tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81266731315775469432024-02-20T15:33:27.627-08:00Pop Culture Blogsivansthoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18284948973681367062noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126673131577546943.post-72525504185668893562012-05-07T18:53:00.003-07:002012-05-07T18:53:39.029-07:00<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Television Culture”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In chapter nine “Television Culture”, by John Fiske, Fiske
focuses on how television makes meanings that serve the dominant interest in
society, and how it circulates those meanings between varieties of social groups
that establish its audiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fiske
breaks it down into several sections, the first is the Codes of television
which is used to generate and circulate meanings in and for a specific culture.
These codes can often times be placed within dialogue in order to give a more “real
life” feel to the audience. The codes are broken down into three sections,
level one is “reality” which refers to appearance, dress, makeup sound,
gesture, and expression. Level 2 “Representation” which refers to the camera
lighting editing music, etc. which helps shapes representations. Level 3 “Ideology”
is organized so that the act is socially acceptable. All of the tools used
serve an important purpose, such as camera work, which is used to give a
perfect and specific scene so that the viewer can completely understand what is
going on. Editing has to do with how much time different characters are given.
Music links scenes, and helps the viewer to identify certain characters or
plots. We see this a lot when a movie shows a villain, the music has a deep and
dark sound, so the viewer knows this particular characters role in the act.
Casting is important because the characters represent coding’s of ideology.
Setting and costume are seen as codes which correlate with ideological codes of
class, heroism, villainy, morality, and attractiveness. Make up, helps to merge
the codes by giving a detailed understanding of specific characters. The
dialogue correlates with the action. Dialogue is used to affect the viewer’s
sympathy, while the action pursues it. All of these tools are used as codes
which brings the viewer a deeper understanding to the plot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see how all of these codes are used in order
make sense of the program to the viewers by making them feel a resemblance with
their own lifestyle, it is legitimizing the dominant ideology. <o:p></o:p></span></div>ivansthoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18284948973681367062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126673131577546943.post-79663366104535993512012-05-07T18:53:00.001-07:002012-05-07T18:53:05.446-07:00<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Moneyball”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">First off I am not a fan of working on group projects,
usually because of others in the group, however this time the blame was on me.
I had a lot of conflicts with my schedule so I made it a little difficult for
my group, sorry guys. I have never been a fan of baseball in general, why I picked
“Moneyball,” I have no idea. I must say however, I learned a lot about the
sport of baseball in general that I have now taken some interest in the sport.
My part of the project was in relation to some of the racial aspects that the
sport went through, in order to help understand how it has become such a
globalized sport. I wanted to understand what the hype is about and why there
are so many movies relating to the history and baseball. After doing my
research for my part of the project it came to my realization that it is indeed
a symbolical representation of America. The history of baseball from the Negro
leagues to what it is now has drastically changed my view on the sport.
Baseball was seen as Americas sport, and 60 to 70 years ago, they took that
very seriously. I decided to show a trailer from the movie “The Perfect Game”
which is about the first Mexican little league team, and the challenges that
they faced, such as being smaller than their opponents as well as dealing with
the racial remarks that were made towards them. The clip is a great opener to
how baseball in general correlates with America’s history with discrimination.
