I feel that a current popular culture theme is the Annual Oscars event. This is a popular culture item because the people and events it represents are all integral to our popular culture. The Oscars just had their 82nd annual telecast which aired in place of numerous TV shows. There are several websites dedicated to them and a web search will turn up thousands of hits about the actors and actresses from the Oscars and what they won. If that was not enough, there were TV commercials for weeks before and news coverage before, during and after the Oscars. Even if you did not care what actress or actor did the best and what movie was the best, when you turned on your TV, you did not have a choice but to learn this information due to the saturation in the media.
To me the Oscars are nothing more than the fuel to the engine of the Cult of the Celebrity. The actors and actresses get to show the world that they are the best of the best in their chosen genre. From romances to actions and documentaries every genre has an award and every award will go out to the best, as all the world watches. The people across the world now have a real person to focus on for their favorite movie character. The Oscars are one more method to bring celebrity focus on our favorite and not so favorite actors and actresses. The question “Will Lindsay Lohan win an award, even though she did drugs?” is now more important after the news coverage of the incidents and the recovery events. The Oscars are more fuel for the engine, and more importantly show our youth that everybody makes mistakes and most recover from these mistakes.
The Oscars were originally designed in 1927 to bring attention to the movie industry by Louis Mayer (Leopold, n.d.). They have grown in popularity to have an estimated 39.9 million viewers last year (Leopold, n.d.). While that is not a huge amount of the population, it is large enough to justify the statement that they are indeed popular. I propose to you that the Oscars are as much a popular culture phenomenon as baseball because they bring attention to the people who are the source of the majority of our entertainment – movies. They are also forced upon us in a manner that brings attention to a majority of the population. Just because you don’t watch the Oscars, does not mean you don’t know about them. There for they are popular in our culture.
References
Leopold, T (n.d.) Does anyone care about the Oscars? Retrieved March 12, 1010 from CNN.com: http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/13/oscars.criticism/index.html
Friday, March 12, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Weekly Analysis #4
This week’s popular culture discussion is on Paint Ball. This sport derived from the use of a paint marker and the desire of a man, James Hale, in 1981 (“History of Paintball”, 2010). The paint marker, first developed and patented in 1974, designed to use compressed air to propel a paint filled ball onto difficult to reach trees and other forestry uses (“History of Paintball”, 2010), has been modified from its design and is the main piece of equipment for the sport of paintball.
The birth of the sport paintball was in 1981, when twelve competitors in New Hampshire took the paint markers and played the first paintball game “capture the flag” (“The True History,” 2005). The game was such a success that it took off, within a year the media was talking about it and by 1983 monitory prizes were being awarded to winders of competitions. In 1993 ESPN broadcasted a paintball event and the first dedicated website to paintball, www.warpig.com, was designed. By 1996 paintball was the 3rd most popular extreme sport expanding from New Hampshire to over 60 countries in the world (“The True History,” 2005).
My experience with paintball started in 1990 with a spring powered paint marker. This toy was powerful enough to leave a welt from 30 or so feet but quickly jammed and broke. I gave up the sport in frustration. Several years later a friend introduced me to the paint marker, similar to the style I currently own. Powered by a CO2 canister, fed by a 500-ball hopper, accurate to 50-meters and able to leave a welt at150-meters the paint marker is the adult’s toy. I found that I love to play in the woods behind my parent’s house where I can stalk my brother and ambush him as he wanders through the woods trying to find me. The thrill of hunting and being hunted is a rush like no other.
When I began to play with other Soldiers, when I was stationed at Fort Benning, GA, the prey was not as easy and more often than not, I found myself walking into an ambush. This did not take away the fun of the sport, but rather ignited the desire to get better equipment. With any sport that is popular, there is equipment to give the die-hard fan an advantage. There are markers that can empty a hopper in only a few seconds, markers which are accurate to several hundred meters, and many other variants. As well as better markers, there are better balls. I quickly found out that buying my paintballs from Wal-Mart to save a few bucks was a mistake; as the cheap paint inside would make the ball turn mid air, or worse, burst inside the barrel.
Throughout my adult life I have run into paintball enthusiasts, but none more dedicated than fellow Soldiers. At every post there are paintball fields and teams from all aspects of military jobs. The children play under the supervision of their parents who use the team play as a family building experience. I was surprised to learn how popular the sport has become around the world, which is why I chose it for this week’s popular culture topic.
