Journal Article Analysis

My chosen article for assignment 1-3 is Inflecting the World: Popular Culture and the Perception of Evil by Theordore Turnau. This article explores the way pop culture shapes society’s perception of evil through movies, music, television shows and literature. An example would be a gory horror film, a reality show that contains drama and deception and a popular song about being betrayed (Turnau, 2004).

            The first half of Inflecting the World focuses on Paul Ricoeur’s theory of narrative representation. This theory is based around “Mimesis” which is imitation. Ricoeur believes that art is an imitation of the human world and reflects our perceptions (Turnau, 2004).

            During the last half of the article Turnau examines the American daytime television talk show and the computer role-playing-game, Baldur’s Gate II. Many see daytime talk shows as useless television that is consumed with immoral concepts, but Turnau examines that with Ricoeur’s theory of narrative representation we can see that these shows actually present us with moral boundaries. This concept is further examined and justified.

            Computer role-playing-games allow gamers to take on new identities and live in a world free from real constraint and consequences. Baldur’s Gate II allows the audience to embark on journeys without having to worry about morality as it is not a priority in RPG worlds. Turnau speaks of his experience in this gaming world citing an instance where he watched a peasant die and it was not suppose to matter because he was “worthless”. Obviously, in the real world something like this would not happen, but in role-playing-games it is obsolete.

            Ricoeur’s theory entwines with pop culture and evil as “pop culture presents us with different worlds for habitation” and these worlds “can be seen as conflicted co-constructions between” authors (television and movie producers) and the readers (viewers) (Turnau, 2004).

References

Turnau, T. A. (2004). Inflecting the World: Popular Culture and the Perception of Evil. Journal of Popular Culture, 38(2), 384-396. doi:10.1111/j.0022-3840.2004.00118.x

Slim Fast, Gain Faster! Assignment 5-1

I’m sure that a majority of people in America have heard of the weight loss product, Slim Fast, since its development in 1977. This company started with solely weight loss shakes and has since expanded to producing meal replacement bars and low calorie snack bars. Their latest meal plan, called 3-2-1, includes: “two shakes or meal-on-the-go bars, one sensible meal and two or three snacks, which can be Slim-Fast products, fruit or vegetables” (Sharum, 2011). Slim Fast promises that you can lose weight and lose it fast, averaging a loss of 1-2 pounds a week. This weight loss amount is severely under rated if you were overweight to start out with, not to mention that they do not indulge in their dirty little secret of what happens when you go off of their meal plan.

After having my second child in early 2010 I decided that I needed some additional help in shedding the pounds. I wanted fast results with little effort as I was suffering from an ankle injury and unable to go back to exercising just yet. That March I started the 3-2-1 Slim Fast plan and saw almost immediate results. Within the first week and a half I lost 9 lbs! I couldn’t believe it! From then on I lost an average of 2 lbs. a week. About 6 weeks later I decided that I was ready to stop the Slim Fast diet and start working on getting back to the gym. At that point I had lost around 20 lbs. Within 4 days, I repeat, 4 days, I had almost completely gained back the first 9 lbs that I lost. I was flabbergasted. Could this really be just from going back to eating more than one full meal a day? Absolutely. Over the next several weeks I maintained the weight that I was at, with an occasional increase or decrease of about a pound. I continued to stay off of the Slim Fast meal plan and decided to kick up my workout regimen eventually leading to the loss of those 9 lbs that I gained back.

Was it a total loss of time? No, I’m not going to say that as I did lose weight on the meal plan and did not gain it ALL back. But I do head a heavy warning for those who partake in fad diets, the faster you lose the faster you gain it back! Happy dieting!