The idea that people of color playing baseball in the same league as whites was
seen as absurd, just like Billie Beans method in the movie was seen. His method
gave a whole outlook on the recruitment process in baseball. He changed the way
baseball teams were molded. The fact that he solely looked at statistics alone
for certain areas the Oakland A’s needed improvement for, was the reason the
team made the drastic improvements that they managed to pull off during that
season. He did not look for all around good ball players, but players who
simply performed well in a specific position, and inserted them in the team to fulfill
those needs. His method, known as Moneyball has changed the thought process of society,
it resembles the way America has changed its social system after the civil
rights movement. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of this occurred in
order to transform baseball into what it is today. It is now known globally and
very popular in countries such as Japan or even the Caribbean. In my
presentation I mentioned how baseball was once looked at as an American
identification, to now being one of the symbols of the American dream. One of
my favorite parts of this assignment was simply watching the movie; it has a
great story and encouraged me to dig into the history of baseball for this assignment.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>ivansthoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18284948973681367062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126673131577546943.post-42028611698670130252012-03-22T23:37:00.002-07:002012-03-22T23:37:22.550-07:0010 and sex<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the movie “10” directed by Blake Edwards, the idea of sex
first appears to be as something open. As I discussed in my last blog, the idea
of sex being so open, first started in the late 1960’s. The movie was made in
1979, which displays a great example of the different mindsets that I discussed
previously. It is about a man named George Webber having somewhat of a midlife
crisis after his 42<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> birthday. One day when he was driving around
the town (Beverly Hills) he notices a woman in the vehicle next to him. When he
sees her he is immediately captured by her beauty. His infatuation convinced
him to follow her all the way to the church. Although George has a girlfriend,
Sam, he still makes the decision to stalk this beautiful woman he saw on her
honeymoon. Because of the relationship problems George was having with Sam, he
carelessly assumed that if he found this woman he is infatuated by, that she
would be the perfect girl for him. As he sat on the beach in Mexico, he sees
the girl known as Jenny lying n beach sun tanning in her bathing suit. He could
not help himself but to stare, further increasing the infatuation burning
inside of him. He then notices that Jenny’s husband fell asleep on a surfboard
and was drifting further and further into the ocean. He rents a boat and attempts
to save him, which he manages to do so, barely. Because of his courageous act
he becomes a hero, and was even recognized in the news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jenny’s husband was so badly burned that he
stayed overnight in the hospital. Later that evening George is invited by Jenny
to her place, where they go out for dinner, walk on the beach, and then head back
to her place. She plays some music that as she put it likes to “Fuck” when
played, seducing him. At last George is about to get what he wanted all along.
The phone then rings and its Jenny’s husband calling from the hospital. As
George was horrified by the call, Jenny seemed relaxed and even mentioned that
she was with George. George is confused, and changed his mind about having sex
with her. He was so disgusted by the fact that she was open with her marriage,
and that she was willing to have an affair with another man on her own
honeymoon that he stormed out. George lost interest in Jenny because he
realized that she was not what he imagined. She lacked the values that he
looked for in a woman. As I mentioned above, it is a great example of showing
the different mindsets around that era. The character George grew up in the 50’s
and 60’s, while Jenny grew up most likely in the late 60’s and early 70’s. It
clearly displays the openness about sex through Jenny’s actions and George’s repulse.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>ivansthoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18284948973681367062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126673131577546943.post-37188591341211921052012-03-22T22:42:00.001-07:002012-03-22T22:42:37.315-07:00<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Radical romantic comedies became popular in the late 1960’s
and 1970s, with movies such as Annie Hall and The Graduate. What most romantic
radical comedies have in common is the notion that the plot displays situations
where it persuades the viewers to believe that the couple involved will not end
up together at the end of the movie. In class we watched clips of the movie The
Graduate which can be seen as radical because of the plot; a boy sleeping with
an older married woman, who then falls in love with the woman’s daughter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end he dramatically disrupts her
wedding and steals her away while the daughter’s parents chased him outraged by
his actions. Right after this scene the couple sits in the back of a bus, quiet
which led me to believe they were thinking “What do we do now?” The radical
romantic sex comedies in the 70’s had a tendency to expose the preoccupations
and anxieties of that time. In “Boy Meets girl Meets Genre” by, McDonald, Tamar
Jeffers , Jeffers claims that these type of movies took many away from big
issues and political movements, which were much more ethical in the 1960’s. It
was as though the movies inspired a new way of thinking. It opened up topics
