My Blog

Until I took this Popular Culture Class, I lived in my own little bubble of beliefs about the media and their effects on Society. I have learned so much from these blogs it’s crazy. My thoughts have been opened to new ideas and new thoughts. When watching T.V. or listening to music I am constantly thinking about the effects it has on Pop Culture. Pop Culture has literally changed my life.

When we first got the assignments of blogging, I thought that it was going to be stupid and a waste of time. I thought that I was just going to BS the blogs. However, the exact opposite has happened. I love blogging. It has really helped expand my thoughts as a Video Production Major. I don’t want the blogging to end. I am thinking about keeping it going because it helps give me ideas for things that I would love to do in my future. Blogging has helped me understand what people want to see on television.

I would have to say that my best blog was the blog titled Reality Shows Not Scripted? Yea Right. It is something I feel strongly about, plus I put a lot of research into it from outside sources, and I feel that it shows in my writing. However, I feel that my worst blog was Why People Feel The Need To Watch Youtube. Although I truly liked to blog, I found that sometimes I could not think of things to say and sometimes I could think of of things to say, but not a lot to say on the subject. That blog happened to be one of those subjects. I knew what I wanted to say, but it was hard for me to put it into words, so it came out slightly sloppy. I could have improved it by possibly doing more research on the subject. I could have also written an outline to organize my thoughts and figure out exactly what I was trying to say. However, I learned from that blog and I tried not to make that mistake again.

If I ever decide to take a class similar to this and we have to blog I will change many things. At the beginning I had never blogged before and was still learning exactly how to do it. So if I had to do it all over again I would have tried a little harder. I would have used more outside sources to support my thoughts and ideas that I used in the blogs. I would also try to organize my thoughts better and maybe even go more in depth about the topics I was talking about.

In conclusion, Pop Culture has changed my life. It has helped change the way I look at different cultures and how I look at the media. I will be forever grateful that I took this class when I get out into the real world. Thanks to pop culture, I will be a better producer, or editor, or writer, or whatever I decide to do with my life in the field of Media Arts.

This is a comment to Gavin Moore’s Blog. I agree completely with Gavin. It is so strange that American Idol is so popular when we can hear singers on the radio or buy their CD’s. Not only are people obsessed with watching the finals, people are obsessed with watching the opening to see how terrible some people are and to get a laugh out of it. It is quite sad actually. I had a really good friend audition for American Idol, and I don’t know if she was necessarily good enough to make it to the finals, but she was definitely good enough to make it past the first round, however she didn’t. You know why? Because they need to keep spots open for those people who are truly terrible so people will watch it and it will make the ratings go up. The ironic thing is that the next year she went out to Nashville to try out to Nashville star, she made it to the finals and ended up getting 6th. Now she is making a CD with the same company that helped LeAnn Womack get her start. I put one of the videos of her performance on Nashville below. Her name is Laura, she is the one on the left.

Without all the people just trying to get attention on American Idol, I think that it is overall a good thing. I am sick of performers that are good singers on their CD’s, but suck live. American Idol gets rid of this. The people on the show are truly talented. I am confident when I go and see Carrie Underwood in concert, that it will be enjoyable because she was on American Idol. So besides the fact that America thrives off of watching people make fools of themselves, why is American Idol so popular? According to Alan LeStourgeon, “The second, and biggest reason American Idol is so popular is because we, as the public, get to choose who has the talent and wins our hearts. There isn’t anything better than seeing someone like Kellie Pickler’s hard luck story and then getting to be a part of, and witness her rise to stardom.”

References:

LeStourgeon, Alan. What Makes American Idol So Popular?. 2009. Ezine Articles. <http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Makes-American-Idol-So-Popular?&id=432982&gt;

For the past few days I have heard people giving their presentations on commercials and advertisement ruling their lives, and it got me thinking. Do I really buy things based on seeing it in commercials? The answer to that question is a definite yes! I remember being a little kid and sitting in front of the television set with my Christmas list writing down every cool toy I saw in the commercials. Granted, I was little then and i wanted everything shiney and pretty. However, even know that I am 18, I still let commercials decide what I buy. Commercials help me pick which movies I want to go see, and what makeup to buy, where to shop for my clothes, etc.

Is this such a bad thing? I mean if they have enough money to advertise on the big time stations then aren’t they worth buying? “Every day, each American watches 100 TV advertisements, 100 to 300 ads through other mass media, and in one single year receives 216 pieces of direct mail advertising, and almost 50 phone calls from telemarketers.” That is ALOT of advertisement!!! I did some research and I ended up finding out that advertisement is in fact good for us.                                                        “Critics state that advertising is really beneficial to the consumers: They believe that advertising “creates”                                     consumers that are better informed about the characteristics of the commodities, and that it does not alter the                           way in which the companies evaluate their products. Also, they believe that advertising creates price sensitivity                         for the consumers that buy the best products for their value.

I guess the point I’m trying to make is to keep watching commercials not only will it help you make the right buying options, it will help the advertisers make better items at reasonable prices. Look at some of the examples of advertisement below, they are appealing, and they make you want ot buy the product.

