Sunday, August 16, 2009
Blog #2- due 9/24: Reflect on how your current identities have been influenced by any particular popular culture...read below
Applying concepts from Baudrillard, Visual Rhetoric, class discussions, observations, your WIKIS and course readings, reflect, by selecting one popular culture that has "SUCKED" you in and describe how your identity has been influenced. Consider the space(s) you inhabit when you participate in that popular culture(such as a sporting event, or a dance club...), the logos present, colors, your senses, presence, and the tools that rhetors have used to seduce and construct identity. What sociopolitical ideologies impact those spaces and how does that impact you?
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One pop culture that has sucked me in recent years (I hope it is classified as a “pop culture”) is camping. The main reason why I believe I like camping so much is that it takes me out of my normal social space, which mainly consumed with technology & mass media (television, sports, computer, cell phone, etc.) and puts me in another space that is almost disconnected with reality. My identity has been influenced by camping because it reminds me of the simple things of life that I sometimes forget or under appreciate. These include: shelter, food, health, relaxation by not doing anything, spending quality time with love ones/friends, etc. According to Baudrillard concept of media culture, media is responsible for the breakdown of reality since it only provides us with simulated events and communications. Although I know that media messages will never disappear, I feel camping is away to temporally get away from these “simulated event” and create my own reality.
ReplyDeleteThe colors of green (nature) and brown (earth) make a great mix of feelings including comfort, reliability, simplicity, youth, and health. Also nature appeals to your sense of smell and hearing. The sense of smell of fresh clean air, instead of automobile exhaust fumes and the sense of hearing peace and quiet, rather than the noise of heavy machinery. I feel that most if not all of the tools that rhetors uses to seduce and construct identity doesn’t come in to play in this culture. Camping doesn’t stereotype against any person, gender, class, race, or sexual orientation. It is one of the simplest pop cultures that discriminates against no one.
If there is any sociopolitical ideologies, which I believe there are only a few, is in the form of rules and regulations of camping. For example, the image/symbol of Smokey the Bear reminds campers to use precaution and safety when having an open fire in the woods so it doesn’t cause harm to nature or people within/sharing that same space. The image/message of Smokey the Bear has been instilled in me since childhood, so seeing that symbol impacts me to be just a bit more cautious with open fires in nature.
I think one pop culture that has sucked me in is reality tv. I watch a lot of reality tv shows mostly with my roommates such as wife swap, The Real World, Tool Academy, Rock of Love, etc. Often times we are in comfortable spaces such as our living room or my bedroom. So we are comfortable making comments about how ridiculous the shows have become.
ReplyDeleteWith the VH1 and MTV reality shows they have certainly used sex and partying to draw in the college crowd. They also use bright lights and fast paced previews for upcoming shows to keep viewers watching even though the actual show is almost never THAT exciting.
One sociopolitical ideology of these shows could be the morality of them. Most of them are in your face with sex and objectification of women. In general many people think tv affects the people who watch it so glorifying partying and casual sex isn't the best thing. I know that I have stopped watching some of the shows that have just gotten over the top with sex. Other than that, I don't think reality tv has affected my friends or I because we watch it knowing and commenting on just how ridiculous they are!!
One popular culture that has sucked me in is Greek life. I have recently became apart of a sorority in which takes on another type of lifestyle outside of reality.My identity is influenced through visual rhetoric such as Greek letters and symbols that represent my sorority down to the colors pink and green which is also used to identify my sorority. There are definitely sociopolitical ideologies within my sorority such as our symbols which signify our believe in sisterhood and community service to all.When in various social spaces as a member of my sorority, I am expected to uphold certain standards. For example when attending my sorority conferences I feel like this social space allows me to temporarily escape from reality because there are other members from different parts of the U.S and we interact with one another in a different manner through hand gestures and dances which is also identified with my sorority. However, when the conference is over I am snapped back into reality where certain behaviors and mannerism are questionable in society. So I believe that my sorority can be viewed as a simulacra in a sense that it is a copy of a man made society which has its own rules and regulations which may not exist or apply to other individuals of society.