such as sex to a whole new level, creating a new era of greater realism. This
is why today many movies are very open about sex, such as “Friends with
Benefits” starring Justin Timberlake, and Mila Kunis. The movie is about two
friends who have sex just for the fun of it. The whole idea is to keep a
relationship free of drama, emotion, and love. The fact that this is something
that many understand today through personal experience is an example of how
movies in the 70’s opened up a new way of thinking, especially for women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before the 60’s this type of openness was not
suitable because of the more conservative mindset. A great example of this
conservative mindset can be seen in the show “I love Lucy,” which was aired in
the early 1950’s. In the bedroom the married couple Lucy and Ricky did not
share the same bed. Although husbands and wives slept together, it was not
shown on television because of the restrictions of that era. Instead, the
couple slept on two separate beds in the same room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are basic characteristics that make a romantic
comedy radical, such as the boy meets girl, loses girl, and then regains the
girl. The characteristics that really define it however, are done through its
language, sexual frankness, and being very open with sex. The endings o radical
romantic comedies, often times leave the viewer questioning, such as the way <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Graduate </i>did, or simply making it a
happy or unhappy ending. There are many movies made today that have been
influenced from the ones created in the 1970’s, which I believe really did make
an impact on our societies views and standards about sex to be much more open
than ever before. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>ivansthoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18284948973681367062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126673131577546943.post-64303501729616534782012-03-18T23:53:00.002-07:002012-03-18T23:53:35.714-07:00Images of Technology<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After reading “Images of Technology in Popular Films” by
Steven L. Goldman, I can honestly say as much as I hate to admit it, in some
ways the article is in fact true. Looking in today’s perspective, technology is
only growing and consuming the human mind more and more, day by day. Our
classrooms are now filled with portable computers, and our hands are constantly
jittering away at our androids and iPhone’s. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can now watch movies instantly with on
demand and Netflix. In a way this can be viewed as an “evil” fixation because it
clutters the human mind. We now prefer to simply Google assignments, rather
than open up the text book (at least for me anyways). I like to tell myself
that I am educating myself by looking things up on my phone, but in reality I’m
only looking for a shortcut. The article addresses the changing nature of
sciences depiction in film, and for me I do believe it conveys a message to
future generations, whether the movie was created in 1925 or the present. There
are so many movies that display this notion; one of the most recent movies was
Wall-E. Yes, the Disney movie. Wall-E is a perfect example of how technology
can exhibit negative traits to our future. The movie is about a robot that was
designed to clean up human waste on Earth in the future. The whole planet was
covered with trash and eventually too toxic for living conditions. All the humans
however, lived on a ship, where robots took care of them. They sat in chairs
and were too lazy to walk, and to think, thus leaving them totally dependent on
technology. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With all the talk about
pollution and obesity going on today it reveals a great example of the
direction we are headed. Now, of course we depend on technology, and it is
created in order to make our lives easier, and much more efficient. In many
ways it is a blessing and has significantly improved human conditions. I believe
there is a limit though, and as I mentioned earlier I am guilty of burying my
head into my phone, which is the wrong way of utilizing the great benefits of
technology. The article indicates that movies in the 1920s have depicted
technology in a negative way, even though it is highly supported and has been
highly supported for over 40 years. Of course, this is done for entertainment
purposes but at the same time it does guide the human mind to wonder “what if?”
It subtly injects anxiety into our minds about just how bad technology can be.
Again, referring back to Wall-E it displays the direction we are headed into.
It may be an over exaggerated outlook however, it does display the negative
connotations that can impact our lives through technology.<o:p></o:p></span></div>ivansthoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18284948973681367062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126673131577546943.post-43198153983490651882012-03-18T23:52:00.003-07:002012-03-18T23:52:51.593-07:00Gold Finger<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I discussed in the previous blog, James Bond was seen as
a Cold War hero, and viewed upon as a man that can conquer any obstacle that
came in his path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After watching a few
clips from “Goldfinger,” the third bond movie that came out in 1964, starring
Sean Connery as James Bond, I really began to understand the way women and
other cultures were viewed in that time period. When it came to orientalism
however, I did not know whether certain scenes were put in the movie to be
funny, or if in fact what was displayed was thought of as true. Because of the
whole eastern and western separation as I discussed in the last blog, I am
curious to know if at that time those types of stereotypes were really perceived.