References
History of Paintball. (2010) Retrieved 28 February 2010 from http://history.paintballx3.com/
Paintball . (n.d.) Retrieved 28 February 2010 from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paintball
Paintball marker. (n.d.) Retrieved 28 February 2010 from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paintball_marker
The True History of Paintball. (2005) Retrieved 28 February 2010 from http://www.paintball-tips-and-tricks.com/history-of-paintball.html
The birth of the sport paintball was in 1981, when twelve competitors in New Hampshire took the paint markers and played the first paintball game “capture the flag” (“The True History,” 2005). The game was such a success that it took off, within a year the media was talking about it and by 1983 monitory prizes were being awarded to winders of competitions. In 1993 ESPN broadcasted a paintball event and the first dedicated website to paintball, www.warpig.com, was designed. By 1996 paintball was the 3rd most popular extreme sport expanding from New Hampshire to over 60 countries in the world (“The True History,” 2005).
My experience with paintball started in 1990 with a spring powered paint marker. This toy was powerful enough to leave a welt from 30 or so feet but quickly jammed and broke. I gave up the sport in frustration. Several years later a friend introduced me to the paint marker, similar to the style I currently own. Powered by a CO2 canister, fed by a 500-ball hopper, accurate to 50-meters and able to leave a welt at150-meters the paint marker is the adult’s toy. I found that I love to play in the woods behind my parent’s house where I can stalk my brother and ambush him as he wanders through the woods trying to find me. The thrill of hunting and being hunted is a rush like no other.
When I began to play with other Soldiers, when I was stationed at Fort Benning, GA, the prey was not as easy and more often than not, I found myself walking into an ambush. This did not take away the fun of the sport, but rather ignited the desire to get better equipment. With any sport that is popular, there is equipment to give the die-hard fan an advantage. There are markers that can empty a hopper in only a few seconds, markers which are accurate to several hundred meters, and many other variants. As well as better markers, there are better balls. I quickly found out that buying my paintballs from Wal-Mart to save a few bucks was a mistake; as the cheap paint inside would make the ball turn mid air, or worse, burst inside the barrel.
Throughout my adult life I have run into paintball enthusiasts, but none more dedicated than fellow Soldiers. At every post there are paintball fields and teams from all aspects of military jobs. The children play under the supervision of their parents who use the team play as a family building experience. I was surprised to learn how popular the sport has become around the world, which is why I chose it for this week’s popular culture topic.
References
History of Paintball. (2010) Retrieved 28 February 2010 from http://history.paintballx3.com/
Paintball . (n.d.) Retrieved 28 February 2010 from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paintball
Paintball marker. (n.d.) Retrieved 28 February 2010 from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paintball_marker
The True History of Paintball. (2005) Retrieved 28 February 2010 from http://www.paintball-tips-and-tricks.com/history-of-paintball.html
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Culture and Society: Interactions
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Culture and Society: Interactions
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Friday, February 19, 2010
Weekly Popular Culture Analysis - Texting
This week I chose texting as my popular culture topic. Texting or Short Message Service is conducted from your computer, cell phone, or PDA (Online Library, 2009). It is fast, reliable and a convenient way to say whatever is on your mind, whenever you want to. According to the Free Online Library, the first text message was sent in 1989 by using a pager. The first true text over a network was sent in 1992 in the United Kingdom. Now texting is considered the fastest and most reliable method of communicating which now boasts over a billion subscribers (2009).
When I was in a military school, my class mates decided that instead of having meetings after the day was over to discuss what was going to occur the next day, they would send out a text message. I found this very inconvenient because at the time, I did not text. After receiving several texts messages, dubbed leadership through texting, I purchased the text option on my cellular plan and upgraded my phone so I could join the texting revolution.
Texting has become so popular, and so dangerous that it is forcing new laws to be created in the interest of public safety. The Governors Highway Safety Association shows that 19 states have actively banned texting while driving (2010). The bans on texting have even flowed over to placing limitations on train operators, air traffic controllers, and pilots, while on the ground due to accidents (Akre, 2008).