ReplyDeleteOne popular culture that has sucked me in is reality television shows. I believe that many lives have been changed from this popular culture. There are people all over that sit down every night and turn on their televisions. Personally it’s hard for me to find a television show on that isn’t a reality show. I am more of a lover of The Biggest Loser style of shows rather than MTV The Hills. I don't believe the MTV reality shows are truly reality, but I love to watch The Biggest Loser because it changes people's lives and helps them lose weight. There isn’t a way that people can fake the dramatic weight loss seen on the show. I believe Baudrillard would see The Hills reality television as a world of simulacra. It’s this world that is supposed to be seen as reality about a girl trying to make it as a fashion designer, find the right guy, and be independent, but in “reality” it’s completely false. I believe The Hills is basically a copy of any sitcom today. There is always a girl who falls for the bad boys, gets her heartbroken, and all this is happening while she is pursuing a career for herself. I think many people watch it because there are many women out there going through the same things.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the E-reserve article on remixes I’ve found that every reality show is a remix from other reality shows. VH1 has had many reality love shows redone and I’ve noticed some of the people finding love have changed some rules of the show otherwise known as remixing the show. Tila Tequila took a twist when she became the first person to have a bi-sexual love competition. I’ve observed in our class discussions how there are many people who watch these shows faithfully. When I watch The Biggest Loser, on Tuesday nights from 8-10pm, I watch it in my home with my mother and sister. We watch it in our living room on the couch in dim lighting. Our television is of average size and there are pictures of all of my sisters, brothers, nice, and nephews. These are of course familiar faces that make the setting peaceful. The living room is the biggest room in the house so it gives us a sense of ease, and with all of us sitting on the couch together it makes me feel stabilized. I prefer to watch my favorite shows with my family because I feel happiest and most comfortable with them. We sometimes cheer for the same people and sometimes it will be a fun competition of our own at who will win in the last weigh in. The logo in the Biggest Loser always has a measuring band around the title of the show. There are teams with all different colors that help differentiate the teams.
The tools that Biggest Loser uses to seduce its viewers are to promote healthy lifestyles. It’s trying to convince its contestants and viewers that a healthy lifestyle can save lives and make you feel better on the inside as well as look your best on the outside. This show is to raise self esteems, and change the lives of their contestants and families for life. I believe the sociopolitical message for The Biggest Loser is being thin and healthy makes you happy and live a longer life. I believe it does, but there are also many people who are overweight and are happy. This show affects me because I try to live a healthy lifestyle, and exercise everyday. This show gives great tips that I take and apply to my life. Unlike other reality shows that will discontinue after so long, this one is a show that has depth and will continue to have many more seasons. This show has impacted me in a positive manner, and I will always be a fan.
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ReplyDeleteA specific popular culture that has grabbed my attention is posters (i.e. movie posters, celebrity posters, music posters, etc.) There are a total of 16 posters in my apartment that each displays a different image or idea. My roommates’ room is covered in one Twilight poster, two Edward Cullen (Twilight character) posters, one The Breakfast Club poster, one Pittsburgh Penguins poster, one The Nightmare Before Christmas poster, one Pink Floyd poster, two The Beatles posters, and one John Lennon poster. Our bathroom displays a horizontal Monty Python and the Holy Grail poster and my room contains one Fight Club poster, one Lil’ Wayne poster, one Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban poster, one The Dark Knight poster, and one Entourage poster. All of the posters except for the Monty Python and the Holy Grail poster are in color and are incredibly vibrant. I have chosen to evaluate two of the posters that are hung in my apartment, The Dark Knight and the poster. The Dark Night poster showcases a blueish lighting that implies a sense of cold and darkness. There is a low angle shot of Batman with a fire burning in the shape of the bat symbol above him. The orange hue of the fire is very eye-catching and bright compared to the rest of the poster. I experience a sense of danger and fear when I look at the poster. The poster of John Lennon provides me with the opposite affect. There are only two dominant colors that make up the image of his face, bright pink and bright yellow. Pink symbolizes love and beauty while yellow symbolizes joy and happiness. The lack of normal skin tones in the image causes me to think about why they chose the colors that they did. When I first glance at the poster, I am filled with excitement and it provokes me to dig deeper into its meaning.
