The Endless World of The Internet

I think we all agree that the internet has changed how we all live in many different ways. I never use a phone book, a subscription to a daily newspaper is no longer needed, most of my bills are all sent and paid online and it has also allowed us to expand the way we communicate with our friends and family and even meet new people. Social networking online is something that most of the people I know do on a daily basis even my mother has a Facebook page. It has allowed us to communicate with people we haven't seen since grade school or a cousin half way around the world.
I know many people who have used the internet for the purpose of dating. This has had mixed results from meeting many "weirdos" or liars pretending to be something they aren't to others meeting the person they eventually ended up marrying.
The fact that the internet allows us to keep in touch even daily or meet someone we would have never met locally is fascinating.
Of course there are risks and many precautions must be taken. Many people will live a completely different life online then what is really reality. Using old pictures or even pictures of other people. A perfect example of this is the movie "Catfish" which is a "documentary" about a photographer who begins a online relationship with an entire family through Facebook and in the end finds out the whole thing was orchestrated by one lonely housewife.
The internet has many pros and cons but the possibilities are endless......

FINALLY!!!

Osama bin Laden is dead! Good Riddance!

The Cool....

It's a slang that most of use to describe people or things that we find hip, different or interesting. It's hard to say what really defines what it is exactly makes something cool because that it a matter of opinion. What I find cool the next person may not. But that is the beauty of cool, it is universal.
I was watching Daniel Tosh's comedy special the other night and he was speaking about Johnny Depp (who I love) being 48 and wearing way to many accessories because he thinks its "cool" and Daniel Tosh believed that cool should have a cutoff age and that age should be 48. This made me laugh but it also made me think about this point...is there a point in our lives where we are to old to be considered cool? I don't think I agree with this but I do think that some people may try to hard and there is nothing more uncool than that. People also mistake trends with being hip or cool and often end up failing. Other trends seem cool for a moment and then they also just kind of fizzle out, like Beanie babies and Silly Bands, two things I personally never found cool.
The point is if you want to be cool then just be the best self that you can be. Be open to new types of people and experiences and be creative and explore every talent that you may have been blessed with. That is what cool is to me, someone that is 100% genuine and not just someone that is chasing the trends.

Lucy Vs. Ewok

Speaking of Star Wars...my favorite characters were always the Ewoks! Thought they were very cute. My Shih Tzu, Lucy looks very much like a Ewok, just wanted to share!

Iconic Films....Star Wars and Wizard of OZ...

Recently in class we looked into Star Wars and the impact it has had on people and generations who have grown up with these characters, story lines and "life lessons." I certainly did grow up in a time when Star Wars was extremely relevant and had a older brother who was a huge fan so I saw the films and played with the action figures. Back then I was more entertained by the characters in the film and had really never paid attention to the cultural and mythical meanings within the film. We were asked to compare this movie to another movie from our generation, well I am part of Generation X so Star Wars is certainly a product of my childhood.
When I started thinking about other iconic films that did shape my childhood the one that seemed most significant was Wizard of Oz. Now this movie was made in 1939 which was many years before I or even my mother was born but that is the beauty of this movie it is timeless and it has continued to influence many generations. When we were young long before DVD's and VCR's even they showed this movie once a year on television and we waited anxiously the whole year to see it, even though we had watched it every year before that.
As in Star Wars we have a young main character Dorothy who is lost, without her home and on a journey..very similar to Luke. They are both without their parents and both have lost mentors and aunts and uncles. Both characters are on a quest to find home, family and a place of belonging..along the way both Dorothy and Luke learn many lessons while battling archenemies, Darth and The Wicked Witch. They also both obtain a close group of friends who join them in their journeys essentially becoming a surrogate family for both young characters. In the end what we learned from Oz we learned from Star Wars, family is what you make it, you are stronger than you believe and there's no place like home.
True this movie was made about 40 years before I was born but in order for a movie to be TRULY iconic it lives on for generation after generation. The lessons and characters are very similar and both told in magical, fantasy settings which entertain while enlightening us to many life importance's.

I Love Reality TV....

I love reality TV and so do most of my friends. It's odd how we can get so wrapped up in our endless Real Housewives lives as though they are our neighbors or friends. Some we love and some we love to hate but the point is they have us hooked. Must be the voyeur in ourselves that stirs up the desire to be a fly on the wall checking out every intimate detail they display on cable TV.
Jersey Shore seems to be the next big phenomenon on MTV and this is one reality show that I refuse to watch. If that is the youth of today I am ashamed because it seems like all they represent is promiscuity, ignorance, bad hair and too much spray tanning. Not that the Real Housewives are a good representation of the adults of today, most of them are spiteful, materialistic and selfish. But all that "wrong" has me hooked.
I'm not sure what it is about reality TV that makes it so popular. Some people say it's because we aren't happy with our real lives, but I don't agree with that. I think maybe it's just the desire to see how the other half lives even if it isn't the better half.
Whether it's watching a woman with 4 nannies for 2 children or grown women constantly backstabbing or a bunch of "kids" from Jersey partying hard reality TV is a HUGE phenomenon that seems to attract more viewers than prime time television.

