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/
Saturday, January 30, 2010
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