ReplyDeleteOne popular culture that has sucked me in would be reality television. Rather than watching Rock of Love, Survivor, or The Bachelor, I get wrapped up in the HGTV shows as well as the Food Network. It is so weird before I had a house of my own and a partner to take care of, I never watched television shows like this. However, now that my circumstances have changed, I like to watch these shows to get ideas on how to improve the environment of my home as well as how to put good food on the table. I think these shows are more family oriented. They show you ways to improve your living space on a budget and how to cook wonderful meals in a matter of minutes. I usually watch these shows by myself in my bedroom or living room. They are both very cozy and comforting. My bedroom is green (calming, balance, harmony) and brown (comforting and earthy). I find them to be very enjoyable and intriguing. They definitely distress me and allow me to relax. On the HGTV shows, the rooms created are usually very homey and comforting. Definitely rooms that I would love to sit back and relax in. On the Food Network shows, the backgrounds are usually bright and cheery and create an uplifting vibe. I think they also are paying more attention to the financial aspect when creating shows for people. They show how to design on a dime or how to save money on meals. They are sending the message that you don’t have to be a millionaire to improve your environment and overall well-being. I think Baudrillard would say that reality television shows are just copies of copies and none are original. I would agree but I’m gonna keep on watching them!
ReplyDeleteI have fallen victim to the HBO series Trueblood. When I watched the first season last year, I was really turned onto it because it was fast-paced and exciting, racy, had a somewhat unconventional plot and was just downright entertaining. After loving the first season, I realized that it was a book before it was a show. Since finding this out, I have read all nine books in the series and just finished watching the second series a few weeks ago on TV. Although the TV show has some big differences compared to the book, both are equally as entertaining to me.
ReplyDeleteAt first, I felt kind of embarrassed that I had jumped on the vampire bandwagon (which includes Twilight, which is absolutely terrible), but now I am loud and proud about my life for the book series and TV series.
I only ever watch this show at my boyfriend's place because I don't get HBO. He has an average guy's room with a lot of posters covering white walls and lots of other things strewn about. I wouldn't say this is the most physically comfortable place to watch this show because I have to sick in either an uncomfortable chair or lie on the bed, but I'll take whatever I can get since I can't watch it at my own apartment. Because we would watch it every week together, my identity was always stabilized and I felt at ease.
Although there are other vampire movies/shows that involve other mystical creatures as well, the concept of this show (I'm sorry to say) is just totally recycled. I know that no idea is a truly "new" idea, so the plot of this show just builds off of other conceived situations, dilemmas, themes, etc. Like AngK said, I think Baudrillard would say that this show is just a simulation of other shows that have come before it. To me, a lot of the scenes from the show (and the book) seem really original and it is difficult for me to think that these have been used before. Either way, I'm cool with that, and I can't wait for the next book to come out on Oct. 6!
A main pop culture that has sucked me in would be going to the gym. The gym is where most people go to relieve stress, work out, feel better about themselves, or to meet others. Some people go there because that's where they hang out. I go to the gym to exercise and relieve stress. I am not a gym work out freak but when I go I build up so much energy which helps me perform better with studying and school work.
ReplyDeleteThe gym is spaced out into different groups. There are the weights in the back, where the "meatheads" like to workout and show each other off. There is the cardio section which is usually populated by women, myself included. All the ladies have their iPods in and just work out on the machines. No one bothers anyone, no one judges anyone, and it's very peaceful. I enjoy working out and people watching out of the huge windows in the front of the gym. I'm not a creeper, but it's funny to see what people do when they don't think you're watching. I also like how there are TV's in the front that you can watch. You can't hear a thing, but it's nice to look at what is on.