References:

Effects of Advertising on Society. 2009. Wow Essays. <http://www.wowessays.com/dbase/ad3/ler114.shtml&gt;

Just the other day my roommate and I were talking about whether we thought public schools should have to wear uniforms or whether they should just follow a dress code. We ended up concluding that uniforms were the best choice. My roommate attended a private school where they had to wear uniforms, and I attended a public school where we were allowed to wear anything that followed our dress code. SO what was the difference? For the most part everyone in her school got along, there were no cliques and everyone was nice and respectful. My school on the other hand, was so cliquey we gave mean girls a run for their money, there were constant rumors being spread, and everyone knew everything about you. Why is this? Well it goes back to middle school where people were still trying to figure out where they belonged and who their friends were going to be, and they decided their friends based on what clothes people were wearing. According to ASU English Composition Online Manual,

“Wearing school uniforms can be helpful in many ways. First, having matching outfits can make all students                             feel equal. Poor students would no longer feel excluded because they were not wearing name brand clothing like                       the richer kids. In addition, social status would be less of an issue because everyone would be wearing the same                       clothing. One of the biggest arguments against school uniforms is that students would lose their sense of                                   individuality. I believe that uniforms will improve students’ individuality because they will have to express                                 themselves through their personality and attitude, rather than through an expensive pair of shoes or a brand                             name pair of jeans. Uniforms will improve self-esteem in the students because they will not feel pressured to                             dress a certain way.”

At the beginning of middle school it was all about Limited Too and Rave Girl, and by the end of school it was all about Abercrombie and Fitch and Hollister. If you didn’t wear those types of clothes everyday, then you weren’t cool enough to have friends.

In High school it got a little bit better, but it was still there. Girls started carrying around purses and they had to be designer or you would be made fun of. Boys got really into wearing hats, and they had to have that big gold sticker on them for them to be “cool”. Personally, I hate branding, I think people should like you based on personality, not what you wear.

Resources:

Moore, Bryan. Are School Uniforms a Good Idea?. 2009. ASU English Composition Online Manual. <http://www.clt.astate.edu/composition/Default.htm&gt;

Is anyone else sick of hearing about Twilight over and over again? I mean the books were good and so are the movies…so far, but why the obsession? It seems like ever since Twilight vampires have taken over. There are online games with vampires and multiple television shows with them. And to think I thought Harry Potter was bad, but it never got to be as bad as Twilight, and Twilight has just begun. Not only are girls completely obsessed with Twilight itself, they have started having wars over the tow male leads in the movies. There are debates over whether Bella should choose the vampire Edward, or the warewolf Jacob.

After the movie was released girls became so obsessed with the guy who played Edward, Robert Pattinson. Now he is everywhere. Literally. Below are some pictures of everything Robert’s face has been put on.

Fandom isn’t necessarily a bad thing until you take it to the next level, and Twilight has definitely reached that level. I admit that I like Twilight, but I would never consider myself obsessed, and as the obsession grew, Twilight became less cool.

Just this morning I sat down to watch a movie that I have been dying to see….The Ugly Truth.  It looked pretty good and I had heard some great reviews about it.  However, within about ten minutes into the movie I had already predicted how it was going to end.  Boy meets girl, they become friends, they fall in love realizing that their friendship is more, something gets in their way and they don’t talk, then one of them can’t take it anymore and they go to get the other one back, and then they live happily ever after.  This is the exact reason why I don’t bother with chick flicks anymore.  Has society become so used to this same routine that they cannot think of any other ways to tell a story.  What has happened to the expectations of popular culture?  “Psychologists at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh say that the more people watch and enjoy romantic comedies, the more likely they are to have unrealistic expectations in their own love lives… and when life doesn’t live up to the movies, they feel disappointed.”  So why do girls insist on making guys suffer through watching them?”

In the past few years I have honestly only seen maybe five truly good chick flicks. P.S. I love you, Becoming Jane, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and He’s Just Not That Into You.  When I become a Producer I will make sure to come out with some good chick flicks. Below are examples of the same old chick flicks over and over.

References:

DeQuattro, Kristen. Chick Flicks: Bad for You?. (2008). Raising Maine. <http://raisingmaine.mainetoday.com/blogentry.html?id=10086&gt;

This is a comment to Amerikinidit’s blog.

I agree that the internet has become a way to connect people to each other. I love it, I really do! I stay in touch with friends that I have not seen in years thanks to facebook. However, are the connections people are making over the internet….well, for lack of a better word, real? It seems like people are creeping away from face to face relationships. Instead of people meeting over a cup of coffee to catch up, they just sit in front of their computers and have a facebook chat. It may be more comfortable and a way to avoid awkward situations, but it isn’t personal anymore. Plus, like Erika said, it is very to misinterpret conversations this way. For example, my really good friend just told me that he is having problems with his girlfriend because she will pour out her feelings to  him through a text message, but she refuses to talk like that over the phone or in person. Another example is another one of my best friends who hates to talk on the phone, she only likes to text. She doesn’t even talk to her boyfriend over the phone, and they live three hours away. How could anyone survive relationships like that?

