Studying Popular Culture at NSCC

A look at how Marvel connects people through their universe

2022-07-15T12:45:00.003-04:00

This week I am going to go all the way back and tackle Module 2’s prompt on dissecting a type of pop culture. For this I am going to look at the fandom and hysteria that Marvel has created with their interconnected movies and Disney+ streaming shows. Marvel has done something completely unprecedented with their creation of the MCU that has drawn in millions of people around the globe and drawn interest and speculation into all of their projects as fans keep wondering what’s coming next from the studio. What makes Marvel a fascinating study is how over 14 years they have been able to weave around 30 independent films and shows together to tell one larger story while still being able to tell their own independent story so both fans of the connected universe and those that are just jumping into it can enjoy the experience and not feel like they are being left out. So for the fans that have followed the whole saga from when Tony Stark said the infamous “I’m Iron Man” to those who have just joined with the recent films, there is a story and a character for everyone.

We have seen different crossovers of mediums before to tell one overarching story, but nothing to the extent in which Marvel has done and continues to do with each new project they release on film or on TV. Because of the numerous different heroes that have been involved in these projects, it has connected and drawn people of different backgrounds and ethnicities together as there are heroes of completely different genders and ethnicity for everyone to be represented in some way shape or form in this connected universe. There are characters for everyone of all ages and shows and movies for everyone to enjoy, both individually and collectively in the overarching story Marvel tries to tell. Fans are able to dive deeper into the different characters and see them interact with different characters through crossovers and cameos throughout the various projects and give fans more screen time of their favorite heroes. The Marvel experience has created an inclusive environment for people around the world to engage and enjoy both individual and collective stories with their heroes of choice and through the power of film and TV have brought people together from their fandom of their heroes working together and individually to save the world.

Behind the Cowl: A small glimpse into the psyche of the Dark Knight

2022-07-15T11:02:00.003-04:00

Lang, Robert. “Batman and Robin: A Family Romance.” American Imago, vol. 47, no. Fall/Winter 1990, 1990, pp. 293-319. Jstor, https://www-jstor-org.ezproxynsc.helmlib.org/stable/26303934?searchText=batman&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dbatman%2B%26so%3Drel%26efqs%3DeyJjdHkiOlsiYW05MWNtNWhiQT09Il19&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%. Accessed 18 July 2022.

This article by Robert Lang takes a critical look at both Bruce Wayne and Batman and how he is an example of “Freud’s notion of the family romance, which is the fantasy of the child, who imagines that he is not born of his real parents; rather a noble one” (Lang 294). This theory is a really interesting look at the psyche of the beloved character of Bruce Wayne and Batman and how maybe in reality Thomas and Martha Wayne were not the only ones who died that night in the alley. Lang brings forth the idea that perhaps, after his parents death, Batman is the one who became the father to young Bruce Wayne, who lives in Batman’s psyche as an image of happy innocence. We can see this type of “family romance” ideology from how Bruce views his father as a proud noble of Gotham who was a shining example of good and charity in a city that was the opposite. Despite this being Bruce’s view of his father, there are numerous stories that illustrate how Thomas Wayne also did some dealings with the mob boss Carmine Falcone and is not this all good perfect example of a man the Bruce believed him to be.

This is a great article and a great look into the psyche of a character that is a fascinating psychological study. This is just one of the many psychological theories that can be looked into about Batman and Bruce Wayne, but the “family romance” in which he idolizes his father and putting him on the golden pedestal of can do no wrong, with the idea that the Batman is his true father is not just an interesting concept but one we can kind of grasp and understand from some of the different storylines in the comics about the character and from the recent The Batman movie by Matt Reeves, which very much revolves around Bruce coming out of his perceived reality about his father and the pedestal he places him on and seeing the reality of the mistakes and sins that his father had made with partnering with Carmine Falcone and through the movie we see the impact that takes on Bruce’s psyche as he overcomes that.

This article has enhanced my fandom and understanding of my favorite hero Batman by exploring the different psychological elements of the character. Like I stated earlier this is just one psychological theory about the character as there are definitely plenty more that we can look into about him. What makes Batman such a popular character is that unlike the majority of his hero counterparts, he has no powers. He is just a man in a bat costume and that is what makes him so appealing to mass audiences and the study of his psyche the most interesting of all the heroes.

FORE! : How Saudi Arabia is using golf to change its image

2022-06-22T10:05:00.003-04:00

It is no secret that Saudi Arabia does not have the best track record when it comes to human rights, the whole world knows it. Like many of their gulf neighbors, Saudi Arabia is attempting to use sport as a way to change the international and internal image of itself. They are using the billions of “blood money” dollars to lure some of the world's best golfers away from the already established and prestigious PGA Tour to their own LIV Golf series as a form of “sportwashing” and to help change the narrative of their nation. This attempt, as outlined in this New York Times article, is the most bold of any of the gulf nations as a way to sport wash people from viewing Saudi Arabia as a human rights disaster to a more “conservative muslim nation” that backs and particpiates in world sport. What makes this attempt so bold is that instead of backing a sport or like its neighbor Qatar, hosting a FIFA World Cup, they are attempting to completely take over a sport, one that has its own controversial history with inclusion and diversity.