The colors in the gym are mainly white, gray, and maroon. I consider maroon a mix between red and brown. Red means excitement, energy, passion and strength. Brown means earthy, home, and stability. Gray means security, intelligence and maturity. All of these colors definitely fit in perfectly at a gym, especially one where students attend. I really like how the whole gym is always lit up and since it's spaces out, you never feel crowded or rushed. It doesnt smell like rubber and sweat like many gyms do. You can tell they clean and take very good care of everything, which is another reason why I don't mind using the machines.
My firstspace would be the side of the gym where people lift minor weights. I can work my arms or legs. I enjoy the gym because it is my social space. I have always played sports and worked out. I always keep active so the gym is a perfect place for me to go and feel comfortable. It's not only good for your physical appearance, but I think it's internally healthy.
More and more people go to the gym because our country has been told so many times how unhealthy we are as a whole. People finally listened and decided exercising could be an effort into making their lives a bit healthier.
Throwing on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, my iPod and going to the gym is part of my identity. I listen to my music, forget about everything and just think about me. If I didn't exercise at all I would probably be angry and impatient!
One popular culture that I believe has sucked me in is movies in general. I enjoy going to the movie theater or staying at home and watching movie from different genres. I believe that my identity has been influenced by movies because it gives me an escape away from reality for a little while. While I am watching a movie, I am not forced to think or worry about work, homework, school, and relationships. I am also not bothered by other people. There is no one calling me on the phone, texting me, e-mailing me or anything. So at least for a little while all that exists is the movie and nothing else which I believe relates to Baudrillard. Baurdrillard stated that individuals do not exist and that we are all copies of copies. When we enter certain social spaces, we leave everything behind including who we are and for a certain amount of time we act differently and essentially do not exist. While watching movies, I think my identity is stabilized for a little while because whether I am in a movie theater or at home, both are familiar and common to me. While I am in a movie theater, I have noticed that there is a variety of colors. In the movie theaters I go to, the color red is very prominent and there is often a big red curtain displayed around the big movie screen. After investigating the color symbology behind red, to me it sort of makes sense why theaters use red. The color red is used to increase enthusiasm. Physically, in individuals, the color red increase heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, and encourages action and confidence. Movie directors want people to be interested and into the movie, so red is displayed in theaters around the screen, in order to help catch people’s attention. I believe that the sociopolitical message in movies is the sociopolitical message itself. In other words, no matter what type of movie a person watches, there is always a hidden subtext, meaning, or life lesson the director/writers is trying to get across no matter what type of movie you are watching.
ReplyDeleteI hate to say that exact same thing as Bridget, but going to the gym is definately a pop culture that has sucked me in. I always played sports throughout high school, but when I came to IUP, I started feeling lazy. I didn't join "The Gymm" until my sophomore year, but I am still going today.
ReplyDelete"The Gymm" is located behind the Ironwood Grill and it is open 24 hours. Each person gets their own key and you have the freedom of being able to go whenever it fits your schedule. Once inside, the colors are blue, gray, and white. The color scheme is very neutral and helps me to stay focused on my workout. The lighting is very bright and there is always music playing when you walk in. This keeps you alert and pumped up, especially if you don't have headphones with you. The weights are on the first floor and the cardio equipment is upstairs overlooking the weight machines. There are two TV's upstairs and a lot of mirrors downstairs on the walls. The gym has a very welcoming feel to it and there is a variety of people who go there. The thing I like most about the gym is that it is never too crowded and I always feel comfortable walking in. The faces are familiar and everyone is very friendly.
I think that a tool that rhetors have used is that it preys upon a persons desires, needs and wants. Many people go to the gym because they dream of being more fit, losing weight, being muscular, or simply being more healthy. When I am at the gym I notice myself looking at other people who are working out. I subconsciously find myself thinking "wow I wish I had her arms," etc.
