Transamerica

By Mike Vario

In this movie “Transamerica” the main character’s name is "Bree", formerly known as Stanley. She's an awkward woman or what appears to be a woman, still trying to find herself as well as her balance while walking in heels. Her awkwardness makes her uncomfortable in public. She has a very deep and unwomanly voice that is a dead giveaway to her true gender. Bree is just days away from taking the final step in his gender modification when a call brings her to New York to bail the teenage son she never knew about out of jail. He was the result of Stanley's one heterosexual fling from juvenile days. While seeing her psychiatrist about her problems and her life she is told she cannot go through with the surgery until she deals with her issue at hand, her son; Toby. Toby is a confused teen, who has been hustling on the streets for drug money ever since running away from home. His only real goal is to go to L.A. and become a porn star. He has severe issues in his life that derive from his upbringing. Tobby’s mother killed herself by pulling her car in the garage and leaving it run. He clearly hates his step father who molested him as a young boy. Bree posed as a prudish Christian missionary to keep her identity a secret when she picked Toby up from jail. She decides to take the boy home to his stepfather, which is on the way to California where she is scheduled for her sex change.
When the topic of conversation was about Bree’s parents she would quickly reply that they were dead. Her mother was an interfering, judgmental and flat out rude person. Her father was more the laid back “I don’t understand it but I love you anyways” kind of guy. You can tell from how Bree’s mother treats Tobby that all she really wants is a son or something to take care of. In the end of the movie it seems as if everyone got what they want, but it was bitter sweet. Bree/ Stanley got his/her sex change operation but she felt she was still missing another part of her, her son. Tobby went on to make gay porn in California and found out its not all that it cracked up to be and ends up going back to stay, and maybe start a relationship with his father/mother.

Advertising Paper

By Jordan Hlasnik

The Bacardi Limon ad is targeting the people that like to drink and have a good time. In the ad there is a bridge that is half finished and is not yet connecting the two parts of the cities. Then the Bacardi Limon has waves from the bottle that are completing the other part of the bridge to the other part of the city this might indicate that the party will follow the Bacardi Limon. And on these waves are lemons and limes which might represent cars full of people that are following the Bacardi Limon because that is where the party is at and they are willing to follow it no matter where it goes. There is also a bright light back where it looks like the bridge starts which might represent a party because parties are bright and exciting. It also, looks that no matter the distance of the place you are in the Bacardi Limon can get to where you are at. It can take the normal city and turn it into a party city. It spans a river leading you to believe that no matter the obstacle it can reach where you are at. On the top of the ad it says “Tonic, Juice, Rocks, Magic” with the emphasis on the magic. Which could mean that when you drink Bacardi Limon it is like magic happens. And that no madder how you drink Bacardi Limon or what you mix it with it will be good. One of the assumptions that the ad is making is that if you drink this product it will make the party more exciting than any other drink could. And it is also something that can take an average city and bring the city to life with excitement. A cultural assumption might be that you need this product to have a good time at a party. Or this is a good way to spice up an average night on the town. And that without drinking Bacardi Limon you will not have any fun if you go to a party. The ad also plays on the fear that if you do not drink Bacardi Limon that you will not have a good time or you will not be part of the party. And that the average city will stay the average city until you drink the product then the real party will start. The most important part of the aid is the bridge over the water to the other city leading to the Bacardi Limon bottle. The reason is that it can bridge the gap between having fun and just being at an average party. And it gives a vivid image of half of the bridge with the Bacardi Limon waves that are very bright so they stand out and you’re eyes are attracted to them and then the waves lead straight to the big Bacardi Limon bottle which is the biggest thing in the picture so you’re eyes go straight to it. And they want you to focus on what they are trying to sell.

Changing Face of the American Family

Over the last century, the face of the American has changed in many ways. There has been a great revolution in the personal and professional relationships between women and men. Traditional marriage has been taken apart and put back together to meet changing cultural tides. Faith, once central in day to day life, has become detached from the family’s agenda. And while poverty has been a rollercoaster of economic excesses and downturns, government assistance, and labor issues, many American families face the same age-old challenge of putting food on the table and a roof over their heads.