The attempt to overrun the historical white elitist sport of golf (which the PGA Tour has had its own struggles rebranding itself as a more diverse sport) and upsetting the nearly one hundred year PGA Tour system of professional golf is by far the boldest attempt yet by a middle eastern nation attempting to change their image. The emergence of the LIV Golf Series and the departure of top PGA players to join them for reported absurd amounts of money, have all raised the questions and concerns of the LIV Golf motives and then also the history of the PGA Tour and how it has historically treated its players and its lack of equal opportunities to those of color.

Despite the LIV Golf Series gaining traction and more players resigning from the PGA Tour to join LIV, it really hasn’t changed professional golf yet as still the majority of the world's top players continue to play for the PGA Tour. And with every player that joins LIV they get grilled by the media about Saudi Arabia’s history of human rights violations and whether or not they condone it because of the money they are willing to accept from them to support this PR movement by the Saudi Arabian government. So, at least right now Saudi Arabia is not being left off the hook for backing LIV golf as currently people see through it. But as more and more players jump ship over to LIV and they play more and more events, especially when the start to play events in the US starting in July, it will be interesting to see just how effective this “sportwashing” can be and if it truly does change the narrative of Saudi Arabia.

The Office: A postmodern take on documentaries

2022-06-22T09:01:00.001-04:00

For this week I watched a video on how The Office is an example of postmodernism popular culture. The video discusses how the show's style of a mockumentary as well as the current pop culture references within the show are what make it a postmodern example. The mockumentary style is a style that is hyper aware of the documentary style of filming, as the video explains with the classic cuts to a solo headshot interview and the one camera following everybody around to capture what the characters are doing as if it were a documentary despite it being a scripted show. She explains that what makes the mockumentary postmodern is that it is a “rearticulation of a documentary. It copies the style of a documentary… chronicling a real story, the mockumentary takes these ideas and adds ironic and humorous effects.” She then goes on to add that in show references to current popular culture things like Battlestar Galactica and another NBC show airing on the network at the same time The Apprentice are more ways in which the show is hyper aware of itself and uses these current pop culture references for humorous effect.

From this video I learned how a mockumentary setup is an example of a postmodern example and what about it makes it an example. How taking the documentary style of shooting a show and adding that ironic and humorous twist is what makes it postmodern. It’s also really cool to see how the mockumentary style became such a popular style of show during the mid 2000’s with The Office and Modern Family, two of the most popular shows were cut in the same style, one being in an office setting and the other the other being in a family home setting. It goes to show just how popular of a format that it is that two of the most popular television shows running at the same time are shot the same way, just with different personal settings.

Within the show, as I kind of touched on earlier, they are hyper aware of their pop culture status and make intertextual references throughout the show with other references to pop culture items. For example one episode is about Michael being the Willy Wonka of paper and gives away three “golden tickets” to give away free paper for a year to the lucky recipients. Of course with the shows ironic and humorous twist on things, it all goes horribly wrong and we as the audience get a laugh out of the that, already knowing the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which is what makes The Office an example of postmodern popular culture.

The Golden Arches: The gateway to democracy

2022-06-08T02:20:00.002-04:00

McDonald’s is an American icon, with those unmistakable golden arches raised to the sky to lure passerbys to stop and enjoy something to eat. While it’s literal meaning is to symbolize McDonalds, its larger meaning is that those two golden arches are the symbol of democracy and the American ideology. Here in the United States, we don’t think much about the significance of McDonalds and how the big mac can have such an influence and be a symbol of our way of life, but it does. One of the first things to be introduced into a communist nation when the American government and that nation's government are at peace and have agreed on trade is the implementation of a McDonald's franchise. Existing in China, Russia, and yes even in Cuba, the golden arches of McDonalds are the symbol of the American ideology and the infiltration of our democratic ways into these communist nations.

Like, it is hard to believe that a fast food restaurant and their logo can have that deep a meaning and symbol for the rest of the globe. I found it really interesting diving into symbolism and meaning behind logos of corporations and how in our culture we use some of those for different meanings than how they were originally intended. The McDonalds one stood out to me the most because of the global scale that the McDonald's Corporation is on and how often it is the first sign of American influence overseas in other nations. Like the golden arches are so iconic that they are tied to almost a type of American imperialism, but of ideology and values. I think it is very rare to see a corporation like McDonalds be so closely related and identified to a country and its ideology like they are with the United States, forever being a staple in our culture and a beacon of democracy and American ideology all over the world.

Coca Cola: The American staple of beverage

2022-06-01T09:52:00.005-04:00

Coca Cola is an American staple in the soft drink game. Created in 1888, Coke has only seen subtle changes in its nearly 150 year history which has made it a global sensation and an anchor of consistency throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. That does not mean that Coke hasn’t rolled out different variations of itself to try and attract more buyers, creating different flavor variations such as cherry coke or vanilla coke, or even marketing itself as a diet beverage for those who still want to enjoy a Coke but not at the expense of their weight with Diet Coke and Coke Zero (referring to the alleged 0g of sugar). This type of constant consistency combined with slight variations in flavor has created an almost cult-like following around Coke has some people refuse to drink any other soft drink that is not a part of the Coca Cola family.