The sociopolitical ideologies that impact me at the gym goes back to the media. I think about most of the tv shows that I watch and how fit the people are and that is why I work out. The media pushes the public to be healthier and more active and also to look your best and this is what the gym is used for. I'm not a crazy workout person, but it is important for me to keep up with it. If I skip a couple days or don't do a complete workout, I feel like crap. It has just become part of my daily routine to get to the gym and do my thing.
Over the past couple of years I have been sucked in to the art of scrap-booking.
ReplyDeleteI have golfed competitively since the age of 14 and have held onto every artifact from the tournaments I have played. Whether it be a program, hotel room key, scorecard, pictures, newspaper or magazine articles and trophies.
It was not until 3 years ago when I attended the funeral of a good friend who I golfed with that I saw what his parents had done with all of his artifacts. They had compiled all of them into scrap-books to remember him. All of my artifacts had been sitting in a box for years and that is when I decided to also make scrapbooks of my golfing achievements.
I began a couple years ago in sorting everything out according to what year they took place. I did the scrap-booking with my mother which to me was extra special. My mother was never a golfer and did not really like the sport until I began to take it really serious. It is extra special because for her to grow a liking for the sport so that she could come out to watch and support me in something I loved is very important to me. Over the years she began to realize how much the sport meant to me and that one day it would most likely be a big part of my life. Today she always surprises me in how much she has learned about golf.
While making the scrap-books I felt very stabilized because it seemed like every artifact I put into the books would bring my a conversation or memory of that day. Even though it was my mom who is not the golfer, I could freely talk about anything and her to would remember that day or days.
Sitting here tonight and thinking of the scrap-books, I realized that they are a great example of first, second and thirdspace. An example of firstspace would be that all of the artifacts take place on a golf course which is a real social place. An example of secondspace would be that my whole golf career I have had dreams, some of them to this day have come true. And an example of thirdspace would be from one article from this past summer when I had the thought of qualifying in 1st place for a tournament and I shot 70 to make that come true.
The scrap-books symbolize one of my many personalities. While at IUP I am a student, a friend, a role model, a teammate, and a golfer. Other then the student, all of the other personalities that I listed are ones that take place each day while playing golf or practicing with my teammates here at IUP.
I am very proud of the work I have put into these scrap-books and will always cherish them. I can always read these scrap-books with a smile on my face. When I am finished reading them the one thing I will take away from them is that I can feel proud how I matured as an individual through the game of golf and how hard I worked into order to achieve my dreams. The books will also keep me believing in myself.
As a golfer I have had a lot of people encourage and support but I will always remember the best advice I ever got in both golf and life..........."you can do anything that you put your mind to".
As much as I love the "green" movement and the environment and all that jazz, I am definately a car guy. I would definatley say that the car culture has really sucked me in and it does not look like its going to release its death grip any time soon. I love everything about it. I love going fast, cars that look good, extreme modifications, offroading, autocross... you name it and I like it (except for nascar, I don't like that). Also, there are so many different sub-genres. There is the tuner scene, classic cars, muscle cars, rat rods, mudders, racers, drifters, low and slow, euro, and the list goes on.
ReplyDeleteRight now I am really into Hondas. There are some reoccuring themes in the Honda community. There is "JDM", super clean "hard parkers", racers, ect. ect. There are also aftermarket brands that are alway present. Some of these brands cater only to Honda enthusiasts. They include Mugen, Spoon, HKS, BBS, SSR, Hasport, ect.
Something that I find interesting is "fake" parts. These are cheap parts that try to emulate their high price tagged counterparts. I see them as a simulation, because they are meant to fool the casual observer into thinking that they are expensive and rare. Though, upon further investigation one will come to realize that there is something a bit off about them. On the other hand, some of these companies start by copying something more expensive and better researched, but, over time, they become an accepted standard in the industry.
The sights, sounds, and colors: Some people go for that "look at me" type of style. In many cases they are trying to make people believe that their cars are faster than they really are. At the opposite end of the spectrum there are the guys that want their cars to be "sleepers". These cars look only slightly different than an unmodified car, but they are packing a bit that is much bigger than their bark.