Over the past century American family culture has experienced many changes. None has been more profound than the change in the roles of the mother and father. There are many reasons for these changes. The growing longevity in all of the people in a family has caused parents and children to spend many more years in each others’ company. This in turn has caused many changes in the ways that the family interacts with each other.

'New' Years Gained by Women Worldwide, 1900-2000
Increased life expectancy at birth
30 years
Increased life expectancy at age 15
15 years
Increased life expectancy at age 45
10 years
Increased life expectancy at age 65
7 years



Male and female roles used to be more similar. In Late 1800’s, early 1900‘s, most people lived agricultural lives. Three-quarters of men were engaged in farm activities, and presumably nearly all of their wives were, too. Their productive activities were joint; they were not equal. Men owned their wives' person in common law and normally owned the land as well. Nevertheless, their daily reality was likely less shaped by these factors than by their own personalities and by the crises large and small that they faced as they worked together to provide for their family and care for their children.

By the 1920s males went to work outside the agricultural aspects, many going into manufacturing. Women took on the housewife, domestic role. The partnership seemed distant memory. Men were providers outside the home and women were home, usually with numerous children. However this change was soon followed by women in the 1950’s when they took to the workforce. Many wives still stayed home but the number of working women quickly doubled. As they have increasingly moved into the work force outside of the home, it has given them financial independence and has altered traditional roles within the family. Men are less essential as bread winners and no longer accepted as dominant figures in the home. They have begun to take on more child-rearing and other domestic household responsibilities previously defined as "women's work." Divorce has become an economically viable alternative for women in unhappy marriages. There also has been a marked decrease in the frequency of mother-child interaction.
American children have increasingly been raised by non-family members in child care centers and schools.

As women began this new endeavor, men were also forced to take on more domestic roles. Household chores and raising of the children were now a shared burden. As these changes occurred, divorce rates went up as well, thus causing the single parent family to take shape. Mothers and fathers now found themselves either having to play both roles in the family or they would have to be considered the “absent” parent.

Late 1900’s was the biggest time for structural change. Mothers were now finding themselves choosing corporate life over motherhood. Many women who do choose to be a mother never decide to get married. It is more acceptable now for men to choose to stay home with their children while the wife goes out of the home to work. Currently statistics say that only about 36% of mothers are home with their children. This is quite the drop since the early 1900’s when such a thing was unheard of. Economics is the major conflict causing such a difference in the family culture. A two income family is as normal today as an agricultural family was back in the early 1900’s. Clearly the American family, like all families in the Western industrial countries, is now profoundly different from what it had been in the past. It typically is a household with few children, with both parents working, and with mothers producing their children at ever older ages. At the same time, more adults than ever before are living alone or with unmarried companions and more women than ever before are giving birth out of wedlock. These trends have profoundly changed the American family and are unlikely to be reversed any time soon.