It isn't mentally stimulating and to me that's part of the reason I enjoy it. If I want to be mentally stimulated there is always PBS or National Geographic and I often tune into these channels as well. But every Sunday and Thursday night it's Bravo for me and my friends as we get to know the "Real" Housewives just a little bit more.

Hip Hop Vs. Country?

What can I say but that Hip Hop and Country are two completely different genres of music offering many facets of musical entertainment. Personally I'm not a huge fan of country but I am not a hater I can appreciate some of it, specially old country like Patsy Cline or Willy Nelson. One thing these two types of music do have in common is that they are both riddled with stereotypes and many people judge before they really know anything about the artists or the music they create. Most people just assume that Country music is about somebody's wife leaving them and then he spends the night crying into his beer and of course Hip Hop is always assumed to be all about making money and treating women like meat. But this isn't true and if people would stop judging and give the music a chance it may just open them up to something new and entertaining.
Stop taking everything certain artists say literally and listen to the lyrics and realize that rapping is a artform just like poetry and not everyone chooses to rap about violence and mysogyny it's just that unfortunately commercially that is what the "men in the suits" choose to put out there for the public.Same with country music, it really isn't all about rednecks and boot scootin..these artists also have many songs full of meaning.
Like many things in life we judge the book by the cover and because of this we miss out on many talented artists and an opportunity to appreciate something new and different.

Open to Creativity

The advancement of electronics and video games has opened a doorway into creativity that has allowed some to experience talents and interests they never knew they had. Computers now have programs that mimic a entire recording studio, allowing amateurs at home to create music and remixes never heard before. Video games not only allow people to delve into fantasy life as shoot em' up secret agents or zombie killers and escape the pressures of school or a mundane life working 9 to 5 but there have been studies done that show video games that energize players and induce a positive mood could also enhance creativity. Other studies have shown that video games have improved people's innovativeness in the workplace, improving problem solving and collaboration efforts. It seems that being able to be a part of something that seems so big on the screen with the goal to "win" or finish helps people escape and use parts of their brains and imaginations that may have not been challenged to in every day life situations. Computers, games and the internet in general have there drawback, keeping people indoors and less active but on the upside maybe using our game solving skills helps open our brains to new situations in the real world. Encouraging people to become filmmakers or music producers or pilots, these programs allow us to step into situations we may have never had in life. Creativity empowers people to try new things and step outside the box and because of this there will always be new games and computer programs to buy.

Lovin' the New Judge

OK, I admit it I am watching American Idol this season and it is all Steven Tyler's fault! When I heard he was going to be one of the new judges this season I just had to watch and now I am hooked. He makes me laugh, he makes me say "HUH?" and he is often inappropriate but he has made American Idol entertaining to me and my friends, it no longer feels like it is only geared towards 15 year old girls. I am even impressed with some of the original talent they have found, people who don't sound like every other artist pounded out over and over again on local radio stations everywhere.
Contestants like Casey Abrams, Paul McDonald and Naima Adedapo..completely original and bringing back different genres of music and making them current. This season is definitely not just country and pop stars like in the past, I'm sure my favorites probably won't last long or even make it to the top ten because unfortunately I'm sure the fate of the contestants on the show still lies in the hands of those who really bother to pick up the phone and call or text in a vote and that would be the 15 year old girls.
So Kudos to American Idol to bringing on Steven this season and Jennifer Lopez isn't bad either and good luck to my fav's on the show, I vote and I hope my vote does count.

ADELE 21

It's not often I get excited about CD releases anymore, usually I am terribly disappointed. But this time I am not! Loved Adele's first album and I think I love this new one even more! Refreshing to hear real talent, someone who is a true performer even writing her own music. And she is a "real" woman that most of us can identify with.. just wanted to give her a well deserved shout-out

No Connection...

So going back to masculinity and how it is viewed in our society leads me back to why is violence always connected? Nowhere in the definition of violence does it say that it is a trait held by any masculine man..yet in many movies, books and even advertising a aggressive man is a "real man". After watching the movie Tough Guise I found it interesting to see how the portrayals of these men have changed throughout the years. GI Joe who was around when my stepdad was a kid (then looking like a normal soldier) has now morphed into a superhuman muscle man. Even the guns have continued to grow in size just like his muscles, in fact the action figure is so masculine he needs TWO guns. That goes to show that Americans truly believe bigger is better. Maybe we should quit buying toy guns and violent video games for our boys and introduce them to new types of role models, people who are strong in other ways than just physically, intelligent, determined and making a positive difference..not just playing shoot em' up or butting heads out on a field.

Warriors................