In this popular culture, I see two main sociopolitical ideologies that that are acceptable for people subsribe to. The first is following the croud. You have to be following along with the latest trends or you arnt cool. It is not good enough for you to just do what you like; you have to do please everyone else too. The next is stepping so far out of the box that you really catch peoples attention. You have to do something that is really different and never been done before for people to really notice you. There are two different extremes. You either conform and get respected or you do something so different that that pushes the limits of the culture so people are forced to respect you.
There are many things that influence people in our culture these days, whether it be shows on tv, music artists, art, and movies. they all have a certain special connection with people which is why people like the certain that they do. With me personally i am influenced a lot by how music and fashion are tied in to one another, and how that in turn effects my everyday routine. If i told you that music does not influence aspects of our culture like fashion, and our ideals, I would be lying. the fact is it really does whether we are conscious of it or not. when i watch different music artists i like and what they wear and whats considered fashionable with them, i tend to catch myself liking the same kinds of clothing,jewelry, etc. Fashion is a big part of who I am and can be first impressions to people that do not know me. Anything i wear nowadays explains who i am, and as the class touched on this a little subject a little, there are a number of elements that can show off our identities without even knowing someone. What someone wears in turn can have an effect on how people see them. Bright colors could mean fun, personality or "bubbly". Wearing dark colors could maybe hint to the fact someone is a little more on the "reserved" side. Fashion/music interests me a great deal and most likely pretty much everyone has some sort of their own fashion identity, its what makes us..us, in society, its how we are seen.
ReplyDeleteLike Angela, a popular culture that has definitely sucked me in is movies. I love watching movies whether at my house, at a friend's house, or in the theater (with popcorn of course!) I generally only like watching chick flicks or drama, but I occasionally get talked in to going to action movies as well, thanks to my boyfriend. I love going to the movies because it lets me forget about everything else that is going on in my life, even though it is only for a brief period of time. I especially like watching movies with people I am close to because it makes me feel more comfortable and gives me something to talk about later on. When I go to a movie at the theater I act differently than I would at home because of the surroundings and people around me, whereas at home, I can relax and be myself. In chick flicks, the lighting is usually soft when it gets to the really romantic scenes which puts the viewer in a specific mood, whereas the lighting in most of the action movies I have seen is always very bright and vibrant. I like experiencing the differences and I admire how directors can get different emotions across just by lighting and camera angles. I think it depends on the movie as far as the sociopolitical ideologies. If you were to watch a chick flick there could be a completely different meaning to it in something like an action movie or a drama.
ReplyDeleteI was going to have my blog about the popular culture of video gaming, but I enjoyed Kennedy's piece on golf and scrap booking, and so that motivated me to write about golf myself.
ReplyDeleteI started golfing around the age of 14 or 15. My family and I were on vacation in Florida, and the resort we were staying at had a $5 range session with a quick lesson on how to get started in the game of golf. The lady told us how to hold a club and told us to keep our heads down. To this day, that remains the only golf lesson Ive received in my life. My dad and I decided to go play a round (thinking we were Tiger and Phil because we knew how to hold a club) and shot 164 and 166 respectively. Despite these horrendous score, the game somehow pulled us both in and we continue to enjoy it to this day.
Another reason I thought golf would be a good thing to blog about is because of how my identity is affected when I play. Today, I usually shoot in the low 90s and my dad shoots in the 110s low 120s (he plays the back tees with me haha). By no means are these good scores, we are both atrocious, still occasionally duffing the ball 5 feet in front of us. Despite this, there honestly are not many things that top the enjoyment I get from walking down that first fairway with my dad at my side. Anyway, getting back to the point of how my identity is stabilized.... the main point of all of that is this: It is one of if not the most stable environment I can think of being in. I am 100% myself out there. First, I have the relaxing, peaceful surroundings of nature, a calming fairway lined with trees, sand, lakes, etc. And then there is the presence of my dad. The same presence that has been there since day 1. The same presence that has stabilized my environment all my life. I feel like he knows me more than I know myself sometimes, having been there since the beginning. And in those private moments when its just me, my dad, and nature, teeing it up after taking a couple quintuple bogeys, thats what makes me so stable. Theres no need for me to be someone else. No pressure from society to act this way or that way. Just dad, who has always loved me for who I am, and always will.