With over 75 billion text messages sent over cellular phones in June 2008 (Akre, 2008), the text message is definitely popular. In my family, my step-son can text my wife while carrying on a conversation with myself and watching TV. My wife is just as capable and she just got my step-daughter into texting, so they can maintain contact. While I enjoy texting my wife from my computer, and find it very convenient that I can text her cell phone from my computer and find her anywhere she may be, I find the cell phone texting an annoying habit. I have observed people texting while at dinner, in the middle of conversations, at the movies, and of course while driving. In my opinion this is a selfish habit. But with conflict comes recourse. I wonder what the next generation texts devices will have. Will there be a hands free texting device?
References
Akre, J. (2008). Driving While Texting Laws Slow to Catch Up to Problem. Retrieved February 19, 2010, from http://www.injuryboard.com/national-news/driving-while-texting-laws-slow-to-catch-up-to-problem.aspx?googleid=248018
Governors Highway Safety Association. (2010). Cell Phone Driving Laws. Retrieved February 19, 2010, from http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html
The History of Text Messaging. (2009) In The free online library. Retrieved February 19, 2010, from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+History+of+Text+Messaging-a01073979859
When I was in a military school, my class mates decided that instead of having meetings after the day was over to discuss what was going to occur the next day, they would send out a text message. I found this very inconvenient because at the time, I did not text. After receiving several texts messages, dubbed leadership through texting, I purchased the text option on my cellular plan and upgraded my phone so I could join the texting revolution.
Texting has become so popular, and so dangerous that it is forcing new laws to be created in the interest of public safety. The Governors Highway Safety Association shows that 19 states have actively banned texting while driving (2010). The bans on texting have even flowed over to placing limitations on train operators, air traffic controllers, and pilots, while on the ground due to accidents (Akre, 2008).
With over 75 billion text messages sent over cellular phones in June 2008 (Akre, 2008), the text message is definitely popular. In my family, my step-son can text my wife while carrying on a conversation with myself and watching TV. My wife is just as capable and she just got my step-daughter into texting, so they can maintain contact. While I enjoy texting my wife from my computer, and find it very convenient that I can text her cell phone from my computer and find her anywhere she may be, I find the cell phone texting an annoying habit. I have observed people texting while at dinner, in the middle of conversations, at the movies, and of course while driving. In my opinion this is a selfish habit. But with conflict comes recourse. I wonder what the next generation texts devices will have. Will there be a hands free texting device?
References
Akre, J. (2008). Driving While Texting Laws Slow to Catch Up to Problem. Retrieved February 19, 2010, from http://www.injuryboard.com/national-news/driving-while-texting-laws-slow-to-catch-up-to-problem.aspx?googleid=248018
Governors Highway Safety Association. (2010). Cell Phone Driving Laws. Retrieved February 19, 2010, from http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html
The History of Text Messaging. (2009) In The free online library. Retrieved February 19, 2010, from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+History+of+Text+Messaging-a01073979859
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Journal Article Analysis
The article I chose from the Journal of Popular Culture is a book review of the book An Intimate Affair: Women, Lingerie, and Sexuality. By, Jill Fields. The article was written by Eden Leone. The article gave some insight to what the book discussed, what Eden Leone though were strengths and weakness, and her opinion about who would get the most out of the book.
In my opinion this book review is focused towards two types of audience. The first type would be those in the fashion industry looking for information on good sources to research the types of lingerie and its history, hopefully to assist them in creating tomorrow’s new popular cultural symbol. The other type of audience the book is written for is the student who wants to explore history and learn how something as intimate as underwear has had an impact on women by how they perceive their being, how society recognizes them, and how lingerie is in fact a popular cultural item which has evolved throughout the ages along with the culture.
The first part of the article gives a quick overview of the book and a snap shot of what each chapter offers. There are seven chapters and each one covers a distinctly different aspect of the evolution of women’s underwear. The second part of the review offers the writers opinion of the strengths and weakness of the book. The final part of the review the writer offers who she feels would best benefit from reading the book.
The article starts out very strong and immediately grabbed my attention. I assumed that it would discuss the different styles of lingerie and the influence lingerie has had on today’s woman. While the report was structured very well, and logically written; however, I found that the review quickly morphed into an evaluation that did little to give one insight to what the book is about. If the author gave each chapter a paragraph summary instead of a sentence or two, I believe that the she would have made a much better argument for who the book is intended for as well as her opinion’s to the strengths and weaknesses of the book.