Like I mentioned in the opening paragraph, Coke has not changed much throughout its history. Its formula is a secret and its signature glass bottle has only seen minor tweaks since it was first put on shelves. In addition to some added flavors for variation, in 1985 Coke wanted to better rival its main competing company in Pepsi by changing Coke's formula slightly to make it sweeter like Pepsi. This New Coke, as the Coca Cola company marketed it failed miserably, with people rushing to take the last of the original Coke off the shelves and the masses to demand that they go back to their original flavor that created this “fandom” for nearly a hundred years at that point. Coca Cola listened and since has only released slight variations of its original recipe always keeping the original available at abundance to sell.

As was demonstrated by the near New Coke disaster for Coca Cola, the pseudo-individualization of Coke is a constant in an ever changing world. My feeling is that people cling to the things that they know and are comfortable with, and the fact that Coke has not changed in 150 years is a fact that people take comfort in. It is the same beverage that they enjoyed as a child and it has never changed. You can still get Coke in that slim glass bottle, which has become an icon across American pop culture for its appearance. Coca Cola has become an American staple with its consistent taste and appearance.

Peering through the male gaze of the damsel in video games

2022-05-25T08:42:00.006-04:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6p5AZp7r_Q&list=PLn4ob_5_ttEaA_vc8F3fjzE62esf9yP61&index=1

“Tropes vs Women in Video Games: Damsel in Distress”

In this video it is part 1 of 2 in looking at the cliche video game plot of the damsel in distress as well as a brief origin and influential areas into how it was incorporated into video game culture. She starts off the video by talking about this great game that no one got to play that featured a female lead character battling her way through the story. However before the release of the game, the developer kept the same story in place but re animated the game over to have it be another installment in their franchise with a male lead and the original female lead (Krystal) being now reduced to a non playable character as a damsel in distress for the main protagonist to save. The video does a great job of discussing some of the origins of the damsel in distress trope like coming from the 1933 movie King Kong which inspired the Donkey Kong games and hence the damsel in distress in that game.

This video has definitely made me more aware of how prevalent the damsel in distress is as a plot line in video games. A lot of times while playing these games it’s not really something I think about, but it is a fair critique of how overused it is in the gaming industry. It was also a great explanation into understanding where the damsel comes from and how it is a translation from an old french expression that we have “stolen”. As well as how the damsel in distress can be traced all the way back to Greek mythology with the story of Perseus and then carrying through the middle ages with tales of Knights going on quests to save mistresses to prove their bravery and chivalry. It was all great background into better understanding how the damsel in distress role isn’t anything new or specific to video games, but is a larger plot line for several different mediums of pop culture throughout human history.

This video was another great explanation into the “male gaze” aspect of video games and plot lines that was also outlined in Robin James’ article from this week about how the “male gaze” is in film, this shows how it is in video games. It shows it, by how female characters in popular games such as Super Mario Bros. are not playable but are instead the target or object by male protagonists for saving which for all these types of games portrays to, as she says in the video, the male power fantasy. Which comes back to how video game plots are told through the eyes of male audiences and oftentimes reduce female characters down to nothing more than objects/desires to their male counterparts and male players.

Soaring to new heights

2022-05-18T09:54:00.003-04:00

Race and ethnicity play a major part of our pop culture, especially in film or TV. A lot of the time, minorities in these shows or films play a stereotypical role based on their race which has led to stereotypes about people in our society. There are instances, especially more recently in the 21st century, of these types of stereotypes and racial roles being broken in TV and film. A great example of this would be Sam Wilson (Falcon) from Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The show does a great job of applying a possible real world scenario of how a Black superhero could be treated by society and also how Sam breaks through all of the subtle racism and stereotypes to become the next Captain America.

The show has numerous scenes in which depict how Sam, who has done everything right, is treated by society. Despite being an Avenger and saving the world several times, he is refused a bank loan to save his family business and it is heavily implied that the reason the bank will not approve the loan is because of his race. There is also another scene in which Bucky and Steve are arguing in the middle of an urban street about Sam giving up Captain America’s shield to the US Government, and two police officers pull up and are ready to arrest Sam until they realize who he is. They continually ask Bucky if he is alright and if he feels threatened, to which he shuts down. Then at the conclusion of the show, the US Government doesn’t want to give Sam the shield and the identity of Captain America because of the perception of Captain America being black. Despite all of that racism working against him, Sam defies it and takes ownership to the Captain America title becoming the face of American military might.

This character is portrayed to defy previous stereotypes about black Americans and black superheros. He breaks through that Uncle Tom type stereotype and instead pushes the boundary for what a black superhero can be by becoming Captain America (Black-face.com). He does this by being proactive and vocal on where his standing should be and how he deserves the title of Captain America and the shield as Steve chose him to be his predecessor. At first he gave into the wishes of the white generals by handing over the shield and feeling as though he is not worthy of taking on the mantle of Captain America. But throughout the show he finally realizes that becoming Captain America is his true calling and to not just settle for being who he is as Falcon but to be more.

A Look at Reality TV in our Culture

2022-05-11T09:52:00.002-04:00

https://thehornetonline.com/2020/03/06/reality-television-is-destroying-societal-values/

The article above gives its opinion on why reality television is ruining American societal values. The author makes some good points on how reality television portrays only a small glimpse of reality and promotes “irresponsible behavior, unhealthy relationships, and degradation of family values”. They talk about how directors and producers of these shows need to fill a typical 44 minute time slot and edit down all of this footage to tell a narrative and create drama and excitement which in turn has created that negative influence on societal behaviors. Americans view shows like Keeping up with the Kardashians as a glimpse into the life of luxury when all it really does is stimulate those negative behaviors they portray.

