Why 'Popular Culture' should be Popular in Education

I personally learned A LOT from this class. I now view things in our culture a little bit differently than how I did when coming into this class. "Fake Love" is something that changed everything for me--the way I see movies, hear songs, and even books... 3 things I love very very much. Another thing that changed my outlook on the world was gender & sex in the media. I knew advertisements were sometimes sexist but in this class I learned that it was so much more. Even things so small like a cigarette could be sexist.

Popular Culture should be something everyone studies because it teaches you how and why your generation is the way it is while stringing it back to the beginning of time. Social media, music, sex, gender pressures, advertisements, sports, TV, race, and even previous generations sculpt our culture.
The study of Popular Culture made me more aware of the world we live in and I believe anyone who takes a class like this will benefit from it as well.  

SimChuck & Happiness

Chuck Klosterman attempted to make a perfect replica of himself and his life in the video game Sims. In his chapter Billy Sim, he explained that it is nearly impossible to make his SimChuck happy. The reason for this is because RealChuck and SimChuck have completely different personalities and are happy in dissimilar ways. RealChuck described his avatar as a whiny little b*tch. He would buy his character fancy, expensive items (like a classy bed and a huge mirror) and that would result in SimChuck's happiness. This frustrated RealChuck because extravagant items aren't that important him. SimChuck uses natural happiness because these items are what he truly wants. RealChuck is displaying synthetic happiness because he is settling for the lousy mindset of his whiny, materialistic avatar. RealChuck also demonstrates this happiness in his everyday life because he's content with the minimalistic life he chooses to live.

Smart Phones and The Millennials

The Millennial Generation, also considered Generation Y, love technology more than anything. They depend on it... and sometimes a little too much. I am considered a Millennial, I was born in 1996 right around the peak of this generation and I fall into the category of Millennials who own a smart phone. Smart phones allow you to get on the internet (through wi-fi or a data plan), own fun apps, e-mail back and forth, edit documents, video chat in high definition, and the battery life is much longer than a regular cell phone. The only drawback to smart phones is the cost, especially for Apple products. These smart phones can easily distract us from real life and swerve our focus. This might be why some Millennials lack motivation to do anything but sit and be on their phone. This could affect their education/GPA and even their health. It can also explain why some millennials are self-absorbed. Having social networks (facebook, twitter, instagram, etc) at your fingertips can make it super easy to share things about yourself (pictures, updates, videos, etc). This doesn't necessarily make Millennials "self-absorbed" but it definitely gives them a place to do so with their smart phones. Even though this form of personal technology might seem to influence Millennials in a negative way, it has many positive repercussions. It gives them the ability to connect, explore, and take action in a quick, efficient manner.  

The Kirkwood Life

"The Kirkwood Life" would consist of the students we come across on a daily basis. There will be:
1. The baseball boy who always wears his cap and typically only hangs out with his crew... the "baseball crew."
2. The dude who has been here way too long and most likely a stoner.
3. The kid who plays Magic with his buddies in the cafeteria everyday.
4. The high schooler living a double life.
5. The quiet girl.
6. The innovative music lover.
7. The foreign exchange student.
And 8. The creepy hallway lingerer. (Because why not?)
These students could be different ethnicities and have varied sexual preferences. When it comes to reality shows, the casting crew normally picks people who are obviously diverse. In my show I wouldn't try to mush these 8 "characters" together. I would show them in their regular friend groups and normal settings (but not in class because that's boring). The reason for this is because everyone has different personalities and their own contrasting dramas. For example, these possible situations could occur: the baseball crew is getting ready for a big game and one guy is failing a class and not eligible to play, the stoner gets caught smoking on campus and doesn't give a f*ck, the Magic player isn't able to make it to the match and has to deal with the consequences, the high schooler is overwhelmed with everything and has to pick a side, the music lover finds something else to love (hint: a person), and the creeper finds one single soul to admire and goes all out (this character is my favorite, imagine him turning out to be the most charming dude at Kwood). When the weekend comes there will be a special event--kind of like our "welcome week" festivities. This is when we would make the 8 bump paths. The rest is up to them. Their individual dramas might collide and create the best thing ever.