When I pick up a book review, I do not want to read the book, yet. I am reading this to find out what I can expect to find in it. In my opinion a book review is there to save me the time of reading the book and to assist me in finding what chapter I need to look at for the information I am searching for. A well written book review would give me a well defined picture of what I will find in the book, not a sentence summarizing the key point of each chapter or subject followed by the opinion of the writer which is not grounded anywhere in the review. If the review is accurate and grounded to the book, that will persuade me to read the book, or skip it; not the authors opinion.
The author recommends this book to “anyone with an interest in feminism, American Culture and history.” (Leone, 2009). I looked up the definition of feminism and according to the online dictionary at www.ask.com the definition is anyone who believes in equality of the sexes or any organized movement around this belief (Feminism, 2005). While I can understand why someone interested in feminism would appreciate this book, I do believe that the author should have given some specifics. According to Leone, chapter one titled “Drawers” is about the pants and power debate. A few more sentences about this chapter could incite the interest of anyone interested in women’s rights and equality.
As far as stating that anyone interested in American Culture and history would enjoy this book, I had never thought of lingerie as a culture icon, but now I do see how it is, and my curiosity has been piqued. It would be all the more so, if I had a summary of each paragraph in the book.
Overall the review was written well. I read through it very quickly and on my second and third reads was able to pick out only minor things I had missed on the first read. The flow was logical and my only complaint is the unfounded opinion of the writer. If the writers goal was to make you want to get more information, and thus read the book, she succeeded. If her goal was to educate you to the contents of the book with enough information to determine whether or not you would enjoy the book, she failed.
I walked away from the article the first time and the point that stayed with me was that women’s lingerie is a cultural icon. Each time I reviewed and reread the article, this point stayed with me and evolved into a more concrete thought. I have always thought of lingerie as a secret between a woman and her husband or lover. I never really thought of how the different styles are driven by our culture and the fashion business. As our popular culture has changed over the course of our Countries growth, so has woman’s lingerie evolved and portrayed what our society deems acceptable.
References
Feminism. (2005) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Houghton Mifflin Company. Retrieved on 31 January 2010 from http://www.ask.com/web?q=dictionary%3A+feminism&content=ahdict|26189&o=13919&l=dis
Leone, E. (2009) An Intimate Affair: Women, Lingerie, and Sexuality. The Journal of Popular Culture, 42(4), 792-794.
In my opinion this book review is focused towards two types of audience. The first type would be those in the fashion industry looking for information on good sources to research the types of lingerie and its history, hopefully to assist them in creating tomorrow’s new popular cultural symbol. The other type of audience the book is written for is the student who wants to explore history and learn how something as intimate as underwear has had an impact on women by how they perceive their being, how society recognizes them, and how lingerie is in fact a popular cultural item which has evolved throughout the ages along with the culture.
The first part of the article gives a quick overview of the book and a snap shot of what each chapter offers. There are seven chapters and each one covers a distinctly different aspect of the evolution of women’s underwear. The second part of the review offers the writers opinion of the strengths and weakness of the book. The final part of the review the writer offers who she feels would best benefit from reading the book.
The article starts out very strong and immediately grabbed my attention. I assumed that it would discuss the different styles of lingerie and the influence lingerie has had on today’s woman. While the report was structured very well, and logically written; however, I found that the review quickly morphed into an evaluation that did little to give one insight to what the book is about. If the author gave each chapter a paragraph summary instead of a sentence or two, I believe that the she would have made a much better argument for who the book is intended for as well as her opinion’s to the strengths and weaknesses of the book.
When I pick up a book review, I do not want to read the book, yet. I am reading this to find out what I can expect to find in it. In my opinion a book review is there to save me the time of reading the book and to assist me in finding what chapter I need to look at for the information I am searching for. A well written book review would give me a well defined picture of what I will find in the book, not a sentence summarizing the key point of each chapter or subject followed by the opinion of the writer which is not grounded anywhere in the review. If the review is accurate and grounded to the book, that will persuade me to read the book, or skip it; not the authors opinion.
The author recommends this book to “anyone with an interest in feminism, American Culture and history.” (Leone, 2009). I looked up the definition of feminism and according to the online dictionary at www.ask.com the definition is anyone who believes in equality of the sexes or any organized movement around this belief (Feminism, 2005). While I can understand why someone interested in feminism would appreciate this book, I do believe that the author should have given some specifics. According to Leone, chapter one titled “Drawers” is about the pants and power debate. A few more sentences about this chapter could incite the interest of anyone interested in women’s rights and equality.