The article is making a mass culture theory argument by taking the stance that reality television is worthless in our society because of all the negative themes and actions that shows highlight and promote for their viewers entertainment. It goes into how the influence reality tv has on the masses has created a culture that enables bad and confrontational behavior. The author’s views on reality television would indicate that they believe that reality television is below us and that it should have no value in our society as it only has a negative and manipulative effect on those who are fans of it, warping reality of their viewers into believing that is either the life of luxury or that is how everyday people should be living/dealing with relationships.

I wouldn’t say that reality television is completely worthless or doesn’t have a spot in our popular culture, it does show a gateway into people’s lives. Being exposed to the public eye can be comforting for people if they see someone they idolize going through a hard stretch of times and coping with that if they are also going through some hard times as well. Feeling that human connection that how they are feeling is normal and that they are not alone. For me, reality tv has its value in the emotional connection with people. So while I do agree that reality television does promote poor behavior and not an accurate portrayal of reality for the average person, there are aspects of it that can be taken away and do hold some value to its viewers.

The Hidden Cowboy

2022-05-04T08:56:00.002-04:00

Our depictions of cowboys riding on horseback going from town to town to bring order to a orderless place, isn’t always the indicator of a cowboy being present in different ways than we’d expect. For instance, look at The Mandalorian from Star Wars. That entire show is essentially an unconventional western with a space take on a modern day cowboy.

So, what makes Mando a cowboy? Mando is a guy that sticks to his creed, it’s what guides him. He travels from frontier town to frontier town on these desolate planets to carry out bounties, but always ends up with him weeding out corruption or taking on an external threat to the towns people. He’s tough and rugged, and speaks very little. Being that ultimate “man’s man” is an important characteristic in being a cowboy, never being scared to stand up for what’s right and abandoning their moral code when they come across people in danger and in need of help. The Mandalorian has episode after episode that showcase Mando’s willingness to stand up for what is right and be this traveling hero from town to town, never staying long but making an impact and imposing his order on those that are taking advantage of small towns people.

There are several aspects to this show that connect it to a typical narrative of being a western and/or a cowboy story. Specifically to The Mandalorian he falls under that wanderer type of cowboy where he doesn’t seek out trouble but rather always seems to stumble into it. Now I know that he is a bounty hunter, therefore he technically is always searching out trouble, but pretty much all of the encounters are not from the bounty he is seeking but from another source of wild west behavior from the town or village he traveled to. When he shows up in these places he finds himself having to defend the people from different types of gangs or monsters that have been terrorizing these people, restoring order where there was none. The Mandalorian isn’t your typical western and Mando your typical cowboy, but they are very much a part of the genre with typical portrayals in untypical settings, making it a unique yet familiar watch.

Moving the Chains: Why Football is a part of our Pop Culture

2022-04-27T09:41:00.003-04:00

The NFL has become so popular among the american population, that as Will Smith says in the movie Concussion, "the NFL has taken a day of the week from the Church." So what is it about football that attracts so many people to it, and makes it a staple in american pop culture?

Football today is somewhat of a modern form of the gladiators of ancient roman times and people seem drawn to the grueling, physical aspect of sport. People like violence, they're curious about it. It's why crime, murder mystery TV shows are the most popular and horror movies and video games have such large fan bases and also why rubbernecking after a small fender bender on the highway creates a two mile long traffic jam on the other side of the road. People naturally love violence and are drawn to it like moths to a lamp, so it shouldn't come to much of a surprise that the most violent sport has the largest influence. People love to watch the big hits safeties deliver on wide receivers who dare run over the middle of the field, or running backs running over a perusing defensive back on their way to a score.

The NFL has also done a terrific job of marketing itself as being a once a week event, so fans feel like they can't miss a game because they only play once a week. The limited games and regionalized teams bring a sense of community around teams and their fan bases. For 1 PM games fans show up as early as 8AM to start tailgating in stadium lots and make a party like atmosphere before the football even starts and bring people together. Even for those fans who don't travel to games, most people get together with friends and family on Sundays to watch their favorite team play and make it a big social gathering once a week. The community and togetherness around football is what brings people together around it. Because of schedule of 1 game per week, people bond and spend time with each other around it and even for those who don't necessarily enjoy the sport, enjoy the social aspect that comes with football games and being with friends and family.

Volcano Weekly Ledger (MODULE 7)

2020-07-31T23:33:00.002-04:00

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn93051027/1855-10-27/ed-1/seq-2/

My favorite piece I read is the one I wrote about the most in this post. It is from a publication named the Volcano Weekly Ledger, comes from a town aptly named Volcano, and was published on the date of October 27^th, 1855 in the state of California. Going into reading this I have not heard of the town named Volcano and was not sure it still existed today. Lo and behold it still exists today with a population of 115 according to the 2010 census. Before finding out the demographical information of this town, I was intrigued as to why they did not seem to have any information on historical events and instead seemed to be paragraphs upon paragraphs on conversations/hearsay. When they mentioned apologizing for their family being sick and not getting the paper out on time, that is when I became suspicious of the population size. The part about Volcano being a “one-horse town” further confirmed my suspicions.