Masculinity in our culture

According to Ralph Donald in his article From "Knockout Punch" to "Home Run", young men need the opportunity to display "manly acts". These would include sports and war. Comparing the two can allow anyone to see the similarities. Some of these consist of leadership and teamwork skills, structure, strategy, the ability to get strong, and it teaches discipline. The notion of masculinity definitely starts with sports and then as kids get older it can transfer into the armed services. With sports, boys can become "men" at a very young age. It gives them the opportunity to show their manliness. They're pressured into keeping this stamina by being told "Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser," "don't give up: fight on to victory," and "you gotta play hurt." Winning is what defines a boy as a man. If you're hurt you still have to play to win or else you're seen as less than a man. This issue is also shown in the video "Football High". Players are told "don't coward down," "shake it off," and "get back in there." They demand physical, manly acts in order to win and be seen as superior. Even if a player is hurt they stay in the game unless they're well ahead, if they fall behind then they are forced to go back in and play. This issue then leads into Chuck Klosterman's chapter George Will vs. Nick Hornby when he talks about intimidation culture. The manliest of all boys are the ones who are popular, special and high achieving, bigger, stronger, faster, and taller... basically superhuman. If you don't fall into this category you are labeled as an outcast which is FAR from masculine. The main goal for intimidation sports--like football, basketball, baseball, and hockey--is to win. That's it. Pushing through physical pain and harsh demands is to show everyone that you're a man that wins.

"Monkey See, Monkey Do" & Assume

Most people believe that we imitate what we see, especially when it comes to violence shown in the media. George Gerbner--a WWII veteran, professor of communication, and the founder of cultivation theory--spent 4 decades trying to understand media and violence. What he discovered was completely opposite of what we all thought. In the video, Mean World Syndrome, 3 main issues associated with media and violence were discussed. 1) fear and insecurity 2) "happy violence" and 3) one-sided representation in the news.

When it comes to fear and insecurity, the violence we see makes us frightened by the world we live in. Ultimately, it's not the quantity of violence that influences this uneasiness, it's the quality and how the violence was done in a way that executes some sort of story that has meaning... a story that can possibly occur again but to us personally. Although we see a lot of gruesome, gory acts of violence in movies and TV shows, we see "happy violence" the most. This is humorous and entertaining violence that normally leads to a happy ending. This makes us believe that violence is okay because in the end everything will be fine. I believe this is what parents of young children are most worried about--their child thinking violence is perfectly okay and that it'll benefit their success in the world. And lastly, the one-sided representation of violence in the news. 2/3 of Americans watch the news and 63% of news stories are specifically about crimes. In the news, they show the most terrifying stories of felony--they make us believe that violent crimes are much worse than they really are. Crime rates are even dropping! But people think they're rising with the amount of violence they show. The news should display positive showings of good events to balance the bad.

Football High At Its Lowest

Two boys--Will and Tyler--were greatly affected by a sudden heat stroke. They both have a similar body type, damage to the liver, and were placed in a coma. The biggest and most prevalent connection between these two cases is that both incidents occurred during football practice. Will recovered after being hospitalized and Tyler unfortunately passed away slowly in his coma. One thing that should be stressed is the fact that heat stroke it completely preventable. The video mentions that many schools have "recommendations" when it comes to having practice in certain conditions BUT the coaches don't get penalized for not following these recommendations. The video also stated a possible solution--having an athletic health trainer on site during all practices and games to provide instant help. When it comes to heat stroke, the first 5-10 minutes after collapsing are the most important. Having someone there at all times should lower the chances of further hospitalization. Plus these trainers will never assume their collapse is due to just heat exhaustion--a common mistake.