References

Sharum, A. (2011). Information on slim fast. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_5082716_information-slim-fast.html

Charlie Who? Assignment 4-1

The name Charlie Sheen has been used in the last two decades in reference to a  phenomenal actor and a movie icon. Sadly, now the name stimulates jokes and concern for a truly troubled individual. One can hardly turn on the television or radio nowadays without this self proclaimed "rock star from Mars"  being mentioned in a negative way. Whether it's news of his latest episodes of debauchery or an update on his diminishing career, it's all too impossible to ignore. Charlie Sheen has irrevocably  hit rock bottom. Within the last 10 days Mr. Sheen has lost his job, custody of his twin boys with ex wife Brooke Mueller, and whatever respect the world still had for him. At first, I thought that maybe all of these losses would be a wake up call after seeing a live interview with him on the Today Show on March 2nd. In it he appeared coherent and truly shaken by the taking of his two children by the police the night before, but it seems to have been short lived. Yesterday a video surfaced of a rant that Charlie Sheen recorded on UStream where he speaks of trolls, warlocks and deems himself the "Malibu Messiah". Most of the video, though, was engulfed by his rage towards his previous employers as he vented that his termination from the hit CBS show, "Two and a Half Men", was illegal. This video comes just two days before his clip on Funnyordie.com where he posted a faux cooking show. Charlie named his show "Winning Recipes" and on it he joked that his “fingers tips radiate sunshine” that he waters his garden with “tears of a jaguar.” If I truly thought that it was all a joke then this cooking show spoof might actually be funny. Unfortunately, all of his mentions of magic wands and cauldrons are just a bit too disturbing.  Is this the end of of this Hollywood star?  I believe it is. Charlie Sheen is an attic that was already losing his grasp on reality with his out of control partying and now he has lost his job and his children, too. His many stints in rehab were not able to rid him of his demons so it is impossible to imagine that anything can. As no one is able to lasso in this troubled soul my guess is that within five years the conversation will be less about Charlie Sheen and more about Charlie who?.

Don't be Fooled by the Leather, Assignment 3-1

Looking out onto the city streets and highways that engulf every state of this great country what do you see?  Endless lines of automobiles. Some large, some small, convertibles, trucks, SUVs…they’re everywhere. The one thing that owners of these automobiles have in common is the need and desire to upgrade to what they feel is better than what they have now.

Society has a constant need to have more. The grass is greener on the other side, right? I have said to my husband on many occasions “If I have the larger crossover vehicle with four wheel drive then it will be safer for me and the kids in the winter”. That sounds pretty accurate, I think, but then I start to think a little deeper. What about the impact of that large vehicle pumping out hazardous gasses into our atmosphere? How is the larger car payment going to affect my family? What about the increase in gas consumption? Is the grass truly greener on the other side?

As I wallow in my envy of the neighbor’s larger SUV, I glance at my husband’s seven year old Toyota. He has had many opportunities to trade it in, but has chosen to keep it just to save us from having another car payment. Suddenly it all makes sense. Sure, the sparkle of a newer, larger vehicle can glamorize things and help us hold on to an ideal that there is a better life out there, but at the end of the day we are still the same person, whether we are sitting on leather seats or not.

March Madness- The Title Says it All

        As we near the end of February my stomach turns to knots as I await the dreaded playoffs of college basketball. I know to many this may be an exciting time to root for your favorite university, but for me it means a non-existent husband and countless hours of listening to whistle blows. March Madness, as it is called, is just that, people gathered around the television completely consumed, game after game. The college basketball vie for the national champ status has turned into a reason for betting and consuming large amounts of alcohol. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a night out once in awhile with great food and even better conversations, but March Madness has gone awry. My husband has a friend that actually throws a party during the first Thursday that the games start and goes until Sunday. These men actually take off of work to spend the day, or several days, in front of the television just drinking and yelling. Really? My questions to those in attendance are these: Are you on the team? Do you go to the college? Are you a single 20 something year old? If you answered "no" to all of these questions then these games are no reason to try and relive the glory days and "party like a rock star". Am I saying that they shouldn't be allowed this indulgence? Absolutely not. Maybe your a sports fanatic, or in our case a Buckeye fanatic holding out hope for your beloved team. Enjoy your favorite sport during their highest point in the season, but please, don't do it at the expense of your job, your money, or your wife!

