of undermining them as they try to make healthier choices for their families.”

She encouraged companies to take risks, to make the good choice today. It’s very important for kids but also for futures of food companies, because obesity become a world problem.
She hoped that her speech will evolve mentalities more, and people will work together for the future of kids.



I’m of the same opinion of Michelle Obama. Today in USA, one in two adults is obese and two in three adults are in overweight or obese. It’s dramatic and especially dangerous. This people is more exposed of disease like diabetes, heard-and-stroke.
Parents do not want this future for their children. That’s why companies have to change its ways now. It’s necessary to center on healthy food to have kids in good health, able to perform in their life.

Michelle Obama on Food Marketing & Advertising to Children - Speech (2013)

Michele Obama's speech focuses on child nutrition, and the influences of marketing on it. The question is "How to change and make a difference in the field of Marketing for child nutrition? »

In recent years, food has evolved and many restaurants now offer a more balanced and health food. However, a problem remains in the US, obesity. Indeed, the aim is to counter the problem of obesity which is recurrent in the United States.

Michele Obama sets out several facts:
Since 1980, childhood obesity rates have tripled among adolescents and doubled among younger children. While many factors contribute to childhood obesity, regardless of the causes, responsible marketing can play a positive role in improving children's diets and physical activity level.
Experts agree that junk food is a huge contributor to skyrocketing rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, and even strokes. And food and beverage companies spend billions of dollars promoting unhealthy foods virtually everywhere kids go.

To address this problem, Michele Obama offers several methods and gives several areas for improvement.
She says that we must to help the children want to eat a healthy and diet food, and that means two important factors: parents and Marketing.

For parents, they desserve more contrôle about food which they expose and mom help her kids get exciting about eating her food. Parents are anxious to see her kids developping obesity.

For Marketing, it has a real power to influence the children, so companies need to innovate and take risks. For example, changing the ads, convince children to eat healthier and convince people to drink more water. So, increase marketing about healthy food and limited unhealthy food in your campaign.

Adapt their campaigns to children is good for them but also for their business. Companies will send a good image and make more profits. In the long term, change this strategy will benefit all.
Despite all the progress already achieved so far, we must continue to do more.

Michelle Obama on Food Marketing & Advertising to Children - Speech (2013)

The speech of Michelle Obama was very interesting because we can see that despite the increase of obesity in the United States, they are making progress. This is an important issue that needs to be reduced. They are making programs to ameliorate this situation and have better nutrition for kids: for example, in school they put salad bars and children pretty like that. They are strong progresses: 3 out of 10 tops trends on food industry are about healthy kids’ meal.

Despite this progress, obesity and diseases are still important: 1 out of 3 kids is still on track to develop diabetes, there is still work to do.

This obesity is essentially caused by the lack of time during a day to prepare a healthy lunch: busy mums prefer to buy quick affordable meals and ready to put in the microwaves. It’s not the fault of industries because they made those foods to satisfy needs of customers.

Now industries pay attention on the issue of obesity and propose healthy products but there are some difficulties to attract children about healthy food. According to Michelle Obama, we can change that by the power of the marketing. She says that kids are like “sponges” and they absorb what marketing and advertising tell them. Kids prefer junk food because 86% of TV ads are for products with sugar and just 1 ad per week concern a healthy product. Advertising is everywhere therefore kids assimilate those foods as normal meals and nutrition.

In my opinion, with the power of marketing and industry, United States could reduce this important problem and make this country healthier, but everybody should dedicate itself to this important work and to help industries in this change.

Indeed it’s an important risk for industries to promote healthy products as there are not strongly consummated products. However, Michelle Obama thinks that industries can stay competitive and profitable. It is the work of parents to trust these industries in order to change the way of life of American people.

Emma Watson - Speech :

I think this speech is not only moving and touching. First of all, it is just and effective.

Emma Watson begins by questioning the controversies that plague increasingly the term "feminism", as she has for a long time claimed that label as obvious.
And if she could grow without suffering persistent gender inequalities, she owes it to her parents, came cancel the experiences of sexism and discrimination.