A popular culture that I can identify with are photographs. I love to take and look at pictures. They can be full of expression about who a person is. They can be full of color or be black and white to cause an old time look. Photographs can be bright or dull in color. Some pictures can cause destablization while others can make you feel stablized.
ReplyDeleteThere are many things that you can do with photographs too. Like Kennedy said you can scrapbook or you can make things such as collages. Photographs also make a great present for people because they can bring back memories of things you did together. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I believe it. I made a collage on my wall of all my friends from home and my friends here at school that I look at everyday. Each picture tells a story about a part of my life with the people who impacted me the most. The collage also includes pictures of my family since they are a huge part in my life as well.
The one popular culture that has sucked me in has to be reality televison. I can never get enough of it whether it is real world or real chance of love 2 I always have to make sure that I catch that episode.
ReplyDeleteIt takes me out of reality which baudrillard would say was a simulacura because reality tv shows allow me to escape from my identity when I watch it. He would also say that all these shows were copies of copies and nothing is an orginal which is true because there have been so many of these shows and they all have the same story line. Eventually I think they might take over tv. On these shows the drama draws you in and makes you want to know what is going to happen next. When watching these shows I am in a really comfortable space which allows me to stablize my identity because I am in my room which makes me relax.
When watching these certain shows their could be an social artifact that sticks out to you and that sociopolitical message would be telling you to purchase this item because they have it on tv.
In these shows that lighting is always bright which draws you in even more. I also think that they use whip pan because it has sudden or fase movements.
One popular culture that has completely sucked me in is the Farmville game on facebook. It is surprising to me because I used to make fun of my boyfriend and my other friends who played it, but now I am completely addicted. This has changed my identity slightly because I have never been into video games, and now I am a fake farmer.
ReplyDeleteI wake up in the morning and I plant crops. I go to the library in between my classes to check on my crops. I come home from work at night and I harvest my crops. I'm actually ashamed at what my life has become, but I AM COMPLETELY SUCKED IN!!!
For one, the colors are bright, so this cheers me up whenever I play. I get aesthetic pleasure out of looking at my pumpkin patch and my fruit-covered trees.
Also, I'm really good at earning money in farmville, which I guess is one of the socio-political messages of the game: money will make you happy. The whole point of the game is to keep earning those dollars.
I think Baudrillard would love farmville as a simulacra. It's so far removed from it's original (real farming) that it's easy to forget what the original is even like. I don't think I would like real farming. It would be hot, sweaty, and tiresome.
In this way, simulations can offer only very distorted versions of the originals.
When the Twilight saga first came about, I thought people were ridiculous for obsessing the way they did over “Edward Cullen.” For about a year, I continued to watch my friends become enthralled with the series. Last year, I finally broke down and read the first book. Once I read it, I saw what all the hype was about. I continued reading, and when I was finished with the last book, I realized how much they took over my life. I read all four books in a matter of a week and a half. I really didn’t want to become like everyone else. Girls just gushed about Edward Cullen, and after those books, I was too. I wished that a fictional character was real. There was just something about him that made my insides go to mush (mind you, this was a character in a book!). I went from being a skeptic about the books being that good, to wishing that I was Bella Swan. My identity was influenced in a big way. I knew that these girls were pathetic, going gaga over Edward. But then, I became one of them too. I know what is real, and what is not, but part of me really wanted Edward to bite me (in a literal way). As Baudrillard said, we don’t know what is real and what isn’t. We don’t really know if things exist or don’t. Growing up, we were told that there are no monsters living under our beds. But what if really, there are things out there that we don’t know are there. There could be mythical creatures out there, but we are just too tied up in our surroundings to see what is really going on in the world around us.