The year 1855 was smack dab in the middle of when the newspaper business really made its mark on reporting key and important events. About a decade beforehand the first eyewitness account of American wars was being published and reported. While that is important history, this article seems to be talking more about meaningless events such as juggling and a conversation between a mother and someone who knows, not is, Benjamin Franklin. This newspaper claims to be a neutral paper, which by all means it completely is. It is not really giving information on critical current events and so can not really give a bias towards them. However, that is if we go by our modern terms on what qualifies as an important current event. We do have news sites that give trivial information and could be seen more as sites to find quizzes that tell you “what Harry Potter character you are”. While the article “Newspapers and the Press” by David Jamison goes over the historical achievements newspapers have accomplished, it shows us humans have not really changed over the years and we are entertained by meaningless distractions that help us navigate through the day to day. We are born on this Earth and all we do is wait. We wait in lines, we wait to have fun, we wait for death, so coming up with meaningless distractions is really all we have.

Big Time Rush: The American Dream

2020-07-24T15:44:00.000-04:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=Amhv9JWB4ik

Episode 1 of Big Time Rush is the pilot and provides the background needed for all the episodes that follow. They are four teenage boys from the state of Minnesota who play hockey. In the pilot the three of them do their best to help one of them (James) reach his dream of becoming a pop star by performing badly. This doesn’t work and instead another boy (Kendall) gains all the attention. However, Kendall turns it all around on the producer and forces him to create a boy band of all four of them, and thus begins the road to stardom, aka the American Dream.

What is the American Dream? Well, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the American Dream as “an American social ideal that stresses egalitarianism and especially material prosperity”.

The first line in the show is Kendall Knight, one of the main boys, saying “Opportunities like this come once in a lifetime.” While he isn’t talking about achieving teen boy stardom, it is something that comes up again later on in the episode. Big Time Rush initiated the return of boy bands, however that is something I can explore in another paper. Once the boys arrive in Hollywood, they go through a series of obstacles in order to achieve their American Dream of becoming a famous boy band.

These boys come from a tiny town in Minnesota and all they know is hockey and high school. After one fateful night they are simply catapulted into the daunting world of fame and fortune.

Versace Symbol Semiology

2020-03-26T22:40:00.001-04:00

Signification: Versace symbol/logo

Signifier: A beautiful creature with snake hair

Signified: Medusa (greek mythological figure)

Myth: attraction, beauty, luxury, power

While I was looking for a symbol, I thought it would be very interesting to look into the logo of Versace, a very famous and luxury brand in the whole world. The Versace logo contains to Medusa, who is a greek mythological figure. Medusa represents a beautiful and powerful creature who was punished with hair snakes. Medusa was a very attractive figure and hard to forget, but at the same time she was seen as a monster who punishes people with the snakes in her head and this might have a negative representation of a negative character. Medusa as the logo of Versace represents something beautiful, attractive, powerful that makes people fall in love and once they do, its hard to forget and they do not have way back. This is the perception of the Versace logo that shows how attractive and beautiful are Versace products and then made people fall in love with their products, but at the same time it shows a sense of power and shows a sense of luxury which comes from the way her face is shown in the logo serious but powerful and hard to take down. I found interesting the way Medusa head as Versace logo represents something attractive to people and also hard to forget. When I was little and first saw Versace brand and the logo of Medusa, I kind of thought "why Medusa? she is evil and represents the bad characters" But then after research I understand how Medusa represents Versace brand as I stated above, attraction and beauty catches people's attention.

Tourism as Culture Industry

2020-03-26T20:20:00.001-04:00

While surfing the internet, I found this interesting article about Pop-Culture Tourism, as a Culture Industry concept. Tourism has evolved a lot throughout the time and it is still increasing intensively and also it has a huge impact on businesses, economy, culture and so on. As the time passes, tourism became one of the most important economic activities in the whole world, and also its influence started to become very apparent. The article shows tourism as one of the most diverse concepts int he contemporary tourism dictionary. The origin of tourism comes long before the end of 18th century, and every since has come to evolve even more. Some very important elements of this diverse concept of tourism are culture, sports, health, nature, heritage, festivals and a lot more that offer people a diverse of choices and interests where they can find themselves and explore more to get to know more about the world. Another term expressed in the article is pop culture tourism that comes from popular culture phenomena of films, movies, music and so on, and that is influenced by these elements.

Tourism gives many aspects to invoke the idea of standardization as tourism can be everywhere regarding if it is a famous place or just a normal one. People can go and visit everything throughout the world starting with nature, heritage, things that seem interesting, new experiences and so on. Tourism offers choices on a worldwide basis and people have the possibility to choose anything according to their interest. Nowadays, tourism is everywhere and there are a lot of things yet to be discovered, that is what people want to explore and to get to know more about the world. As I mentioned above, tourism has a huge impact on businesses and on the economy of the countries as well. There is a lot more aspects to invoke the idea of standardization than I mentioned as well as a lot of aspects to invoke the ideas of pseudo-individualization as tourism has a lot of different advertising types starting from years ago to now; from all the tourism agencies that offer you a diverse of choices and accommodations to the most expensive ones to the cheapest ones, including rides, flights, hotels, views and even the places to visit. Tourism agencies also give options, if you want to do it online, or in person and to visit one place there are different offers, discounts about traveling alone, with family, with your partner and so on, when is the same place you are going to. In addition to tourism agencies, there are also a lot of advertising on the internet, ads coming up when you are watching a video on your social media and so on. People tend to visit places that are the most famous, related to their favorite books, films, music; these elements are another type of advertising tourism and places to visit.