Marriage throughout the years has changed and conformed to the times, but for the most part marriage has stayed the same. People who were married in the early part of the 20th century were very young, most being in their mid to upper teens. Some children could get married as early as 12 to 14 with their parents’ consent. When the 1900’s started, marriage was very traditional, but they wanted something new like a diamond on their gold wedding band, yet still keeping something traditional like an engagement ring. The parents of the bride also wanted the man to be financially stable in order to take care of their daughter. This led to the groom paying for most of the wedding, but if both the families did not have a lot of money they would have the marriage at either the bride or grooms house. Also, a new idea was a honeymoon for the new couple if they could afford to go on one. The 1920’s was a very prosperous time and a lot of people were doing very well for themselves. This allowed the weddings to be bigger and fancier with more flowers and more family and friends. The biggest change during this time was that the brides now wore dresses that showed their shoulders and legs. When the great depression hit the United States the number of people getting married dropped significantly. The people at that time just did not have the money to get married, or the men knew they could not support a family so they did not want to start one. The way that they looked at marriage was once you were married, you would not get divorced no matter what the circumstances. With World War II, a lot of married women became widowers because of their husbands being killed in battle. After World War II was over a lot of the soldiers that came back settled down and got married. In the 1960’s, the view of marriage started to change to, "I'm not committed to you but I am having a great time with you sexually and romantically. I like how you make me feel right now. But who knows what I'll feel tomorrow? So let's not make any kind of commitment to each other but just enjoy this moment” (The Future of Marriage). In other words, if you don’t give me passion and pleasure then I can go and find it somewhere else. Even the newspaper and other forms of media have hinted that this kind of the love is the ideal kind. Then in the 70’s and 80’s there was the gay rights movement.The people that were gay wanted to get married, but their issue was swept under the rug because no one wanted to talk about it. In the early part of the 1990’s the marriage rates dropped to their lowest point in 30 years. Also, in the 1990’s the push for same sex marriage was a big topic and still is today. The gay and lesbian community is still fighting for the right to get married because they feel like they should be given the right to get married if they want to just like any other couple. Marriages today have a slowly declining divorce rate, but there are still a lot of married couples that do not stay married for longer than a few years.

Divorce up until the 1960’s was a subject that was unthinkable to many married couples. They were expected to work out any problems that they had. The women had to listen to the men and only the men could decide if they would get a divorce. Due to this social norm, less than one out of every ten marriages ended in divorce. Through the 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s the divorce rate has gone up. In 1960 the divorce rate was 9.2 couples for every 1,000 people married, in 1970 it was 14.9 couples for every 1,000 people married, and in 1980 it was 22.6 couples for every 1,000 people married. In the 1990’s a staggering 1 in every 12 marriages ended in divorce. Surprisingly in today’s world 4 out of every 10 marriages will end in divorce. There are many reasons why divorces occur, whether it is from money, or communication, or infidelity. What is still surprising is that most people put a lot of thought into getting married from their financial status to their feelings for the person. Maybe one of the downfalls is that getting a divorce is a lot easier to achieve today than it was in the past. Money is a very big reason that lower income families get divorces. With families that do not have a lot of money, there is always a lot of tension between the husband and wife about all the things that come along with not having enough money. With this lack of money they cannot even afford to go to marriage counseling to see if they can get their problems resolved by a marriage counselor. Another big problem that married couples face is communication. In some relationships both spouses work and have kids making it hard for them to find time for each other, leading them to grow father apart until it is too late to save their marriage. Getting married at a young age is also a leader in why couples get divorced. Most of the time what happens is that the young couple gets pregnant and thinks that the best solution is to get married. However, when they get married the big problems that they encounter are financial strain, stress, poor communication, and taking care of a child all contributing to a probable divorce. One of the biggest reasons for getting a divorce is being unfaithful in a relationship. With women and men working together in the work place the temptation is there for them to be unfaithful, especially if they are having problems with an unhappy marriage.