Emma Watson gives a name to a person acting for the cause "the introverted feminist", individuals convicted of gender equality, which act against and in spite of the weight of gender stereotypes in our society.

Her speech deals with men or women, everyone has the right to define themselves as he or she feels. Men and women should have the same rights, the same opportunities, and the same freedom.

New technologies

Nowadays, it’s a well-known fact that technology is everywhere around us. We use it in order to make our life easier, but we have to be careful about our use of it. Indeed, we tend to count on new technologies a little bit too much, and with the time passing, we’re becoming more and more dependent.

We have to keep in mind that technologies can’t do everything, for example they can’t replace human beings and interactions. Don’t you think that it’s pretty shameful when (almost) everybody at a diner or a party uses his phone instead of talking with his friends or family most of the time? Not judging, I do it too… And have you ever tried to stay at home a few days, without having an internet connection? I’ve done it, and didn’t like it. Therefore, we can imagine that in a few years, we’ll depend on technologies that don’t even exist yet: they’ll change our live, maybe make it easier, but what will happen when we won’t be able to live without them?

To conclude, I would say that it’s important to be aware of new technologies’ arrival, especially if we want to work in the marketing later, because we may have to sell it. But we can’t forget that human relations are important too and are jeopardized by all these new concepts, so let’s be careful!

Cecile ZURETTI wrote:New technologies

Nowadays, it’s a well-known fact that technology is everywhere around us. We use it in order to make our life easier, but we have to be careful about our use of it. Indeed, we tend to count on new technologies a little bit too much, and with the time passing, we’re becoming more and more dependent.

We have to keep in mind that technologies can’t do everything, for example they can’t replace human beings and interactions. Don’t you think that it’s pretty shameful when (almost) everybody at a diner or a party uses his phone instead of talking with his friends or family most of the time? Not judging, I do it too… And have you ever tried to stay at home a few days, without having an internet connection? I’ve done it, and didn’t like it. Therefore, we can imagine that in a few years, we’ll depend on technologies that don’t even exist yet: they’ll change our live, maybe make it easier, but what will happen when we won’t be able to live without them?

To conclude, I would say that it’s important to be aware of new technologies’ arrival, especially if we want to work in the marketing later, because we may have to sell it. But we can’t forget that human relations are important too and are jeopardized by all these new concepts, so let’s be careful!

I never text at a dinner or a party (I don't ever get invited to parties either).

Emma Watson - He for She speech

Feminism: the belief that women should be allowed the same rights, power, and opportunities as men and be treated in the same way, or the set of activities intended to achieve this state.

Here is the definition and the message Emma Watson wanted to give.

Besides to be a touching speech, this one is a lesson to be learned for all of us. She explained the word "feminist" had becoming a bad one, a synonymous for: women domination over men.

However, being a feminist is a wise thing and it's not involved only women but men too. Emma Watson explained the meaning of He For She Campaign, she'd like boys and men be more involved in this case, in this issue. She tried also to explain men should express more their feelings and not to show a restraint in our society.

We're in a conformist society where men must not show how they feel and where women are less paid for the same work. In developed countries, yes, women can pretend to have a same and equal education at school. But, on the pretext that they can be pregnant, they're less paid than men ?

We don't even talk about countries such as in Africa, where women can't even drive a car !

Anyway, I'm proud young women like Emma Watson have a real opinion about it and can express it during an important assembly such as UN Nations.

People like her should exist more.

Emma Watson at the HeForShe Campaign 2014

First of all, Emma Watson had a very sincerely and touching speech, even though she had a little bit nervous. She called for gender equality, and men have to participate in the campaign of gender equality.


Secondly, as a non-aggressive feminist, Emma Watson propose that there is no one country in the world where all women can expect to receive these rights, all men and women have to pursue their equality. Gender equality is kind of human rights that everyone has to pursue it and defend it, the gender discrimination and social stereotypes is the biggest obstruction between us. Not only the women are being discriminated, but also the men are lived in a gender stereotypes world. So, gender equality is for everyone !