These examples that I mentioned above show how the forms of standardization and pseudo-individualization contribute to distracting us from authentically changing the world and reinforces our connection with popular culture. Nowadays people are influenced by what they follow, what they find themselves in, what is famous and where would they look better if they visit. Also, it is influenced by books, movies, music as I stated above as well. It affects our everyday life, but at the same time it pushes us toward exploring and visiting new places, new cultures and making ourselves diverse. Tourism is a great concept and important element of popular culture and more.

Source:
https://blog.travelcarma.com/2016/06/28/a-guide-to-pop-culture-tourism-and-why-it-generates-millions-of-dollars-in-revenue-each-year/

How I relate to Module 5

2020-03-21T17:00:00.000-04:00

I am Madeline O’Bryant.

I took this online class because it was an option for one of my last liberal arts class fulfillments

and it seemed interesting. I had never thought that I would see a class that had to do with pop

culture and involving so many other topics I’m interested in.

When I completed the time management form I had to adjust my free time, gym time and daily

schedule overall. There are so many hours in the day but we don’t realize how many we waste,

whether it’s scrolling on our phones, napping, commute time, etc. Especially in the day and

age when people are so busy, we take what time we can to rest but that often turns into wasted

time.

An area of popular culture that I absolutely love is Music, Movies, fashion, and do it yourself.

I love these areas of fashion, music, movies because I’ve been surrounded by them since I was

younger. I love the arts and I feel like they bring people together and connect humans like no

other thing in the world. I love to do it yourself because I am frugal and I love being able to prove

to myself that I can do something new. It’s helped me tremendously.

This week I watched “Dear white people” as a black woman I was aware of a lot of what

was discussed in race and ethnicity, especially having experienced it first hand, racism, sexism

within racism, fetishism etc. Seeing movies like “Dear white people” makes me think that people

maybe able to have more conversations to bring down the ignorance throughout the world,

so everyone can learn more and open their hearts.

Zoe's Breaking Stereotypes

2020-03-21T15:55:00.002-04:00

Zoe's Grown and Breaking stereotypes

Grownish is a spin off of Blackish where one of the main characters goes off to college and the show follows her experience as a young biracial black woman. The show is a comedy and also addresses a lot of issues in the black community and a lot in politics like racism, police brutality, voting and gestures. This show has become one of the most popular shows on television because it doesn't just relate to the black community but everyone and everyone can learn something.

Zoe is a mixed race racially ambiguous lead who’s mother is African American and white and father is African American so she is black. Her parents are raising her in a predominantly white neighborhood and she goes to a predominantly white high school then starts at a predominantly white college where she meets a group of friends who are black and Hispanic and one white girl who grew up in the opposite environment.

Starting college Zoe is a fashion major. Zoe does not play the stereotypical black girl in the show but some would say she plays the stereotypical mixed race girl. Zoe is a fashion major at her school, she gets a chance to be a stylist for a big rapper who comes to her school, she dates boys, gets her heartbroken and bounces back while still remaining cordial, she experiences typical college friendships, she stands up for her people. She is stylish, a trendsetter, wheres her afro and shows her love for her culture.

She is not the stereotypical black girl played in tv shows who is aggressive, big body, sexual, bad attitude, fast, involved with players, drug dealers, black girls who are portrayed in the media far to often. Zoe's character is relatable to girls of every race.

signs and symbols module 8

2020-03-10T20:10:00.000-04:00

5 Symbols?
Ferrari
Horse and Italian flag margin
Foreign Horsepower
The logo is a horse, which is extremely fitting the Ferrari is known for its horse power as well as being an Italian brand. The Italian brand with the is a good way

to draw attention to the car not only for its engine power but its foreign designer

details
Pepsi
Sphere with red white and blue
America
Pepsi is an American brand soda known for its simple but nice logo. The logo itself is not anything complicated but rather simple representing its American routes
Target
Bullseye
Target of anything necessary and get prices
Target is known for its bullseye logo which is obviously meant to signify its name in it being a target. The target shape helps people realize its a target for many different items a person would need, from food to clothing to technology its a target for great deals and great prices.
Middle finger
Middle finger
Kind way of being not so nice
The middle finger has gone back far and long. When getting the finger its know for being a big not nice term, but being the way of saying it without saying it. It is known for being a signifier of creating and an issue in a silent term.
Hawks eye
Hawks eye
A way of saying you can see everything
Hawks are known for being able to seen anything beneath them from high up in the air. Always find its prey in a huge field. In peoples terms its known for being able to see someone doing something they should not be doing. Saying you have a hawks eye view of them doing what they should not being doing.
One thing you thought about and drew from the module?
This module showed me is how far film has come over all the years. From picture films to black and white to color to animation to now. Films like the avatar being

half animated half regular color film. Even now there are animations that remind

you of real life in person movies. Although it may not have much to do with the topic of films if you watch the Raven during a Thursday night football game against the jets and watch the “Raven” fly around in 3d it looks as real as it can get.
I found it interesting looking into these logos finding what they were made and symbolized for. What they were meant to represent and signify. Using subtle entrances to make a big difference in the sign.

