How are men and women in sports differently portrayed in the media?
Women in sports are generally belittled in comparison to men, even when their achievements are superior. A perfect example is from a set of headlines from the Associate Press about Swimming the 2016 Olympics:In large type the main headline reads: Michael Phelps ties for silver in 100 flyThen, in much smaller type underneath, it reads: Ledecky sets world record in women’s 800 freestyle.Headline About Olympic Swimmers Katie Ledecky And Michael Phelps Called SexistOr, for another example, when a male sports reporter said Sam Querrey, was "the first US player to reach a major semi-final since 2009″, British player Andy Murray, true gentleman and sportsman, corrected him, saying, “male player” — since 2009, Serena Williams has not only reached semi-finals, but won 12 Grand Slam tournaments outright. In fact, while Roger Federer is the top male Grand Slam player with 20 wins, there are three women with more: Margaret Court (24), Serena Williams (23), and Steffi Graf (22), and yet the women don’t get as much attention as the men.Or when gymnast Gabby Douglas was criticized for her “bad attitude” because she didn’t smile enough, but male athletes who scowl are complimented for their “game face,” “fierceness” or “intense concentration.”In general, women in sports are invariably seen as women first, and athletes second. This takes the form of their being portrayed as 1) sexy (beach volleyball players in bikinis, surfers marketed on their “surfer girl” sex appeal 2) mothers (they can have kids and be athletes, too! Isn’t that amazing? Good thing they have such understanding, supportive husbands!) or, if they don’t fit either of those two stereotypes, they must be either lesbians or actually, literally, male. Women In Sports: Sex Objects, Mothers, Or Too "Manly" To CountAnd last, when a woman is covered in sports, the story is almost always something about her relation to a man, whether coach, husband, or some male athlete to whom she is compared. See this excellent article that even includes a card for “Olympics Media Sexism Bingo” to check off in the next Olympics — unless the media makes some long-needed changes by then. When an athlete's relationships are more important than success in her sport
Is the world as messed up as the media portrays?
No it is not. Media has the habit of making a dookie seem like a shitstorm. That's why it isn't as messed up as they show it to be. There are things that need attention, but media hypes it up and is also biased in showing those issues. I mean.. How many news channels have you seen which show the volunteer camps in Syria which do so many good deeds with equal priority as the news relating to terrorists? They are TRP hunters with a huge team which specifically judges and compared one story with another. They're funded by some very clever businessmen which somehow try and alter the stories every now and then..Then there are the conspiracy theorists.. They tend to act like old grandpa trying to solve a crime and narrate it in the end, but most of them are lies.A perfect example would be the recent story when Gigi hadid responded quickly in defense to a pranker. (which isn't even news but just for example sake) but hey hyped it as if she had elbowed a fan in the face.
What is Fra Anglico trying to portray in his painting, The Annunciation?
The Annunciation was a well painted subject during the Medieval and Renaissance eras. In this painting, Fra Angelico presents that miracle of Incarnation by which the story of salvation begins, proclaiming this truth to every friar as he passed by the painting each day. When compared with the Annunciation of a decade before we see that the simple architecture has been replaced by heavier columns with foliated capitals. The figures have been arranged on a diagonal rather than on the single plane as we find in much of Fra Angelico's earlier work. This fresco owes much to the innovation of Masaccio, and to some extent it portrays elements of the architectural revolution brought about by Brunelleschi. The figures possess a calm and serenity which is so characteristic of Fra Angelico's work. It is a splendid and beautiful mature work which reflects the grace and dignity which Fra Angelico brings to painting at this time, and it reflects the flowering of Renaissance ideals married to his extraordinary faith. He contains the traditional narrative within the architecture of contemporary Florence in a manner which never diminishes the power of the moment The altarpiece consists of a central panel and a predella including five panels depicting different scenes of the Virgin's life: Birth and Betrothal, Visitation, Epiphany, Presentation at the Temple and Death. The main panel represents two episodes related to each other: The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:8-24) and The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38). In this last and outstanding scene, the painter has placed in the foreground the Archangel St. Gabriel bowing to Virgin Mary, under a portico with double semicircular arch. The hand of God - at the left upper angle - sends a golden ray with the Holy Ghost down to the Virgin, consistent to the Gospel words. The figures stand out against the architectural setting. In this early work, the artist has represented a rational space by means of monofocal perspective, as it would be developed, in a scientific way, along the Renaissance. The painter uses the Gothic tradition gold leaf to underline the more brilliant and more emblematic elements though, at the same time, he makes a naturalistic survey of lighting, already typical of Renaissance culture.