One last negative thing about people connecting over the internet is the fact that no one uses popular spelling or grammar when typing to their friends. This is causing people to talk like that and write like all the time. “Since the wide adoption of the Internet shorthand writing, children have been falling behind in writing and language skills. Until the day comes that we adopt the shorthand as an official writing style, it will only hurt our test scores by introducing what can easily be seen as bad writing habits.” I am not saying that we need to stop talking on the internet or to stop texting, I am just saying a face to face meeting once in a while might be nice.

References:

Stanley, Mike. The Impact of Our Use of Computer Lingo on Our Lives. (2009) Helium. <http://www.helium.com/items/1468927-computer-lingo&gt;

This is a comment on Gavin Moore’s Blog.

I have multiple opinions about this whole Jon and Kate situation. I don’t think it is ever right to exploit children at such a young age. I mean, it never turns out good for the kids. However, if that was the only way that they could provide for their huge family, then I don’t blame them. I also know that people think that they should have just quit the show after the marital problems because it is even harder on the kids, but I think there are two things people are not fully thinking about. Divorce is expensive and how could they quit the show if that was their main income. Also, whether they quit the show or not, they are still going to have all the publicity, if not more, because people thrive off of this kind of stuff and they love hearing about it.

I, unlike everyone else, think that Kate is not at all trying to be selfish. I don’t think she is in it for the fame, and yes, she might be in it for the money, but that is only to provide for her kids. I could just be being naive, but I honestly think she means well. Also, I disagree 100% with what Gavin said about “she will actually have to mother these children” I think she has been a mother to her children. How is she not? She makes them food, she plays with them, she takes them places, she is there for them when they get hurt, she is always hugging and kissing them. That is more than Jon can say. Yea, she might be harsh and she may yell and punish sometimes, but kids need punishment to learn.

I do think she is telling the truth when she says that she wants some peace and quiet with her family. I don’t think she likes all the publicity. I think it hurts her to look at it honestly. I think she is in a lot of pain because of this, but she is trying to stay strong for her children. Many people might interpret that as not caring. I think she would give up the show and the popularity, even the money if she could have her family back to the way it used to be.

This is a response to Jake’s blog. I could not agree more with what Jake is saying about people taking Family guy so seriously. It is just a stupid adult cartoon that is meant to be funny. Yes, they like to make fun of religion, but so who cares. I would understand if they only made fun of one religion and the people of that religion wanted to get mad, but they make fun of ALL religions. Below I put multiple videos from Family Guy, making fun of multiple religions.

I think you get the point. I consider myself to be a pretty religious person. I go to church every Sunday and I am not embarrassed to admit it. However, when Family Guy makes fun of Jesus, I find myself laughing because it is funny. Not everyone believes what I believe and I understand that, so why would I be offended? I think people need to learn stop taking themselves so seriously and learn to laugh once in a while. I don’t think anyone can say it better than the director himself, “It’s not like television is a God-given right. You hear the Parents Television Council raving about “Family Guy” did this, nobody is forcing you to watch this show. They say is this taste. No, it’s not, it’s terrible taste. That’s what’s funny.”

References:

Whitlock, Scott. ABC’s Bill Weir Goes Easy on Religion-Bashing ‘Family Guy.’ (2009) News Busters. <http://newsbusters.org/blogs/scott-whitlock/2009/04/07/abcs-bill-weir-goes-easy-religion-bashing-family-guy&gt;

This is a comment to megrachelle49‘s blog. I agree with her 100% on the fact that Disney shows men as masculine and women who are delicate and beautiful….but I mean is that such a bad thing?  I don’t agree that disney is sending the wrong message to children at all. I mean think about how different your life would be without those movies you grew up with. Mine would be extremely different. I wouldn’t have had my dress-up closet full of disney princess dresses, I wouldn’t have had my princess barbies, and worst of all, there would be nothing for me to look forward to when we went to florida. I don’t think it is such a bad thing that they portray men as masculine, I mean after all, aren’t they? We can’t help it were built different, and that we have different hormones running through our bodies. Women are delicate and they are beautiful, and if I want to believe that my prince charming will eventually come rescue me, what’s wrong with that?

Without the masculine men saving the dam-sills in distress, no one would want to watch the shows. Who wants to see an old, fat, ugly guy meet up with and ugly, manly looking women. NO ONE! Don’t get me wrong, I am not in anyway trying to offend fat, ugly people. I am just being realistic in knowing what the world wants to see. I found this awesome quote that can pretty much sum up the point of Disney Movies, “I have watched Disney films all of my life; the label precedes the majority of the films I view, in fact…. not once have I gathered from a Disney movie, or any movie, for that matter, that I am better than any woman or any girl. Gaston, yes, clearly thinks he is. But who wants to be Gaston? He’s disgusting, and that’s the whole point. And Kuzco and Hercules? They’re ego-centric morons who start off as jerks and end up as nice guys, having learned their lessons. The whole point of those movies is that creeps can change.” Below is the beautiful side of Disney

Resources:

Frost, John. Constructions of Masculinity in Disney Movies. (2008) <http://thedisneyblog.com/2008/08/08/constructions-of-masculinity-in-disney-movies/&gt;