There have been many changes in religion in the American family from past to present, each civilization has its own idea of what is good and what is true. As families beliefs and religions have changed from era to era, so have society's beliefs and values. The concept of “god” underwent quite a few transformations as religion changed from nature worship to public worship. Later families leaned more towards science, fame, and, money. Each family had its own god; beliefs in these gods, and resembled the belief system of modern-day patriotism in America. You can assume that ancient people also believed in the science of their day associated with such practices as divination with bones, ritual healing, or astrology. http://www.humanismtoday.org/vol13/kurtz.htmlAmerica is a very religious country. Religious institutions and churches are very powerful and influential in today’s social and political life. Americans who are not members of any church or institution established religion are likely to believe in God. About 40% of Americans attend religious services regularly. The family search for a better knowledge or belief. People in America are more likely to believe in religion than other places of the world. Americans who are members of no established religion are likely to believe in God. According to a Gallup opinion survey, nearly all Americans, 98% of them, do, compared to 84% in Switzerland, 73% in France and 60% in Sweden. Americans also tend to believe in life after death: 73% compared to 50% in Switzerland and only 38% in Great Britain. About 60% of Americans are members of a church, synagogue or other religious group, though many more identify with various religions because of their birth or upbringing. When the conclusions of philosophy were drafted on the family’s religion, it endowed religion with the regard of philosophy as being the most advanced form of knowledge at that time. http://www.philosophyofreligion.info/cosmological.html Religion has its own system of beliefs. Christians are taught to believe in the virtue of belief. German priest; Martin Luther said that belief alone would bring salvation. One had to believe in Jesus to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (http://en.proverbia.net/citastema.asp?tematica=443) Belief in unseen things was not enough for intellectuals of the Renaissance. They preferred to believe in what they saw. This led to the attitude which underlies practical science that would say broad truths depended upon compliance to the facts, and beliefs had to be changed with a different observation of facts. Today people believe in the truths of science. Science assures us that true, real answers will be reached in our knowledge of the natural world. The progress in technology of science makes believers out of everyone.The American family today nurtures other kinds of beliefs. During this age, people believe in money. They believe in real things that have real existence and are truly valuable. Possession of money is at the center of many people's lives. The people of today believe in education as a personally good and uplifting experience. People believe that a college education means intellectual proficiency and likely success in a career. Belief becomes a more difficult proposal in a culture based on believing in wealth.

Through all of our nation’s ups and downs, there have always been families who are unable to make ends meet. In the early part of the century, social workers identified many “personal” causes of poverty such as disability, illness, old age, drug and alcohol addiction, and death of a breadwinner. However, they also recognized the socioeconomic conditions that can result in poverty among those who would otherwise be capable of working to make a living. Situations such as economic recession, business failures, geographical economic weaknesses, and changes or interruptions in technology infrastructure were all forces powerful enough to devastate the financial stability of many families. (Patterson 6.) Many believed overpopulation was a key factor to poverty, and credited that to the increased volume of immigration during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Poverty for an agricultural family often meant the children were put to work as early and as often as possible, thus depriving them of an education. In the 1900s, children of impoverished families were expected to work especially if the family needed the extra income. There were no particular rules being followed with regard to child labor, so many children were expected to contribute to the family’s income as soon as they were old enough to be employable. The growing prosperity that America enjoyed through the turn of the century led some to abandon wisdom of frugality and savings. Economic performance yielded greater disposable income, and many Americans were able to indulge in excesses that their parents or grandparents had never dreamed of. The Great War (later to be known as World War I) further fueled the booming economy, and created countless industrial job opportunities. These relatively high paying jobs for uneducated workers enabled many families to restructure around the father as the head of the household, financially. This often facilitated more consistent and lengthy education for the children. Incidentally, the many lives lost in the war had a side effect back home, leaving many widowed mothers. This was the first time that many women were forced to become the primary breadwinner of their family. But the post-war boom came to an abrupt end with the crash of the stock market in 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression. In the early century there were no government managed welfare programs to protect poverty-stricken families, who had to hope for the grace of private charities distributing whatever they could.

In the Great Depression, many families were thrust into poverty and the effects were devastating. Those families with the father working a steady full time job seemed to disappear. Banks and businesses closed down and with that most jobs held by those breadwinners were abolished. Most households were now without that much needed income and at times the woman of the house was expected to find something if possible to generate some money for food. The government had set up relief stations during the Great Depression but the lines were horrendous and some people died just waiting for days in them for any type of allowance just to eat. Children especially suffered from malnutrition because of inadequate diet and unhygienic living conditions, as well as their parents. Schools were feeding most children but even that was not enough because in 1933 school budgets were cut and in some cases schools were shutdown leaving children with no education. Small farming families in the south suffered the worst and the blows dealt by the depression were the most devastating. Some housing went without windows or water at times, and 40 percent of households in 1940 lacked bathtubs and 58 percent central heating. (Patterson.) With families struggling just to have enough to eat, Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave his speech with the idea of the New Deal in 1932 which won him the 1933 election for president. There was finally some hope for the suffering families of the Great Depression. The first phase (1933–34) attempted to provide recovery and relief from the Great Depression through programs of agricultural and business regulation, inflation, price stabilization, and public works. (infoplease.com.) Most notable, the National Recovery Administration which helped combat widespread unemployment. Also the Works Projects Administration helped create jobs for many unemployed families. However several projects were stopped causing many to be out of work once again in 1939. Thanks to the New Deal there was resurgence in job opportunity, primarily blue collar workers and economic revitalization. Since the economy was in a good condition, people could be hired at better wages so a family, father, mother, and two children could be supported but the father’s wages alone. But all this prosperity was soon to end; around the 1960s, the closing of factories created decreased employment opportunities for unskilled workers, so a father with no education could no longer support and family of four.

