1-3 Article Anaylsis Paper

My artice was titled The Survival of Biology: ‘‘Lessons’’ on Race. The author was Roger Saul. He wrote about an episode that aired on the Oprah Show in 2006. The topic was race in todays society. The main question is would you change your race, if you could?

An example of a fad is Ebonics. Society isolated this urban language to the Black Community. The reality is that it is more of a socioeconomic communication system. Not a Black thing.  Another example is sagging of pants. Individuals of all cultural do this but once again it is considered a “Black thing”.  When the average person hears cowboy, they imagine white male in a cowboy hat with boots. The reality is clothing is a preference and has nothing to do with skin color.

Racism and categorization by skin color will always be a part of society. An individual can’t judge what someone else is experiencing. They can however, get a glimpse into the daily life to enhance understanding.  This is the opportunity that was given to the families of “Trading Races”. Each person had preconceived notions as to how they should walk, talk, and act when in make-up. This was a result of stereotyping.

 There are always going to be areas and issues that are highlighted through media outlets. This is why experiments like this are so important. All parties involved completed the six week experiment with lessons that were learned. The process was also aired on national television with hopes that the viewers could become more aware. We as individuals need to get to the place where our peers are judged by their individual actions, not the color of their skin.

Bibliography

Saul, R. (2001, December). The Survival of Biology: ‘‘Lessons’’ on Race. The Journal of Popular Culture, 43(6), 1282-1301.

Week 9 Blog ...Americas Got Talent

My journal five entry for popular culture is on the NBC hit show Americas Got Talent. This show is similar to American Idol. The difference is that the competition is open to all talent variations, not just singing. The winner wins one million dollars and a lead show on the Vegas strip.  There are three judges. They are Howie Mendel, Sharron Osborn, and Pierce Morgan. However, the viewers in America vote by telephone and ultimately a winner is chosen. It’s a majority vote rules philosophy.

This is Season six and contestants are solicited all over the United States. The acts auditioned in eight major cities and on You Tube. America only voted for those that are accepted into the top 48. It is at that point when the importance of perfection and playing to the camera are involved. The media often gets looked down upon for violating privacy and ruining lives. We seldom here of the life change events and entertainment that is media driven.

America is built by dreams. I enjoy this show because it gives all individuals from any age, culture, mindset, and socioeconomic status a chance at success. Now, not all individuals are blessed with the actual talent. But it’s up to us as a people to decide. Actually, the non-talent acts are often the most entertaining of all. It’s amazing how many people are willing to put themselves out there just for a minute of television air time.

America’s Got Talent is a great family show. Anyone can become inspired after watching just one episode. It’s great to reach for your dreams and accomplish goals at any age. The chance to win money is just an added perk. I would encourage anyone to get some popcorn and sit down for this hour on entertainment on NBC.

Week 5 Blog You Tube

My journal analysis this week is on a web site called You Tube. This site is a breeding ground for self-expression. Individuals can upload videos of themselves or others for the world’s entertainment.  This was founded in 2005 by Chad Hurley, Steven Chen, and Jawed Karim. They were pay pal employees that had interest in video sharing.  There are massive amounts of information and hours of entertainment that can be accessed for free. There are also paid subscription services isolated to those that are 18 years or older.

There is no cultural delay in the YouTube world. It is available in all languages to anyone who has an internet connection. However, Iran, Morocco, Thailand, Turkey, Pakistan, and the People’s Republic of China have block usage in their countries at one point or another over time.   I personally used it to watch television shows I missed. I also was encouraged to make fun of people that posted video.  This is harmless entertainment to most, however some do suffer from what we are entertained by.

Last year one of my interns got into a fight and her sister uploaded the cell phone footage. This resulted in criminal charges and now she has a record. Everyone was laughing and joking until the issue involved police. This had happened across the country because freedom of speech hinders censorship on a search engine this large.

Others have made a lot of money and got industry breaks by the exposure You Tube provided. The site is broke down into search categories.  Education, science and Technology, Comedy, People and Blogs, Film and Animation, Sports, News and Politics, Music, entertainment, and what’s new are the topics listed on the main page.  This gives the user an opportunity to narrow their search.

There are pros and cons to everything and You Tube is no exception. I believe people should be mindful of what they post because someone is always watching. What may be funny to you may be offensive to the next person.  I know people are going to do and say what they please but the world would be a better place if common sense was put before impulse.

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youtube

Week Three Analysis

This week has been one of reflection for me. I have been thinking about how my life has changed over the years. Food, cartoons, modes of communication, and tolerance has crossed leaps and bounds.  I was watching The Braxton’s last night, which is a series about the Braxton family. The singer Toni Braxton is going to do what she considers a “tasteful” spread in Playboy. This got me to thinking about the topic.  Therefore, the icon I choose to reflect on now is Playboy Enterprises, Inc. or otherwise known as Playboy. 

This magazine was founded in 1953 by Hugh Hefner (Playboy, 2010).  This magazine has taken on a life of its own. It started as a magazine and has grown into iconic television and stimulating entertainment.  This magazine isn’t just about sex and nudity. There are short stories, and monthly interviews of all societal socialites from a liberal standpoint (Playboy, 2010).