Finally, I choose this video because I love Emma Watson. Not only she was the little Harry Porter girl, she played a lot of roles in many fantastic movies; but also as a public person, she has a big humane care for the world even she is very young now. I agree with her point of view very much and will support gender equality. But I think that it needs a very long time to change the world, to achieve equality, Rome was not built in a day. So I appeal to everyone to protect our equality and don’t have the prejudices on others.

I decided to deal with Emma Watson speech about gender equality.

Indeed, we all know, some feminists are becoming more and more extremist and now want superiority of women.

However, the most important issue is both women and men don’t earn the same salary for the same work. Moreover men shouldn’t suffer from this social pressure which requires man had to be strong, protects, defends his family and most of all must not cry.

It is important to defend this equality, it is important for each of us to respect. Respect our choices, our sexual orientation, our timidity, our amibitions...

So, do not be afraid anymore to say #HeforShe , because if it's not me, who ? If it’s not now, when?
Act for respect; do not stop to receive ideas. Let for gender equality. State loud and clear who we are. Let us free ourselves from prejudices.
In conclusion, I would say this speech moved and touched me a lot because I love Emma Watson, but also because I share her ideas.

El Gautreau - that sounds like a Mexican bandit.

On last September 20th, during the #HeForShe special event at United Nations in New York, Emma Watson, as the new UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador, delivered a powerful and smart speech in favor of gender equality. She reminded men that it’s also important they engaged for gender equality. Indeed, through her message she rectifies that feminism is not only a women's matter, by giving the definition of a word often considered as a pejorative one.

Moreover, in support of her opinion, she doesn’t hesitate to deliver some personal examples like her media coverage during her adolescence.

The most incredible, as she mentions, is that women don’t want to be identified as feminists because their claims are judged too much strong, aggressive or worse, repulsive. Why this word does become so disturbing? It’s not only a word, it’s ideas and ambitions behind that matter.

It may be seen as ironic that a young British woman with privileges since her youth gives such a speech. But she wonders the same. And as she says, the most important is that she feels strongly concerned about this cause and wants to fight in favor of it.

Nowadays, it becomes common for celebrities to talk about their feminist opinion. In addition to this impressive speech of Emma Watson, there is the unbeatable Beyoncé who regularly sings on gender equality and, on the same line, the moving coming out of Ellen Page >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hlCEIUATzg

The problem is that the behavior of people changed. People have more screen, games console, touchpad and they do less exercise. But the main problem is obviously food. People cook less and eat more takeaway and that with a bigger portion size. All these facts are passed on kids when they see their parents, friends, TV or anything in their life.

I saw on one website that Children are "bombarded" with as many as 11 advertisements for junk foods during an hour's viewing of family. It is dramatic.
As Michelle Obama said, “kids are sponge” they absorb all what they see, hear and understand. That why junk food advertisings are dangerous for kids.

Moreover, junk foods are cheaper and easier to buy after school than healthy snack foods.
In my opinion, it’s not fair to use kids in order to make profit. Companies spent a lot of money in kid advertising because they now it’s a good investment. It’s like Mc Donald’s who attracts kids by putting toys in the menu.

The obesity is a disease which makes others such as the diabetes. He is not normal that companies can influence children with junk food and tend them to become obese. It will be more benefic that companies deliver a message in favor of healthy food and the good manners of eat. Furthermore, parents should educate their kids about unhealthy food and which diseases they could engender.

From my point of view, Emma Watson made a brave statement in the presentation at the U.N. I think is important to identify the core of her speech: “it’s about freedom”, like she said. Watson invited men and women to be engaged to the campaign HeForShe because she thought that everyone can help to reduce the breach in gender inequality and foremost, she emphasised that “do nothing” is the worst response to this concern.
I respect the fact that a popular young actress took a serious role to promote equal opportunities among men and women. For me is remarkable that she uses her fame to put in the spotlight a thorny theme and I think that the impact of her words could deeply touch not only her fans, but a whole generation behind her.
She mentioned that her words may be unpopular for some people but that she will stand for women rights to be considered and respected. In my opinion, Watson is not only a spokeswoman of the U.N. but a young leader emerging with that speech. She dealt with an uncomfortable theme that only few people call by its name: inequality. This is a social, economic and cultural problem that affects the whole world. Inequality leads to insecurities from both sides (men and women), stereotypes, confrontations and in the end to unhappiness.
To me, this is the most powerful phrase of Watson’s speech: “If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women won’t fell compel to be submissive”. Only the reaction of women and men tired of this situation can stop this vicious circle.