With the Social Security Act of 1935, it established a national welfare system. It helped single mothers with dependent children get grants monthly. Poverty rates have continued to rise and fall with significant decrease since the Great Depression. However recent rates have risen once again and many speculate that people are starting to abuse the system. There are many more rules and regulations to be accepted for state welfare but now families can be supported no matter what whether deserving or not.

Diversity and independence have always been hallmarks of the American experience. Whether a family of Protestants subsistence farming in the countryside, a single mother working two jobs to pay her bills, divorced parents sharing custody on alternate weekends, or young newlyweds just beginning their lives together, they all have one thing in common: regardless of time and place, all are American families. The fact that there is no one face of America, there is no form to fit, is what makes America so great, what makes its culture so beautifully diverse, and what keeps the rest of the world so constantly captivated with the way we can all be the same while all being so different.

Patterson, James. America's Struggle Against Poverty:1900-1994, Harvard Press 1994

The Life of Jesse Owens

Athlete Paper: Jesse Owens

Written by: Leanne Kerekes

Jesse Owens was a world-famous Track & Field star, best known for his performances in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. James Cleveland Owens was born on September 12th, 1913 in Oakville, Alabama. When J.C. was nine years old, his family moved to Cleveland in hopes of better employment opportunities. On his first day of school in Cleveland, he told the teacher his name was J.C., but because of his southern drawl, the teacher thought he said Jesse, and the mistake stuck.
As Jesse got older, he took after school jobs to help his family make ends meet. At times his schedule was so hectic that he literally had to run from school to work, and from one job to another. It was in running between school and these jobs that Jesse realized he quite enjoyed running, and that he was remarkably good at it. His high school gym teacher, Charles Riley, couldn’t help but notice Jesse’s impressive talents. Riley also happened to be the school’s track coach, and he invited Jesse to join the team. Because of his after school jobs, Jesse would have been unable to attend the practices with the rest of his team. Coach Riley solved this problem by offering to train Jesse, one on one, in the mornings before school. Thus, Jesse’s commitment to helping his family financially inadvertently resulted in him getting what amounted to be a daily personal trainer. This intimate, focused conditioning was undoubtedly a factor in honing Jesse’s innate ability as a runner into his glowing success as an athlete.
The success of the team, and more importantly, Jesse’s personal record-breaking performances, got the attention of more than a few collegiate athletic associations. He was even courted by several of the Big Ten schools. However, in the 1930s there were very strict laws pertaining to amateur athletics, and athletic scholarships simply did not exist as we know them today. His choice was, therefore, dictated by where and how his family could best earn a living while he was in school. Ohio State University ultimately offered the best opportunity, and Jesse began attending classes there in 1933. During this time period the United States was still segregated, so when traveling to track meets, he had to stay separate from his team in “black-only” hotels and get take out food instead of eating with the team at restaurants. Ohio State’s track coach was involved in the school’s public relations initiative, and encouraged his athletes to take part. Owens took speaking engagements at area schools and other organizations, giving him his first real experience as an orator. Although his academic performance left much to be desired, his athletic prowess showed no sign of dimming. At a Big Ten meet on May 25th, 1935 Owens set three world records.
Emboldened by these achievements he decided to enter the 1936 Summer Olympics on his own. These games happened to be scheduled in Berlin at the height of Hitler’s Third Reich and have often been referred to as “The Nazi Olympics.” During the