As far as stating that anyone interested in American Culture and history would enjoy this book, I had never thought of lingerie as a culture icon, but now I do see how it is, and my curiosity has been piqued. It would be all the more so, if I had a summary of each paragraph in the book.
Overall the review was written well. I read through it very quickly and on my second and third reads was able to pick out only minor things I had missed on the first read. The flow was logical and my only complaint is the unfounded opinion of the writer. If the writers goal was to make you want to get more information, and thus read the book, she succeeded. If her goal was to educate you to the contents of the book with enough information to determine whether or not you would enjoy the book, she failed.
I walked away from the article the first time and the point that stayed with me was that women’s lingerie is a cultural icon. Each time I reviewed and reread the article, this point stayed with me and evolved into a more concrete thought. I have always thought of lingerie as a secret between a woman and her husband or lover. I never really thought of how the different styles are driven by our culture and the fashion business. As our popular culture has changed over the course of our Countries growth, so has woman’s lingerie evolved and portrayed what our society deems acceptable.
References
Feminism. (2005) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Houghton Mifflin Company. Retrieved on 31 January 2010 from http://www.ask.com/web?q=dictionary%3A+feminism&content=ahdict|26189&o=13919&l=dis
Leone, E. (2009) An Intimate Affair: Women, Lingerie, and Sexuality. The Journal of Popular Culture, 42(4), 792-794.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Assignment 3-2 Icon Analysis
I chose these following items because they have all impacted my life in one way or another. The three stone diamond ring, a real item that is a gesture which is symbolic to the dedication and commitment of long term lovers. Babe Ruth who represents every child’s dream to be the best, and GI Joe, not the action figure, the cartoon, or the movie, but the “idea” of GI Joe, that really represents good versus evil. These are my icons. 
The three-stone diamond ring, also known as the anniversary ring, is an icon of everlasting love. Thanks to the marketing strategy of the jewelers, each diamond represents the past, present, and future dedication and love of the giver to the receiver. This icon of love has become very evident to me as I approach my 10 year anniversary, and my wife has dropped many hints over the years about how wonderful it would be to have this physical demonstration of my commitment to her.
Babe Ruth is the icon of Baseball. I knew of Babe Ruth as a young kid and still, stories about Babe Ruth are told today as much. He fits the definition of an icon because just like Marilyn Monroe’s name is synonymous with movies, his name is one and the same with baseball. He represents every young athletes desire to be the best at any given sport.
GI Joe represents good versus evil. This is an ageless icon which was given power as a toy, a cartoon, and again through Hollywood. I grew up playing with GI Joe toys and watching the cartoons and learning about how good always defeats evil. My childhood toy was brought to life in the movies and the icon, a Soldier, was again pitted against an enemy trying to conquer the world; the age old battle of good versus evil.
The three-stone diamond ring, also known as the anniversary ring, is an icon of everlasting love. Thanks to the marketing strategy of the jewelers, each diamond represents the past, present, and future dedication and love of the giver to the receiver. This icon of love has become very evident to me as I approach my 10 year anniversary, and my wife has dropped many hints over the years about how wonderful it would be to have this physical demonstration of my commitment to her.
Babe Ruth is the icon of Baseball. I knew of Babe Ruth as a young kid and still, stories about Babe Ruth are told today as much. He fits the definition of an icon because just like Marilyn Monroe’s name is synonymous with movies, his name is one and the same with baseball. He represents every young athletes desire to be the best at any given sport.
GI Joe represents good versus evil. This is an ageless icon which was given power as a toy, a cartoon, and again through Hollywood. I grew up playing with GI Joe toys and watching the cartoons and learning about how good always defeats evil. My childhood toy was brought to life in the movies and the icon, a Soldier, was again pitted against an enemy trying to conquer the world; the age old battle of good versus evil.