The character known in the movies as Oddjob, is the most obvious representation
of orientalism. His name alone indicates a stereotype, that foreigners at that
time from the east were seen as odd, or in some ways dumb. Oddjob was Goldfingers
assistant and assassin. The fact that he came second to a better, richer, and
more educated white male displays the notion that the western way of thinking
was far superior. Oddjob also does not speak, yet he understands all of his
orders. He uses his hat as a weapon, and in one scene he even beheaded a statue
with it. I believe that this idea came from a stereotypical demeanor; and again
was inputted in order to display the differentiation between eastern and
western cultures. There was another clip we watched, where Bond was on a plane
after being kidnapped by Goldfinger; where one of the flight attendant’s
happened to be Asian. When Bond went into the restroom, the flight attendant was
asked to keep an eye on him. From the outside of the restroom there were hidden
peek holes that the attendant looked through, yet Bond figured this out almost
instantly. To me, this displays another example of how the western culture
viewed the eastern culture as inferior. The movie also displayed the dominance
of males over women. Bond was able to charm his way through anything with
women. It shows that at that time women came in second. The “Bond girl” in
Goldfinger was named Pussy Galore. Once again, the name speaks for itself. When
Bond first meets her, one of the first things she says to him is that she is immune
to his charm. In the end however, he manages to conquer her as well. This
clearly indicates the idea that women were not equal to men. Throughout the
movie bond was able to sleep with any of the women he went after. There are
scenes of him pushing them and being very aggressive towards them, while at the
same time charming them. Some were even killed after he had sex with them. It
clearly shows the depiction of women in that era; for me came as a surprise
because most movies today, do not put women down this way. It points out the
dominance of males in that era. <o:p></o:p></span></div>ivansthoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18284948973681367062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126673131577546943.post-43905676537818853212012-02-20T14:41:00.001-08:002012-02-20T14:41:50.349-08:00<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In “The Moments of Bond” by Tony Bennett and Janet Woolcott,
the character of James Bond is analyzed in its different forms. The character
of James Bond through the years has become a hero and an icon. I was never
really a big fan of the James Bond series so I asked myself, what makes James
Bond a hero? If Austin Powers and James bond ever went at it who would win?(just
kidding) In the chapter it indicates how Bond became a political hero for the
middle classes. The sales revenue between the years of 1956 and 1959 had shown
an increasing rate predominantly in the lower middle class readership. The cultural
and conceptual ways in which Bond carried himself and faced in the 1950’s was
in relation to the issues that had ascended between Russia’s invasions of
Hungary in 1956. This imposed Bond as a Cold War Hero because he resembled the integrities
of Western Capitalism over the Eastern Communism “As above all, a pre-eminently
English hero, single-handedly saving the Western World from threatening
catastrophe”(Bennett and Woolcott, 19).The West was seen as having freedom and
individualism, while the East had many <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>administrative
inflexibilities. So, for the lower middle class the figure of Bond was created
to stand in relation and to face the conceptual concerns of that time period. Bond
became much more popular internationally through the films that were created.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are numerous reason why the films
became popular internationally. The movies have scenes that attracted both
males and females. Of course for the males they were easy to identify, Bond had
all kinds of cool gadgets and weapons, nice cars, two button Armani slim fit
tuxedos, along with the professionalism and sophistication that every gentleman
should have. Bonds character appeals to men because of his masculine traits;
along with the charm, popularity, and his way of being irresistible to women.
Even in the trickiest situations Bond was able to compose himself and conquer
the almost impossible obstacles that were put in front of him. No wonder every
man wants to be like him, he is in a way superman without the cool powers and
cape. I believe that for women it was all about romance and excitement. Bond
movies were able to play out the fantasies of women. You have your unstoppable good-looking
man, who provides the romance women want to see, as well as being able to in a
way liberate their sexual desires, simply for lust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The movies turned away from traditional views
of sex being related to marriage. Aside from trying to appeal to both genders,
the Bond series were able to accomplish great stunt scenes and explosions using
the newest special effects equipment’s. Many of the films settings were also
located in exotic countries. Ok, so I guess I do see why Bond is such an icon,
especially in the era of his introduction. I’m pretty sure he can take Austin
Powers, I love the way they make fun of the Bond films though. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>ivansthoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18284948973681367062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126673131577546943.post-35861351012614723062012-02-05T23:46:00.000-08:002012-02-05T23:46:38.647-08:00The Second Sex<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hello everyone, and welcome back! This week I read the
introduction to the book The<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Second Sex </i>by<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, </i>Simone de Beauvoir. The introduction
alone was good enough to spark an interest for me. It focuses primarily on
women as being the “Other” in a world dominated by males. De Beauvoir indicates
that throughout history women have always been inferior to men “Now, woman has
always been man’s dependent, if not his slave; the two sexes have never shared
the world in equality…At the present time, when women are beginning to take
part in the affairs of the world, it is still a world that belongs to men.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are examples used in all aspects from
Christ being a man, to women’s brains being smaller. These issues are brought
up to help one understand the argument that has been taking place from day one.