Hahaha the admin's coments are very relevant and interesting
I've chosen to talk about new technologies.
New technologies help us to perform tasks more quickly and usually more efficiently. Basically, NTIC were just a tool created to help us, but now we notice that the trend is reversed. We can't live anymore without technology. Technology guide our everyday life : a day or few without our cellular seems impossible, working without computers is worst, booking a trip thanks to a travel agency is now old fashion with the internet etc...
Nowadays everything is faster with internet but we always feel that we have less and less time to enjoy simple things, and more and more works to do.
Other bad effects appeared too as : the rise of the unemployment, the deterioration of human links and relations, lack of competences of people due to the mecanization, global warming issues etc ...
It's a vicious circle !
How to live without being totally dependent to NTIC ? It could be a great concern for the future generations.
I'm really reserved concerning this topic.

I think of Michelle Obama is right to attack the problem of the junk food because it is a very serious pain and affects significantly the population of the United States. But I think that it is slightly too restrictive to say that the manufacturers of foodstuffs are the only responsible ones for the obesity of the children and for all problems which this one can pull. As is known in the domain which affects the child all the world has its share of responsibility, the parents, the industrialists, the marketing, the media, the politics, the institutions, … And it is necessary to think well of thinking of taking into account all these entities because it is their joints and the interactions that take place between them who give rise to the situation which we live today.
But she underlines very exactly that we are in height in a change of culture because as can be seen the junk food loses ground for the benefit of a healthy food (in fastfood, recipes,…).
On the other hand, we can suppose that it is a tactics, a marketing blow on behalf of the food-processing companies with the aim of redeeming itself with the population and continuing in their work.
But without counting the mobilization of the consumers (thorough reading of labels, forum, information, information) which are more and more watchful.

 
 
 
   

I’m not a fan of Emma Watson, but I have to admit that her speech and her maturity surprised me. She had guts to tackle a tremendous and thorny issue: women’s rights and gender equality. Her speech is really smart and she was right to remind us the definition of feminism, which has been smeared over the past few years. Feminism is not a swear word, it’s a just a pacific struggle for what should be natural: equal rights between men and women.

It is unfair women earn less than men, it’s unfair that women have to struggle much harder to have the same posts as men. We are all human beings and we should have the same rights and same chances to do what we really want to do and what we are good at without any discrimination.  It’s a shame little girls can’t go to school or do something else just because they are girls, it’s a shame women have to strip themselves off for society pay attention to them. Mentalities have to evolve and Emma Watson is right when she invites men to join the fight for gender equality. Women need to be backed and supported. And if men really love women, they should treat them better in any fields and involve themselves more to make things move faster.

Ahhh it would be so easier with a magic wand...but gender differences have always existed and it looks lke things are really going to be tough to change for a so deeply-held inequality.

No, seriously,  it's besides a very touching and personal speech which well illustrates the way wemen are victims of different injustices thoughout their life.
One important thing is that she explains what really is feminism after she realised it has become an unpopular word because of some extremist groups behaviours. She also remind her audience that wemen's injustices doesn't only exist as we know it in developped countries but that in some others, it more looks like an human right issue. Because we doesn't think enough to those countries like China, India and a lot of african countries for instance when we are speaking of gender's inequalities and where we should speak of human rights violation.
What makes her speech encouraging from my point of view is that she also tries to involve men as she said that they are also victims of gender's inéqualities on specifics points ; and that equality would be benefic for both of the genders. And she seemed to have been efficient as some men actors posted pictures of theirselves holding a sheet of paper with the name of the campaign written on.