Olympics, Nazi propaganda flooded Berlin, touting the superiority of the “perfect” Aryan race, and in contrast, the inferiority of other races, often specifically Africans. Owens won four gold medals in Track and Field at the games, becoming the first American of any race to do so. On the first day of competition, Hitler only shook hands with German medalists and then left, snubbing the victories of other nations’ competitors. For successive days of competition, he was told to greet all medal winners or none at all, and he chose the latter, avoiding the ceremony altogether. The world press made much ado about Hitler’s snub, but Owens took issue with the hypocrisy of selectively condemning racism abroad, while embracing it at home. "When I came back to my native country, after all the stories about Hitler, I couldn't ride in the front of the bus," Owens said. "I had to go to the back door. I couldn't live where I wanted. I wasn't invited to shake hands with Hitler, but I wasn't invited to the White House to shake hands with the President, either." (ESPN.com) In fact, Owens never received as much as a telegram from the sitting president, Franklin D. Roosevelt.
After the Olympics concluded, the entire American team was invited to compete in Sweden. Owens, disillusioned with nationalist athletic competition, decided to return to the states to cash in on lucrative endorsement offers that came along with his new-found success and fame. When officials found out about his plan, his amateur status was revoked by the American Athletic Union and with that went most of his endorsement deals. This decision effectively ended his career as a professional competitive athlete. In an effort to maintain a viable income through racing, Owens became a runner-for-hire.
He took invitations to run against other runners, athletes from other sports (always ceding a significant head-start), and even thoroughbred horses. He made frequent appearances racing before Negro League baseball games, and later entertained at Major League Baseball games as well.
Given his college experience as a public speaker, Owens found a new career, using his fame as an athlete to acquire speaking engagements. His success was so great that he eventually founded a public relations firm. Owens traveled around the world, speaking on behalf of giants such as Ford Motor Company and the U.S. Olympic Committee. He also devoted a great deal of his time to sponsoring and participating in youth sports programs in under-privileged neighborhoods. In the 1950s, the U.S. State Department asked Owens to tour Asia as a Goodwill Ambassador, with emphasis on advancing the Olympic cause. Also, in 1973 he was appointed to the U.S. Olympic Committee’s board of directors, where he pushed for funding to equip and train American athletes. He later devoted his efforts to charity groups, including the Boys’ Club of America.
Though he never finished his bachelor’s degree studies at Ohio State, the University awarded him an honorary degree as a Doctor of Athletic Arts in 1972. Owens was inducted to the Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1974. In 1976, he was presented the highest honor afforded to civilians, the Medal of Freedom, by President Gerald Ford. On March 31st, 1980, Owens, a long time cigarette smoker, succumbed to lung cancer the age of 66. After his death, his family and friends created the Jesse Owens Foundation. It “is a non-profit organization whose goal is to promote the development of youth to their fullest potential.” (The Jesse Owens Foundation) In 1990 he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George H.W. Bush.
Jesse Owens exemplified the merits of hard work and perseverance, and of their ability to overcome financial hardship. Though he came from meager means, he applied himself to supporting his family, committed himself to success, and always overcame obstacles and disappointments with courage and grace. When his greatest achievements elevated him to fame, he utilized his popularity by championing causes that he deeply believed in. His unquenchable thirst for greatness, his unshakable duty to his family, and his devotion to giving back to his community and to humanity make him a role model of a quality we rarely see in our times.

The History of The View

By Melissa Liles

Barbara Walters is the creator of this exciting, controversial and addicting daytime talk show. Five ladies with very different backgrounds and opinions are put together to bring all sides and opinions to the table. However, because of the distinct personality differences there has been many disagreements from fans of the show, as well as between the co-hosts themselves.