It states the since Adam was created first, women are secondary to man, while
others argue that Adam was only a mere rough draft, and that God perfected his
human species when he created Eve. Now I see why I can never understand women.
There has been constant bickering since day one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>De Beauvoir uses the word other when
describing how men view women based on the theory that men are constantly
oppressing <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>women and treating them like
objects instead of human beings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As much
as I hate to admit it, I can see why this notion is true. There are numerous
reasons as well. As I mentioned in last week’s blog, the glass ceiling, can be
used as a perfect example. Many times in the work field these acts are present
because women are ones with the womb. They are the ones who have to take on the
responsibilities of bearing children, as well as trying to remain an asset to
their employers. De Beauvoir points out how to men, women are objects of sex.
Again, I have the utmost respect for women and I can see how and why this statement
is true. As I mentioned in the last blog “culture from above” which are those
who have higher social status and power influence this women as sex objects or
the “other” on a daily basis. I saw a youtube clip which I believe proves De
Beauvoir’s point. It shows how women are always below men… literally. It shows
that women are merely objects of sex, for example there is an ad in the clip where
a guy is blowing smoke in a girls face and it quotes “Blow it in her face, and
she’ll follow you anywhere.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
clearly shows how society is influenced to believe that women really do come
second. The only way for this to come to an end would be if both sides really
agree to make changes, and depict women as equal to men. Girls learn at an
early age to depend on men. An example of this is the Barbie dolls. The whole
point it to dress her up and make her look pretty for Ken. They are influenced
to be mere objects to men. Thank you everyone, see you next week! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
p.s, here is the url to the youtube video, it called Mens dominance over women.<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heAlhsn4IMo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heAlhsn4IMo</a>ivansthoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18284948973681367062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126673131577546943.post-90149751957330007532012-01-29T12:51:00.000-08:002012-01-29T12:51:45.198-08:00"Culture from below" and "Culture from above"Hello everyone and welcome to Ivan's blogs! To begin, most of my blogs will be about pop culture. So, what is pop culture? there are numerous definitions, but in my opinion i believe pop culture to be the way society connects as a whole. It could be through symbolic structures or ways of communicating such as Facebook. I believe pop culture has to do with connections people have at the present times. Culture has made its way through history, from art and literature to politics. Culture studies can be viewed in two different perspectives, "culture from below" and "culture from above." Of coarse there are different ways of interpreting what that means exactly, but i believe that culture from below, is not only about ways of music, but also the patterns of behaviors that are influenced on to those who do not have a high rank in social power or status. To me it is the common people. I think a great example of this can be how in the early 70's Woodstock was the place to be. The media heavily influenced rock and roll etc. to the common people however, to the common people it was a way to connect. Today i believe EDC (Electric Daisy Carnival) is the Woodstock of our generation. Thousands come together and connect through music and common interests, thus influencing the present society. Another example of what i believe to be culture from below is the way society depicts women. A very touchy subject however, it shows the power of influence and connections. Women were always shown to be housewives or simply objects of sex for the more "dominant" gender males. Throughout history women really have struggled to get to where they are today, and yet are still paid less for doing the same job as some men. I know times are changing and blah blah blah, but i believe the "glass ceiling" is still present even in today's work field. It is not fair to deny and underpay women, but because of the heavy influence back then, it is still part of the culture. Culture from above, in my opinion are those with the higher social status and power, feeding the world through media, politics, television etc. This is why women had to struggle. As i mentioned above they were seen as objects, the media seduced the idea that women should be sexy housewives, influencing the attitude of society as a whole. Magazines such as<em> Vogue</em>, only display images of the tall, skinny, beautiful women, displaying the idea that this is what a "real" women looks like. Most of the models are borderline anorexic. Not to disrespect any of them, i know they work hard to look the way they do however, it displays the power of pop culture and culture from above. This is why advertising companies are so successful, they are alter beliefs to create perceptions of what you should be or need. It is why Nike uses a guy like Tiger Woods to promote their products. The message they are trying to portray is that if you use Nike products, you will be able to be like Tiger. Alright then, hope this first blog is interesting enough, see you next time! Thanks. ivansthoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18284948973681367062noreply@blogger.com0