The Hunger Games Movie

2020-03-10T13:13:00.000-04:00

The Hunger Games Movie vs the Book by Feminist Frequency

The video I chose to watch had to do with the hunger games and its comparison of the movie and the book. As Hunger Games first movie was released in May 2012 which contained a fresh, dynamic, young female protagonist. The video talked about the differences in the movie from the book and how women can lead successful films, just like the lead of the Hunger Games movie. Anita Sarkeesian who is the producer of Feminist frequency and also made this video, states that there were two big concerns with the book and the movie, which was violence and sexualization, but it appears that the movie chose to limit these violations. Also, she goes further describing the protagonist of the movie and other characters as well. Anita states that Katniss is a very young protagonist female character that appears in an American movie and she states that she hasn’t been such a thing in the last years. Anita also mentions the race had played a big role on how the protagonist was chosen, she states that the protagonist was mentioned to be a straight black hair and white skin girl, and no other girls were allowed or couldn’t audition, especially women of color couldn’t even make it to the auditions. Anita closes the video expressing that the movie was showed multiple events happenings, multiple expressions, emotions feelings that you could actually understand but in the movie, there was no attempt to humanize the career tribute.

In my opinion, I would say that in the first sight the Hunger Games look like they idealize the women, and treat her as a hero, but is that really the reason? Because Katniss it is treated and shown as a her just because she refuses to follow the traditions of femininity or the roles of a women. Even though there is a fact that in this movie the female is the Hero, it looks like, though, as it is shown the femininity as weak and sometimes even dangerous. While watching the movie a while ago, it looks like Katniss acts in a manly manner doing heroic things, and the movie puts her into a feminine position but is she that chooses not to act as such. Because to be a hero you obviously need to obtain weapons, to fight and to protect, which are masculine actions. In addition, Katniss as a female that she is needs to dress up very well to obtain sponsors and this is not something expressing or showing her own gender identity or what other choices she wants to make.

Anita also mentions how there are some scenes in the movie where it is shown a man dressing a feminine way to show that times have changed but at the same time it doesn’t look like it.

What I want to say is that the character’s sex of the protagonist is made clear in the movie, but the gender is kind of in the air. Thinking about this I could see a lot of stereotypes on how the female is supposed to wear dresses and to behave in a feminine manner and not considering their feelings or choices and just pointing fingers when it is not likable. Connecting it to the gender sex and sexuality the movie contains to some stereotypes that affect these concepts and not are really open to the public to understand, but tend to be more hidden from the audience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AilblBXlWU

Is Pop Music losing its fun?

2020-03-10T01:10:00.002-04:00

I found this article in BBC by Fraser McAlpine, discussion over the question “Has pop music lost its fun?”. The article gives some studies that show a suggestion that our parents or older people might have been having more fun or enjoying more popular music than our generation. It starts with the claim that popular music nowadays is sadder and slower, giving an example of James Arthur’s song, Naked. With this song the article expresses that popular music is losing its fun, and it is becoming even more slower. Another claim given is that the popular music nowadays is simpler and louder, comparing to earlier times. Also, popular music today is antisocial and angry is another critique given, with an example that according to researchers the top 10 most popular songs in America from 1980 to 2007 can transmit anger, or sometimes contain words that are antisocial, but yet everyone listen to it because is the trend. The last two claims given in this article about popular music are that it is not just as good as it used to be and also it is more repetitive, using the example of Big Shaq’s song, Mans not Hot.

Now my question is, who reached to this claims or conclusions? Because I think it all depends and by that, I mean not everyone could share the same opinion about the popular music nowadays, especially not everyone can participate in those conclusions. There are a lot of elements that have a totally different point of view or definition of fun, a definition of an amazing popular music, of taste, of style, and of enjoyment. Everyone has different experiences, different feelings and music is something that is related to the emotions, feelings, experiences, moods and so on. I could say that someone finds fun on a slow music because that is what they are feeling. Music is listened not because you have to, but because you need to. I am not going to deny that nowadays people tend to be on trend, tend to be out there with the new not with the old, but that is not something to be considered obligation. People find fun in different kinds of music, experiencing different situations in life. Music has meanings for each and every one out there, maybe it is related to their culture or else. What I am trying to say is that the past has a great influence on the present, and the popular music that once was could return again nowadays as a lot of examples that I have seen. Old song’s rhythms, melodies, words and more have been returning nowadays in another style but the same idea. Therefore, we can’t say that pop music it is losing its fun, on the contrary people create the fun with the popular music.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/fb84bf19-29c9-4ed3-b6b6-953e8a083334

Gun.Smoke Western Videogame

2020-03-09T23:22:00.003-04:00

I found this interesting Western video game called Gun.Smoke created the year of 1985. I used to play this shooting arcade video game with my brother when I was little, and to be honest I had no idea that this video game was a Western genre, and it is impressive to know this now as I find it very interesting. In this game the character to play as, is a considered a cowboy and while on the game it uses a horse as well, so they technically play together as a team. The game consists to this cowboy as it appears that he takes the law into his own hands against the bad guys. The game contains a three-way shooting system, which sometimes it might limit the player’s control, but it is enough to get the bad guys and also the horse is a great help as it protects the player for at least three shots in a row.