SPORTS, they are a pretty big deal here in the states and have a huge fan base which is very passionate about the teams that they support. But what do sports say about how we view masculinity? I found that a recent study conducted by the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles reports that 98 per cent of American boys between the ages of 8 and 17 consume sports media, that goes to show that even our young boys are being majorly influenced by what they see in sports and from the athletes themselves. Most sports are dominated by men from the coaches to the players so this is where boys will be influenced in there ideas of what is "masculine" and often times it is encouraged and praised to continue playing even after they are injured and according to recent studies this can reinforce ideas of "violent masculinity". The children will grow up believing that men are supposed to be "warriors" and that rivalry and aggression are what makes men, men. This will also reinforce that it is normal and natural to be violent and aggressive instead of being taught that masculinity goes far beyond the field or the court.
Besides the violent and aggressive side of sports there is also the fact that many athletes that people look to as role models have often been involved in scandals outside of the game itself, from adultery to rape and many athletes have had scandals with children and nonpayment of child support. For example basketball player Shawn Kemp has 7 illegitimate children by 6 different women, baseball player Danny Neagle who was married at the time was busted with a prostitute in his car and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault twice in 8 months.
It's sad to me that these men are our future's role models, nothing about rape or adultery or assault spells "real man" in my book. Sports will continue to be just as popular as ever for children and adults but as the adults of our society it is our responsibility to teach and show our boys how to grow up into kind, considerate "real men" and help erase the warrior attitude.

Perfectly Happily Ever After?

Well since yesterday was Valentine's Day I thought it fitting to discuss the topic of love and romance and how movies and other media make us strive to find something that might not exist. Happily Ever After..who didn't grow up hearing that in so many childhood stories, the poor helpless princess saved by the dashing prince or the 20 dollar hooker made into the millionaires wife. We are repeatedly told that love IS a fairytale and that it is perfect and that there is your perfect someone out there. But I thought NOBODY was perfect? If we all live to find that perfect partner and perfect love than most of us would end up alone and truely disappointed what we need to remember is that this isn't the movies and when you do fall in love with someone they won't always be your perfect prince or your princess in need of rescue, we are all full of bad habits and we are all human and nobody is perfect...time to accept that even love is full of imperfections and doesn't always live happily ever after.

False Advertising

OK so this advertisement is from 1969 but it still makes a point about advertising and its affect on how how society sees women in general. We must be ugly before we get the chance to curl, color, paint and primp...so this article promises to make it possible to SPEND LESS TIME UGLY. It's awful, most messages out there are awful in my opinion. They show too skinny models with bodies that look like little boys and women strive to look like this even though it is next to impossible for the average woman to ever achieve this look. And I guess I'd have to say WHY would you want to look emaciated and starving for a cheeseburger?? That model's legs above do not look natural, they look frail and unhealthy. But this is what society sees on a daily basis and has for years and this is why there is so many women and girls with incredibly low self-esteem and distorted body images and not to mention eating disorders. With all these delusional ads out there it makes it hard for society to remember that beauty comes in all sizes, colors and shapes. We should encourage our girls not to focus so much on the outside and remember that true beauty comes from inside and to me there is nothing prettier than someone happy with themselves, self-confidence beats skinny any day...

Porn, It's Everywhere!!!!

SEX. It's everywhere in advertising, the internet and on every cable channel available. What does that say about us the people in the U.S.??? Porn is a very popular and still sensitive subject but you can find any kind of pic or video online no matter how normal or weird your fetish may be. It's out there and it's in high demand. I personally am not a big fan of porn, I think that is a business that is more geared towards the male population but I certainly don't judge those who do indulge. But I don't like to think that porn or sex in general defines us as a nation to me that seems rather sad. What happened to celebrating our authors and artists, scientists and educators and not the "married slutty housewife" next door. I'm all for healthy sexual relationships and appreciating the human body for its natural form, I don't think we should be ashamed by any of it. But it does seem that alot of the porn out there nowadays does give it a "bad name" by making it dirty and shameful and unreal, something that needs to be kept secret. Maybe its the many years that sex was treated like a sin or dirty word and censored from everything we read or watched that made porn so popular now.....

  

  Hello and welcome to my spot... So what is popular culture? Pop Culture is a mix of tastes, customs, beliefs and attitudes that define the people of a society. More simply put, it's a culture that comes from "the people". Pop Culture is what keeps us glued to the magazines, tv sets and many different forums online. Pop Culture is what most of the time my friends and I sit around discussing..."Did you see that fight between Nene and Kim?!" Although we don't personally know these people we share our lives with them every week and through our conversations you would think they were our BFFs!
     I believe that by taking this Pop Culture class I can learn more about what makes our society click..maybe learn why we as a people can become obsessed and attached to people and things that really don't affect us at all. I know that I'm guilty just as most of my peers are.
     Since I am pursuing a career in health science I really don't see pop culture having much bearing on my career or my course of study besides this class, but I do know that pop culture has and probably always will have a place in my heart......