Hugh Hefner has a daughter Christie. She was running the company in 1988 but stepped down in 2008 to pursue chartable work (Playboy, 2010). It’s ironic to me that a man that many say exploits women has a daughter with the same views. The playboy mansion is another famous part of the brand. The home is an exclusive party spot for the rich and famous as well as the group of women titled as the Playboy Bunnies (Playboy, 2010). These women were handpicked by Mr. Hefner to share his home. These women are swapped out every couple years but all of them have blond hair and breast implants. I often wonder when Hugh is going to open the bedrooms to a more exotic appearance of women, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.

The belief that sex sells is a common one and in many cases true however, not all countries share the American view of acceptance. Playboy is bared in India, mainland China, Malaysia, Thailand Singapore, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and several others.  It’s ironic to me how prostitution exists everywhere but open sexual content is frowned upon. I guess opinions vary. My belief is that people should live their lives according to what makes them happy. If reading a magazine that happens to have nude content brings you joy then read on my friend…read on.

 Bibliography

Playboy. (2010, May 25). Retrieved June 5, 2011, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playboy

3-2 Contemporary icon

This week’s topic is Contemporary icons. According to dictionay.com Contemporary means “of the present time”. My first thought was that it could be difficult narrowing the icons of our current time to three. As I pondered the assignment I chose Oprah, a series on HBO titled True Blood, and Jesus. The following paragraphs explain my thoughts behind each of the three topics.

The first person I thought about was Oprah Winfrey.  My first memory of her was in The Color Purple. It amazes me how this extraordinary woman literally rose from rags to riches. Oprah battled poverty, incest in the form of molestation, low self-esteem and she still turned her curses to blessings while putting God first. She recently retired but left a legacy of changing the world’s perception of daytime television. Oprah’s most amazing accomplishment to me was her ability to break down racial barriers. She formed a fan base of men, women, and children that fell from all socioeconomic statuses and races.

Jesus is and ancient religious icon however, his name and image is still relevant and of the present time. Christians view him as the son of God and their savior. This is a man who was born to a virgin and lived on earth without sin so he could be crucified for the sins of mankind in hopes they would enter heaven. There is constant controversy around religion and especially this man. His name and story has been a contemporary icon in many generations.  I subscribe to the idea that Jesus is my savior and I love this man with my whole heart. The image of him makes me feel loved and I’m grateful to include him in my list.

My final choice is True Blood. This show has gained so much momentum since the first season began in September 2004. It seems that Americans have become intrigued by vampire and magical based television. I think it plays into a fantasy of the unknown that we all have.  I love watching this show and am counting down the days till the Season 4 premiere. I enjoy the online aspects of entertainment such as spoilers and behind the scenes reels. I don’t know how long this icon will survive but I believe that people will watch as long as the writers write.

Weekly Assignment 1-4

Facebook is a pop culture topic that individuals love to hate. I researched the search engine and was floored by the statistics. They are are as follows;

• More than 500 million active users
• 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day
• Average user has 130 friends
• People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook
• There are more than 250 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.
• People that use Facebook on their mobile devices is twice as active on Facebook than non-mobile users.
• There are more than 200 mobile operators in 60 countries working to deploy and promote Facebook mobile products
• There are over 900 million objects that people interact with (pages, groups, events and community pages)
• Average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events
• Average user creates 90 pieces of content each month
• More than 30 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) shared each month.
• More than 70 translations available on the site
• About 70% of Facebook users are outside the United States
• Over 300,000 users helped translate the site through the translations application
• Entrepreneurs and developers from more than 190 countries build with Facebook Platform
• People on Facebook install 20 million applications every day
• Every month, more than 250 million people engage with Facebook on external websites
• Since social plugins launched in April 2010, an average of 10,000 new websites integrate with Facebook every day
• More than 2.5 million websites have integrated with Facebook, including over 80 of comScore's U.S. Top 100 websites and over half of comScore's Global Top 100 websites
• cited from facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

Now these facts may not surprise you in the least but they reveals to me how large a part of our pop culture this website is. Facebook has become a source of networking and entertainment for the masses. Most individuals look at the site as entertainment but too much Face booking can become dangerous. Stalkers can locate you and predators can use it to prey on your children. I have friends and family members that give play for plays of their every move on status updates not realizing future and present employers look to this source as information. There is such things as too much information and ignorance. Please be aware of what you post on the internet. The above statistics prove that there is someone always watching.

POPULAR CULTURE

This blog is in its infant stages as a requirement for my class however, I am growing fond of the concept as I do more research. I viewed blogging as public diary and I am generally a private person. I now understand it can be a forum for entertainment and change. My professor asked us how we would define popular culture and what does it mean to us. I understand it to be any person, place, thing, idea, or practice of a group of people. Popular culture defines the time era and is will continuously change. Popular culture is important in business because it reveals the likes and dislikes of mass society at any given point in time.  A business can’t survive without out knowing the wants and need of the consumer. Trends and fads change constantly. Knowing and staying current on the aspects of popular culture gives business and edge on the competition. An example of a popular culture artifact would be Facebook. This social networking site has quickly become a source of advertisement, networking, socializing, gaming, and entertainment. I don’t foresee the fire of Facebook burning out anytime soon but people had that opinion of MySpace.