Now that I kind of understand the game better, the cowboy is a symbol of the idealized man, the hero that seeks to get off the bad guys and see a better world. As I mentioned above, the primary character of the video game is a cowboy who tries to kill the bad guys and seeks to bring order to the uncivilized place. In addition, his figure of a cowboy is complete as the horse is always with him and is trying to help him to achieve his goals, to take down the bad guys and to win the game. Comparing it to the actual definition of a cowboy on a western genre means that this cowboy is trying to do something good for the world and also take action into his own hands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx0GnNPK0nE

Lamborghini Semiology

2020-03-08T18:32:00.004-04:00

Sign: Lamborghini logo
Signifier: Gold bull
Signified: Lamborghini cars
Myth: Power, strength, luxury

I really love the Lamborghini logo for this assignment, as we can look at both the bull itself and it's color for symbolism. It has long been known that bulls are extremely strong and powerful animals, and their horns can prove to be both intimidating and dangerous. Using the color gold can signify high class and luxury, as gold has always been desired for it's shine and color, even in ancient times (such as ancient Egypt). Lamborghini has been around since the 1960's and has always been known to be one of the top tier car manufacturers even to this day, so it must be working for them pretty well. Digging deeper into some of our favorite logos is really fun yet a bit challenging, and a good logo will always have a concrete answer, like this one does.

Eternal Atake

2020-03-08T18:32:00.003-04:00

With the surprise release of Lil Uzi Vert's highly anticipated 2nd studio album Eternal Atake, fans are quick to judge, analyzing every lyric as well as the cover art itself. On July 31st 2018 Lil Uzi Vert first teased the album posting to his instagram the unofficial cover art for Eternal Atake which people quickly realized was a reference to a famous cult called heavens gate.

The meaning to the words Eternal Atake are very straight forward and it simply means to take over forever. That his album will be so powerful that it takes over the world. Obviously it is far fetched to say an album could take over the world but Uzi means it in the sense that it will provoke a powerful response from its listeners and will be heard all over the world. Meaning is given to the album art by referencing heavens gate logo but instead of saying heavens gate it says Eternal Atake. Uzi also makes reference to the imagery of the keyhole using it on his cover art for the single New Patek.

Heavens Gate was an American UFO religious millenarian cult based near San Diego. It was founded in 1974 and led by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles who considered themselves direct descendent of Jesus. The cult believed that a passing asteroid Hale-Bopp and its "companion" which they believe to be a ship following the asteroid. This is where they though they would spend their afterlife in luxury. On march 26 1997 San Diego sheriffs department discovered the bodies of the 39 members of heavens gate after they performed a mass suicide to enter heavens gate.

Semiology: The Rose

2020-03-08T17:16:00.002-04:00

Sign: Giving a rose

Signifier: Red Rose

Signified: Caring, Giving a gift

Myth: Love, Valentine's Day

Giving flowers can have many connotations. Roses have become synonymous with love. Bette Midler sang a song titled The Rose.

Roses can also be a plea for forgiveness, a sign of caring (get well flowers, prom flowers). If you are addicted to The Bachelor series (as I am) giving and accepting the rose means a commitment to continue the relationship (at least another week.) Roses have also become the flower of choice for Valentine's day though they have nothing to do with St Valentine.

Thinking of symbols this was was a bit of a challenge. It really makes you dissect things you see every day and look into the meaning of why we think of objects the way we do.

Korean War failure

2020-03-04T19:37:00.001-05:00

The article I read was the Daily Express out of Columbus, Ohio. The article dated of release was Thursday March 25, 1951. One of the articles in the paper was centered around a seventeen year old named Jame E. Rhodes who enlisted in the U.S army to help in the fight against communism. Korea is well known for being one of the worst wars in American history. Many young Americans died, and the goal of a democratic state was failed. The article about Private Rhodes was what his position in the Army was, (second platoon radio specialist) as well as how long he had been missing in action. America did so to fight the communist state of Korea in an attempt to create it into a democratic country. Another article and the biggest one on the paper discussed a local Ohio boxer out of Cincinnati by the name of Ezzard Charles, Charles was there in Columbus to help drive a fair pay bill in the state of Ohio. Lastly, the article discussing the death of a New York city judge. The judge had died following complication while getting operated on. Lastly, the most discussed issue at this time which is segregation and race. The article about W.E.B Dubois, speaks about equality to as stated in the article "negros". The New York city Department of Justice indicted about being a foreign power of the issue of silencing the spokesman for equality for "negros".
One major similarity between the class and the newspaper is that all topics are part of popular culture. Some may not be pleasant pop culture topics, but they are all topics in which people still discuss today. One being the boxer Ezzard Charles helping out his community by sponsoring a fair pay bill. Boxing at that point in time was the most watched(listened) to sport in the world. Everyone would stay up to listen on the radio to the World championship bouts that would take place pretty much monthly. For a world champion boxer to take a stand, it brought attention to the issue to people who may not see it just because of the person name they will read into the article. Next, the seventeen year old private, James Rhodes death is a form of popular culture because of the political nature of his death. People may or may not agree with every political stand, but for those who are very interested in politics and war they will read to gain an opinion on why his death should not have happened or why it had depending on their political viewing of the war taking place at that time. Lastly, a topic that is still in pop culture to which is equality for all people, at that time it was about equality for people of color. This is still a major issue in pop culture and was a topic of module in this class just weeks ago.

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88077225/1951-03-27/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1789&index=14&rows=20&words=Korean+KOREAN+war+WAR&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1963&proxtext=korean+war&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1