Another major issue addressed in this video was concussions. High school football players are notably injured way more than college and professional players due to hits to the head--big and small. This can lead to major brain damage like CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). Symptoms of this degenerative disease include memory loss, aggression, confusion, and depression. One solution that the video stated was the censored helmets. These helmets would calculate the hits that these players endure. Although they're only for research purposes, we can take the data to better understand that even little hits can damage the brain. This research can also help others create a real, longterm solution. Football is an extremely physical intimidation sport, so you can't take the physical aspect out without wiping the entire sport out with it. A solution can't be to stop this activity even though it would be beneficial for the brains of many football players. Football thrives from immense pressure and pain, it's how the sport works.    

This Is Seriously Emo

Chuck Klosterman, author of Sex, Drugs, & Cocoa Puffs, rambles on and on his thoughts about romance and how everyone is blinded with the notion of fake love. This is the fantasy version of romance--the cliché "forever & always", "happily ever after" love... the love that we all dream of. But it's a dream for a reason; it will never happen. We all believe that it's possible, and there might be a microscopic sliver of a chance, but this kind of love is not normal. 

Before reading the chapter "This is Emo" I fell for this fictitious amour and it sickens me a bit. I've learned that the mass media has been feeding our minds lies. They put a pretty picture in our head which manipulates our brain into thinking it's OUR fault for not reaching the heights of romance we see everywhere. They make it seem totally achievable and common, but the thing is... it's only common IN THE MEDIA, it's the only place we see it. But because the media is everywhere and they depict love in natural, seemingly realistic settings, we believe it's possible. Movies, TV shows, songs, books, ect. are setting us all up for failure. The media prompts us to need something deeper than what we want. We love entertainment and fake love shines high in the sky. We can't erase this form of amusement because it has been around for so long. Fake love will last forever. After this reading I realized that it takes a serious dose of life-questioning to recognize our world of deception.    

XXX

Sex is a huge topic and porn relies on it. A young female by the name of Lauren is a college student at Duke University and she does porn on the side to pay for it. After her story and identity was revealed to the public, people went crazy--either supporting her or attacking her. During a CNN video clip over this issue, they focused on control. Porn is Lauren's home, this is her love, it gives her hope. It is her happy place where she's in control of her sexuality. Later on in the clip, CNN added a guest, clinical psychologist Michelle Golland, to express her opinion of the issue. Michelle called Lauren "bad ass" and says "good for her" for totally owning her sexuality. The fact that Lauren does "own her sexuality" and is in complete control of it tends to make other women and even men uncomfortable. 

During The Young Turks video clip over this issue, they focused on the bullying. The Turks made Lauren out to be a very strong woman while the haters see her as a young, naive girl. The hosts mention that porn fulfills her and people are just jealous and bitter of that. They seem to really defend her but at the same time they lightly joke about it. People are accusing her of being a whore yet she actually IS the dictionary definition of "whore." It is obvious that everyone has different morals and opinions. Although America's culture is more open about sex and porn, it's still something that people cherish and are somewhat embarrassed to share to the public. 

"Life is Graded on a Curve"

In Jean Kilbourne's video Killing Us Softly she discusses the connection between everyday advertisements and women--most of which were very negative. Take this "got milk?" ad for instance... Everything about this is objectifying women. A lot of ads are for men and this one is no exception.  Since this ad is obviously for a man, everything in it is also for a man. This seemingly happy women holding HER baby (which SHE gave birth to) is for a man. The milk that is feeding the baby is even for a man because without it... this woman's breasts (which are HERS, they are stuck to HER body) wouldn't be of any use for the man. What I gather from this ad is that this woman, who I assume is looking at a man (the father of her baby), is giving herself up to him. Girls are taught to devalue themselves while boys are taught to devalue these girls as well. Most of these teachings are learned subconsciously. This woman is an object. You better buy milk so you can use your girl! "Because her boobs are for YOU... not YOUR  baby" "Milk helps YOU take back what's YOURS". Everything is for a man and women have no meaning alone... a man adds purpose to a woman's life.