ReplyDeleteWhen the movie Twilight came out, I was one of those crazy girls in line waiting to get into the movies. I wasn’t wearing one of the tee-shirts, but girls and guys around me were. It made me feel kind of out of place because I didn’t feel as “hard-core” as what others were. I felt a bit destabilized, like I wasn’t a big of a fan as they were. But as soon as those movie theater doors opened, and we shoved our way in, a part of me felt satisfied, like this is what I came here for. I remember smelling the popcorn, and seeing my best friend beside me with a look of shock on her face. As we walked to the theater where the movie was showing, they had one of those cardboard cut-outs of the characters. Edward dressed in a dark shirt and jean; it very much fit his archetype, being the bad boy. Looking back, the tools of rhetors that the movie makers used were the definition of identity. As Bella was trying to find her place, and found that with Edward. There also was the use of language, where Edward was sophisticated and well rounded with his words, and Bella just blurted out what she thought. A sociopolitical issue in this case would be that we in society don’t know what is out there. As I said before, we are too involved in our own lives to see what is going on with the people and things around us. We forget to think of others, we are selfish people.
The one popular culture that has sucked me in the most is Stargate: SG1. It is a science fiction TV show, and it deals with the U.S. Air Force and interstellar travel. Whenever I watch it I am almost always in my bedroom, or in my Mom's living room. Both of these places are extremely conducive to watching my show. I believe that the show can be viewed as a third space. It's set in the U.S. and involves the Air Force, but the show plays the imagined adventures that its writing staff would like to go on. The show preys upon the viewer's desires and hopes of what they want their reality to be like.
ReplyDeleteThe show's color cues are pretty influential with ones emotions and experience. The majority of the color scheme used in the show are dark and subdued colors. The colors used for the bad guys are opposite of the rest of the cast. If someone is wearing very dark clothes, ornate clothes or pure white clothes, they are the bad guy.
I have been watching the show for a couple of years now, and ever since I read Baudrillard's book I have realized how much a simulacra science fiction is. None of it is real, but it is viewed as a reality that we wished did exist. I mean, who wouldn't like to be able to travel instantly to another planet.
There are many different things that I can identify with when it comes to popular culture. I would have to say though that one popular culture that I have been obsessed with over the years is reality TV. It doesn’t matter to me if the show is on MTV, HGTV, or the Food Channel I will sit down and watch it. I can safely say I have seen almost every reality TV show out there. When I was a senior in high school I actually did a research project on the reality TV shows that deal with finding love.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the Food Channel and their reality shows I enjoy watching Chopped and Iron Chef America. I enjoy watching these show especially Chopped because it gives me ideas that I could do in the classroom. Since I might be teaching students how to cook as their final I could do something like these shows, and give students mystery ingredients and let them use what they learned over the semester to cook something.
Something about the MTV reality shows just sucks me in. I don’t know what it is about it, but I have to see them. I love watching the Hills and the City, and yes I will be watching them next Tuesday when their new season starts up. I even have some of the shows on DVD, so I can watch them whenever I need a pick me up. I have the first two seasons of Laguna Beach and the second season of the Hills plus other seasons of shows like the Newlyweds (staring Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson-after the show they did get divorced).
I think I like the shows so much because I know it’s not reality or at least not my reality. I like to be able to think that I live like how they do even though I know I don’t. It is a good half hour to an hour of just escaping my own reality where I don’t have to think about what’s going on. I tend to watch these shows in my bedroom or in my TV room. My bedroom at home is different shades of blue (peace, trust, confidence, and security) and my TV room at home is a light orange color (energy and enthusiasm).
I think that Baudrillard would say that reality TV is just copies of copies, and that none of it is original. Others may say it is just a waste of time. I personally don’t really care, and will continue to watch the different reality shows.