Assignment 3-1 Weekly Written Analysis (#2)
This week’s written analysis is about the popular culture phenomenon known as fast food. The fast food craze was started in 1916. The founder took a meat ball and smashed it between two pieced of bread, creating what is today known as the hamburger. This restaurant was unique because unlike any other area, they had a specialized menu. The restaurant became known as White Castle and many other chains have attempted to copy them, making the hamburger the most popular fast food item today (Hogan, 2003). When I was growing up, in my family, fast food was reserved for vacations or that very special and rare night when mom and dad were going to leave us with the baby sitter and go out. Now, everywhere you go, one can find a Taco Bell, a McDonalds, a Burger King, or any other number of fast food restaurants. Pizza hut even added premade pizzas to its menu so you don’t have to wait for your hot pizza. A fast food restaurant is any location where you can get fresh hot food already prepared for your convenience (Hogan, 2003). These restaurants play into the American culture of being in a hurry; or do they? Is it that we do not have the time to sit and wait for a meal to be served up for us, or time enough to take the time and create our own meal? Or maybe it is that the taste is just so great that when you want fast food, you’re going to get it. When I was looking for my last place to live, the ability of a suitable fast food restaurant played a role in whether or not I was going to rent there. That sounds like a silly reason to rent a house, but when it is cheaper and easier to grab a meal on the go, rather than go home and dig through the refrigerator and make a meal, the importance of these decisions becomes evident. I seriously completed the question of whether or not a 20 minute drive to Taco Bell was worth the convenience of living where I wanted to rent. The last time I was deployed I fell into the routine of going to Burger King once a week. It was easy to do, because that posts dining facility did not offer good hamburgers. On this deployment, even though there is a full service dining facility offering up any variety of healthy and unhealthy food three times a day, along with a full service sandwich bar open 24-hours a day, we have a pizza hut and a subway on the post, which do a fair amount of business. When I first arrived here, I was amazed that these two restaurants were successful, but after three months of the dining facility, I am drawn more and more to the taste of the fast food. This brings up the question. Is fast food a popular culture because of convenience or because of the taste? I believe that part of what makes America such a great country is the diversity in everything she has to offer. Could it be this mentality that makes fast food so popular? Or are we as American’s just too lazy to cook a good meal every night of the week? I offer to you, that it is the very diversity of our culture, which has enabled the fast food chain to become a popular culture within our country, and around the world.
References Hogan, David Gerard. (2003). Fast Food. Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. Retrieved February 05, 2010 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3403400211.html
References Hogan, David Gerard. (2003). Fast Food. Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. Retrieved February 05, 2010 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3403400211.html
Saturday, January 30, 2010
This weeks Topic - The Cyber Cafe
I feel that a current popular culture topic is the internet café, or cyber café. According to www.cafeinternet.co.uk and Wikipedia, the first café was in San Francisco in 1991 by Wayne Gregori, as a place to check your email; the concept has grown into a popular meeting place, a location to grab a cup of coffee, tea, or something else, and more than just checking your email, a place to conduct business, an opportunity to keep in touch with friends or coworkers, an anonymous chat, and best of all, the opportunity for a person who does not have the financial ability to own their own computer to experience the internet; all for a relatively inexpensive hourly rate.
While there are many types of café’s out there, I have found that my favorite cyber café is any café that allows me, for the price of purchasing a cup of coffee, unlimited wireless access on my own laptop. The room, set up much like a living room, with large lounge chairs, cup holders and laptop desks attached, soft music playing in the background, excellent coffee, and if you’re lucky, fresh biscotti. I have visited and observed several types of these establishments, from Fort Benning, GA to cafés on the street corner in several cities across the country, to forward operating base (FOB) Hammer, Iraq and some nameless FOB in Kuwait to passing several while on patrol in the city of Baghdad. No matter the location, I have found that when I relax in a chair, enjoy some coffee, and work on that night’s homework assignment, I am not alone. There are people from all walks of life hanging out in the same location, people conducting a business meeting, just grabbing a cup of coffee, or just there for the internet access. It is this reason, that I believe, that the cyber café is a current popular culture phenomenon.
References
Internet Café (2009). In Internet Café. Retrieved January 28 2010 from, http://www.cafeinternet.co.uk/
While there are many types of café’s out there, I have found that my favorite cyber café is any café that allows me, for the price of purchasing a cup of coffee, unlimited wireless access on my own laptop. The room, set up much like a living room, with large lounge chairs, cup holders and laptop desks attached, soft music playing in the background, excellent coffee, and if you’re lucky, fresh biscotti. I have visited and observed several types of these establishments, from Fort Benning, GA to cafés on the street corner in several cities across the country, to forward operating base (FOB) Hammer, Iraq and some nameless FOB in Kuwait to passing several while on patrol in the city of Baghdad. No matter the location, I have found that when I relax in a chair, enjoy some coffee, and work on that night’s homework assignment, I am not alone. There are people from all walks of life hanging out in the same location, people conducting a business meeting, just grabbing a cup of coffee, or just there for the internet access. It is this reason, that I believe, that the cyber café is a current popular culture phenomenon.
