America... I am your Culture..

Maybe Star Wars isn't really related to real life as much as this picture says it is, but believe it or not, Star Wars is all around us. In my Popular Cultures class last week, we discussed just how well related Star Wars is to my "Generation".

It seems that a bunch of bored or lonely geeks all got together and made a really lame movie at first look. However, once you uncover all the secrets, the possibilities are endless. There are literally so many I could never include them all in a post. I digress, because there was one similarity that did catch my eye in class. Luke's father, Darth V., is the leader of the established family business. Darth asks Luke to join him, and he could work under his fathers command and be reunited at last. On the other hand, he is a Jedi from the rugged Rebels. So, Luke could join his father and become the new Darth V guy or he could stop his father from being Darth V and actually work his way into a crowned position. This is why generation x & y and even my generation could relate so well. Do you follow the beaten path or start your own kind of thing.

 There are a lot more reasons why star wars is so well related to popular culture, and frankly it's not my ball game to research a lot about star wars, but I saw some of them and I can say maybe you can feel like you and ______ (cast member) can connect, but it's more solidly attached to the history of the world. If you look at the Clone's from star wars movies, they march like German soldiers with out the salute to Hitler. I guess what I'm getting at is Star Wars was really popular and a lot of people loved it. However, it's over and my generation is more concerned about something else. Not if Luke saves the princess or not. So, Star Wars, may the force be with you.

Pirates, Games and Life.

                                                   

 By looking at this photo, what do you think? Sims? DJ? Under dressed pink hair lady? Well that's just what you can do (or be) in the game. But what about being a under dressed pink hair lady would want people to play the Sims (unless that's what floats your boat)? Well it seems that these games controlling a life that isn't your is making alot of people happy. 4.3 million of the sims 3 have been sold already to be exact. For some reason, people just get a fix out of it.. and do you blame them?

 As far as pirated music goes, who does like a good remix of their favorite songs. DJ's have so many tools aviable to them to mash up what ever they please to make the consumer happy. How ever, it's still illegal, and punishable in a  court of law. Makes you think about how the little things in life make people break the law. Live life to the fullest, I guess.

It's just a game, Dad... Or is it?

Why do American fathers raise their kids to be so "manly"? I don't know, maybe because if you aren't first you're last! Seriously though, parents really are  crazy with their kids these days. Even back when I was 8 my friends parents would yell and scream to play better at Jr. baseball. We watched a video in my Popular Cultures class where this basis guy, Katz, who talks about how the 2000 G.I. Joe action figures arms are massive. The toy's arms in porportion to a real humans arm would mean the arms of a human G.I. Joe would be 26" round.. and wouldn't you say that's masculine? So kids want to be this unrealistic guy and fathers want their sons to be the best of the best. Sounds right.. Right?

The media ruined America, reason #29,000

How do American athletics represent masculinity?

 I dislike this question. Mainly because it asks me to describe how I think men are masculine, but I digress. I say "men" because according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, masculine is defined as "having qualities appropriate to or usually associated with a man". So I guess f I had to find a way to make "American athletics represent masculinity" I would say something along the lines of:

Many American athletes are masculine in todays world of sports. Lifting, running and exercise help shape their body into a masculine definition given by the media. Physicly, yes they're masculine because they "have qualities appropriate to or usually associated with a man". You don't see a woman on the offensive line. Why, because it's a man's sport? Who said that? The media. How ever, football isn't the only sport you can be masculine in. I would not mess with Serena Williams. She is a masculine woman, according to Merriam-Webster, she "has qualities appropriate to or usually associated with a man". This basicly says that men are the ideal reffernce when it comes to masculinity. I guess what I'm trying to say is the media puts these pressures on athletes to make them the biggest, strongest and fastest competative monsters. It makes a good game, it sells tickets. Masculine=Marketing. Thanks, Media.

Dude.. What the hell?

Let's just say you're going to a friends house or home for a nice dinner one night, and the person next to you started talking about porn. You would totally be like, "Dude, what the hell?"..

Well I figured I would try it and see what it'd be like to bring it up in an every day conversion just to see if people would really react to porn the way I assumed they would. For the most part, it seems people feel really uncomfortable talking about a man and woman having sex in their most private wonderlands, but as I forced the discussion on, it seems like the three people I was talking to kind of gave in to the pressure of talking about it. I got wild and ask who they thought was more sexy, Pam An or Marilyn Monroe. They all replied Anderson. I rebuttled with this.

What is Popular Culture?

  What isn't Popular Culture? Trains, planes, and automobiles?
   Maybe it was just the sarcasm I used to ask my first question. It's every where all the time. The way you enjoy yourself (respectfully), eat, sleep and do day to day activities. What we do after our Pop Culture class IS Popular Culture. Is it the set of guide lines we follow to stay "popular" in our groups that we are normally around?

     You can never messure any amount of popularity in one person with out knowing the person and their "group". It's hard to discover what exactly.. Popular Culter is.