“The View” first aired on August 11th, 1997 starring Meredith Vieira, Star Jones Roberts, Debbie Matenopoulos, and Barbara Walters. Joy Behar initially took turns with Barbara to appear on the show. According to Salon.coms review of the show, The View is comparable to “The Rat Pack.” However the key demographic was women ages 18 to 49, and many women with diverse backgrounds find themselves addicted to this daytime talk show.

In the ten years that the show has aired, they have also had ten co-hosts. Beginning the trend was Debbie departure in 1999 leaving a vacancy for a young co-host. This position was quickly filled by Lisa Ling. Lisa sat in as co-host until 2002 and tryouts were held for the new young co-host spot. Elizabeth Hasselbeck, who became well known for her role as a contestant on “Survivor,” was chosen for the position. Since then, Elizabeth continues to hold her own with the ladies.

Meredith Viera was next to announce her departure on April 6th, 2006, because she
was offered a position on the “Today Show.” This left an opening for a moderator on the show. Unexpectedly , on April 28th Barbara Walters made the announcement that Rosie O’Donnell, a well known controversial talk show host, would be starting the new season as moderator on “The View.”

Star Jones, in the mean time was in contractual negotiations with ABC. Rumors surrounded her because of her drastic weightloss and comments made about her by Rosie O’Donnell in the past. July 27th Star made an announcement that she would be leaving at the end of July because she and ABC were unable to come to an agreement for a new contract. Surprisingly, even to Barbara, the announcement came 2 days earlier than planned. The next day Star did not return to “The View,” Barbara made the announcement that she would not be returning to finish up thru July.

Until September a wide variety of celebrity co-hosts filled the empty seats. However, as the new season began on September 5th Rosie O’Donnell began in her new position. Ratings skyrocketed and November sweeps brought in the highest ratings in the shows history. With her came many controversies. These ranged from her very public dispute with Donald Trump, her very heartfelt political views, her untactful jokes about the Chinese, to her short yet viscous fight with Co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck. Rosie’s extreme liberal views were always on the forefront against Elizabeth’s conservative views.

With Rosie came a lot of press. Her very public argument with Donald Trump was
heated and long running. This dispute started December 20th 2006 with Rosie making comments about Donald Trumps press conference giving the Miss USA title holder a second chance. In exchange for her comment Donald had a few of his own. This full blown fight became widely covered and the battle continues. Though not as extreme, you will still hear the banter between them.

Once again ABC found themselves having contract problems with a co-host. Rosie’s contract was to be renewed in June 2007. Rosie announced on April 25ththat she would be leaving because they were unable to meet eye to eye on contract length and other issues. However she would come back time to time for commentary. Then, May 23rd she and Elizabeth had their last disagreement on air. Rosie did not return after, as she had previously stated she would. Barbara was left once again to announce that Rosie had requested and ABC had decided to let her out of her contract early.

In the weeks to follow her departure, ratings dropped. Rosie was controversial yes, but the fans enjoyed watching her on the show. She brought an exciting dynamic to “The View” that would be hard to replace. The search for a new moderator was on, and the replacement had to be a good one.

Many people filled the slot from day to day. In August 2007, The announcements were made that Whoopi Goldberg as well as Sherri Shepard would be joining the show as the new co-hosts. Whoopi is well known for her political views, and volunteer work, as well as her many amazing roles in multiple movies.

According to TVWeek.com ratings are actually up 16% compared to when Rosie O’Donnell started in 2006. November sweeps are just around the corner, and that will be the true tell all.

In the ten years that the show has aired the dynamics have never really changed. The show continues to open every episode with “Hot Topics.” This is where the differences in the ladies truly shines. Daily news topics are often debated from, sometimes four different spectrums. Following these round table discussions are interviews with celebrities and other people of interest. Many times the show is also full of a smaller segments about food or fashion. Just as it was back when it first aired. Salon.com stated that this show was a benchmark for Barbara Walters ten years ago. Today that statement still rings true.