References
Internet Café (2009). In Internet Café. Retrieved January 28 2010 from, http://www.cafeinternet.co.uk/
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Assignment 1-2
According to Popular Culture by Ray B. Browne, Popular culture is defined as “the system of attitudes, behavior patterns, beliefs, customs, and tastes that define the people of any society.” (2005 p.3). As I explore the internet and continue to read the books, and journal articles I am finding that popular culture is anything that more than one type of society is doing. This means that unless I decide to move to the wilderness and completely remove myself from all human contact, I will be in some way or another exposed to, and participating in popular culture.
My understanding of popular culture and how it is relevant to my job, both current and future, is that because I deal with Iraqi civilians and Soldiers on a daily basis; the way they act and the actions I take to those actions, have the potential of assisting or hurting the delicate process of transitioning authority over to them as we prepare to leave. In my first tour here, we were learning about their culture on the ground. This time, we were given numerous classes prior to deploying to learn about their culture. Some of it was folk culture, some elite culture, but most of it falls right into the popular culture.
I grew up thinking that drinking coffee or tea was just a social event, but after several tours in Bosnia and Iraq, I have learned that there is a way to consume the beverage your host is offering, and that the beverage comes at a certain time; after a meal, or when a meeting is underway. While the Chi (tea) assists in the social event, the popular culture is for the host to show his good intentions and willingness to be friendly by serving Chi to his esteemed guests.
Another popular culture which I categorize as a popular culture, within the military culture, I have recognized in five different countries throughout my career; is Soldiers being Soldiers. If not for the different uniforms and languages, these young men could easily be confused for American Soldiers in the way they act. They fool around in the same way when there is not a mission underway, and become very serious before and on a patrol just like we do. I believe that the discipline, attitudes, and beliefs of every Soldier, qualifies as a popular culture because they are not restricted to only one society, and these behaviors define a Soldier.
I would pick a steaming cup of liquid as my popular culture item. I pick this because the hot liquid could be the Chi I have learned to love, the coffee I grew up on, or the hot coca my wife drinks before she goes to bed. The hot beverage is not restricted to any particular society and is found and consumed around the world in groups and by individuals. In my opinion the steaming beverage is the perfect popular culture icon because it is as popular as the internet, but has been around for much, much longer.
Reference:
Ray B. Browne (Ed.) (2005) Profiles of Popular Culture a Reader. The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
My understanding of popular culture and how it is relevant to my job, both current and future, is that because I deal with Iraqi civilians and Soldiers on a daily basis; the way they act and the actions I take to those actions, have the potential of assisting or hurting the delicate process of transitioning authority over to them as we prepare to leave. In my first tour here, we were learning about their culture on the ground. This time, we were given numerous classes prior to deploying to learn about their culture. Some of it was folk culture, some elite culture, but most of it falls right into the popular culture.
I grew up thinking that drinking coffee or tea was just a social event, but after several tours in Bosnia and Iraq, I have learned that there is a way to consume the beverage your host is offering, and that the beverage comes at a certain time; after a meal, or when a meeting is underway. While the Chi (tea) assists in the social event, the popular culture is for the host to show his good intentions and willingness to be friendly by serving Chi to his esteemed guests.
Another popular culture which I categorize as a popular culture, within the military culture, I have recognized in five different countries throughout my career; is Soldiers being Soldiers. If not for the different uniforms and languages, these young men could easily be confused for American Soldiers in the way they act. They fool around in the same way when there is not a mission underway, and become very serious before and on a patrol just like we do. I believe that the discipline, attitudes, and beliefs of every Soldier, qualifies as a popular culture because they are not restricted to only one society, and these behaviors define a Soldier.
I would pick a steaming cup of liquid as my popular culture item. I pick this because the hot liquid could be the Chi I have learned to love, the coffee I grew up on, or the hot coca my wife drinks before she goes to bed. The hot beverage is not restricted to any particular society and is found and consumed around the world in groups and by individuals. In my opinion the steaming beverage is the perfect popular culture icon because it is as popular as the internet, but has been around for much, much longer.
Reference:
Ray B. Browne (Ed.) (2005) Profiles of Popular Culture a Reader. The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
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