Another point that Jean Kilbourne made was the fact that girls are told to be pure yet sexy at the same time. Even adult women are told this. This is why we see grown women looking like children because apparently "innocence is sexier than you think." This angelic girl in the ad above looks to be no older than 10 and she already symbolizes sex with her make-up done, Marilyn Monroe styled hair, and her lips partly opened. 

Over time, innocence and sexy have become a pair. 

We see young girls like this everywhere, it has become a norm. There are high heels for babies and even a popular show called "Toddlers and Tiaras" which is a glittery display of this issue. I ask myself... How is this okay? and why? 

A little girl is now a sex symbol.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

~ Raising little girls to be erotically suggestive since the mid 1900s ~ 

Seeking Happiness on the Internet

The internet is a whole new world that was given to us through technology. People would probe and find new interfaces to interact with. The internet is a new venue for self-expression. The fact that it's participatory can help people connect with others and this kind of social interaction can easily make people happy. This would be synthetic happiness because it's secondary. Expressing yourself and talking to others over the internet is very different than doing so in person, physically face-to-face. The tangible contact with others is natural happiness, it's what we humans pine for... the real stuff.   

Not only does interaction with others on the internet create forms of happiness but so do certain websites and features that the internet has to offer. You can listen to music, watch TV and movies, keep up-to-date on your favorite sports teams, read whatever you want, shop, share and edit photos, and so much more. These cyber goodies can influence people to go straight to the internet instead of to the store. This kind of interaction would lead to natural happiness while going to the store would be synthetic. The internet is so versatile that it can create different configurations of happiness depending on how you use it and what you use it for. It seems like everything bad can be good for you too!     

And may the odds be ever in your favor

In the documentary "Generation Like" many ordinary teenagers and young adults beam popularity through millions of computer and phone screens. You might ask yourself "why them?"... because they're likable... it's that simple. Not only are they likable but they use the media to let everyone know that. The people reading this blog are probably likable too but aren't using the media to draw the entire world to them. There are people out there who post pictures and videos for the sole desire to get "like"s, "share"s, "retweet"s, etc. These people can easily turn their "like"s into $$$. Just like the Hunger Games, "to get sponsors, you get people to like you." In this case, they're already halfway there.

Money has been a huge factor in the media. Not only do "popular" internet faces get money but so do companies who are helped out by those famous cyber-heads. Again with the Hunger Games, fans go wild when it comes to promoting their favorite action packed movie. They tweet, share, create gifs and memes, and show off their already bought Hunger Games attire. Like the video states, the fans do the marketing... consumer=primary marketer. These companies sell the product to the audience but then rely  on the audience to sell it for them... and they do. Fan bases emerge and Víolá ("wallah")!! Immediate cha-ching in the oversized, saggy pockets of the media-hungry companies.

Why so saucy?

The work of Howard Moskowitz was thoroughly illustrated by Malcolm Gladwell in his lecture "Choice, happiness and spaghetti sauce." Gladwell used multiple stories from Moskowitz's career life to demonstrate that people don't actually know what they want. Moskowitz experimented with diet pepsi to find the "perfect pepsi"... what is the sweet spot? Gladwell then moved on to talking about Prego and how Moskowitz had the same goal... finding the perfect sauce! M. made a variety of sauces and tested them out by having people rank the "goodness" from 0-100. M. took the results and congregated the ranked sauces into categories--plain, spicy, and extra chunky. Chunky sauce ranked the highest...why? Because it was something new and different from the traditional sauce! 

Gladwell describes both natural and synthetic happiness in this lecture. Natural happiness is created when people get what they want. Synthetic happiness is created when people settle for something else because they couldn't get what they originally wanted. People created this type of happiness, synthetic happiness, when they had the normal, runny sauce. Natural happiness started being expressed when people had more choices to choose from. They could pick what their tummies desired instead of settling for what was available to them. People didn't know what they actually wanted until more variety was introduced. Not only did Howard Moskowitz reinvent spaghetti sauce... he reinvented feelings of happiness for the saucy eaters out there!