Concerning a massive awareness, I am not sure it would be enough despite every man would fallow Emma Watson wherever she would take him. What a shame for something looking so easy on paper : political, economic and social equality of the sexes.

New technologies:

We all know: new technologies are everywhere in developed countries. We may wonder to what extend this affects our everyday life.

Do we still use the old dictionary we used to have when looking for a translation? Why some drivers are texting while driving?

I believe that new technologies has a lot of assets, we have the impression of being much more efficient. Also it can be  “easier” to use these tools because it’s time saving…
Does this mean we are really lazy? Not entirely buy we don’t want to waste time on “basic”stuff. Technologies are coming to us and we use them. So what’s wrong?

The thing is that our relationship with time has changed because of today’s world: many activities are time-consuming, like the internet.

I agree with what Cecile said about the use of new technologies. Sounds obvious that it can be dangerous. Dependence and spying are now important issues.

It is as an ambassador of the UN Women Emma Watson has held a touching speech, intelligent and controlled at the launch of the campaign HeForShe at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The campaign, which aims to "mobilize men against gender inequality," points out that feminism is not just a women's issue. This important commitment for which men should feel as concerned as women.

Being "feminist" was not difficult for the young woman, however, she explained that during recent research, it was found that the word has become very unpopular, as evidenced also the recent movement "Women against the feminism ".

A fight in which more and more artists engage. There are a few months, it was Beyoncé who published an essay in which she wrote that gender equality was paramount for equal pay, and she called the men to fight for women to get it.

To conclude is good to see a young person so mature to get involved in this important issue.

The actress Emma Watson spoke in the office of the UNO in New York within the framework of the launch of the campaign HeForShe.

Her speech is moving. She reminds to the men that it is important that they make a commitment in the fight for the gender equality. It’s the fight which concerns everybody.
The women always had a lower status in relation to the men. For a mysterious reason, it was declared that they were "less" than the men. But without women, men are nothing and reciprocally.
To defend women, it’s not to decrease men. It’s on the contrary, to recognize that two sexes exist and they have to coexist.

It is strange because even if the human beings doesn’t stop evolving, furthermore in fast, certain things don’t change or evolve very slowly.
As long as people will be convinced that to be feminist it is just to roar that there are disparities and to grumble against the men, things will not move forward.
It reminds me the women's right to vote in France. It is during the Occupation that the mentalities changed, and it is in the Resistance that the women won the right to vote and to be elected.
They had shown their courage, taken crazy risks, hidden the immigrants, send messages to the allies... After all these actions, it was impossible to refuse to them still the right to vote. Today, it is always the same fight. The women have to fight to justify a salary equal of men or to have the same chance and opportunities.
It’s a long battle which we have to lead, the glass ceiling is not ready to break.
http://www.inegalites.fr/spip.php?page=rubrique&id_groupe=15&id_rubrique=114

The He For She speech
I think Emma Watson is the perfect person to lead this campaign. A lot of people love her for her famous role has Hermione Granger in Harry Potter. The only folks who don’t know her must have been trapped on a desert Island till now. Believe me when I say:”don’t check her out on Internet!” Why? Because she’s flawless, and it drives me crazy. But also since she has accomplished so much at a young age, she inspires me. How can somebody be so perfect!?! I thought she would have had a nervous breakdown like all these starlets who started show business at a young age.

But amazingly she is an intelligent, talented, humble, generous young woman. So it’s not surprising that her speech to the United Nations on feminism and gender equality had such an impact.

The He for She conference launched in New York in September 2014 has been watch over eleven million times sparking 1.2billion social media conversations. In the last conference in Davos on January 2015 Emma was amazed to see how her voice motivated people to take action to defend this cause.
It gives me hope to see that people are reacting positively. By inviting men to join this battle for gender equality making it their concern is one of the best initiatives today. We need more people like Emma Watson to lead battles for a better world. But what’s important is to realize that everybody has the power to make a change even if it’s small.