Icon Analysis, Assignment 2-2

          In order to be a contemporary icon in today’s society the object, or person, must be current, popular, and easily recognizable. Three popular icons that I have chosen for analysis in this communication are Miley Cyrus (“Hannah Montana”), The Jonas Brothers (“Jonas L.A.”), and the musical group BTR (“Big Time Rush”). All three icons are famous for having a hit television series on either The Disney Channel or Nickelodeon along with a prominent music career.

            I chose these particular icons because I feel that they are “everywhere”, so to speak, whether it’s on television, the radio or being referenced to in the news.  I wanted an opportunity to explore the reasons behind this a little deeper, especially since I am the mother of a young child that watches Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel.

            Miley Cyrus has had a hit show for many years on Disney called “Hannah Montana”. Over that time they incorporated her actual self into the show as a music pop star. Her music career has exploded leaving Hannah Montana in the dust as they are currently airing the final season. 

The Jonas Brothers had a somewhat different start. They broke onto the scene as a musical act at first and being recognized for their likability and talent. After landing several guest appearances on Miley Cyrus’s television series they were given their very own short series (“Jonas Brothers”.2010). It was called “Jonas Brother’s: Living the Dream” and was a reality show that shared their life as budding pop stars (“Jonas Brothers”.2010). Since this start the group has released several albums and currently has a very popular show called “Jonas L.A.”.

Big Time Rush, also known as BTR, is still working on establishing themselves to a broader audience. If you were to ask a pre-teen, though, or those who view their show “Big Time Rush” on Nickelodeon, they have hit the “big time”. Their most recent accomplishment is a song called “Boyfriend” that they recorded with Snoop Doggy Dog, a very famous rap artist. Their show has exploded over the last year and if I were to foresee their future I would say that it will be comparable to Ms. Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers.

              

Assignment 1-4, Weekly Analysis

The current pop culture topic that I have chosen to write my weekly analysis on is the trend of reality TV. Reality television emerged in the late 90’s driven by the hit MTV series, The Real World (Petracca, Sorapure, 2007). From there, popular series such as Survivor and Fear Factor came to light. In an article written by Rebecca Gardyn, titled “The Tribe Has Spoken”, Gardyn presents several relevant tables with important demographic information. One of these tables illustrates the breakdown, by percentages, of top reasons why reality television viewers tune in each week. The top three reasons were; to guess who would win or be eliminated, to see real people face challenging situations, and to imagine how they themselves would react in a similar situation (Petracca, Sorapure, 2007). I believe that these were the most popular reasons to watch these shows because in the first decade of reality TV most were a competition of some sort.     

Today, with the emergence of non-competitive reality shows, I do not believe that the reasons for watching reality TV would be the same. Several television channels have surfaced in past years that now mostly air reality shows. These stations inlude E!, Bravo, WE, and TLC. E!’s popularity is booming with their hit series Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ and Bravo is following suit with their many The Real Housewives series.  On Gardyn’s poll, Reasons for Watching Reality TV, “Fights among contestants” ranked fifth with 37% stating that this was one reason that they tuned in (multiple answers were allowed in the poll) (Petracca, Sorapure, 2007). I believe that this percentage would definitely be higher if a current poll were taken considering the popularity of non-competitive reality shows that focus mainly on the drama between its cast mates whether they are family, friends or even neighbors!

Popular culture Blog, A1-2

Popular culture can engulf many aspects in today’s society. According to the book “Common Culture” popular culture is the shared knowledge and practices of a specific group at a specific time (Petracca, Sorapure, 2007). To the general audience, including myself, popular culture is simply the “it” items of today. This could be an artist, a toy, a high tech electronic or even a popular television show just to name a few. Some people reject pop culture, deeming it cliché’ and are under the opinion that if they follow suit they would be “following the masses”. I definitely know some rebellious souls that take this opinion, but the truth of the matter is that you cannot deny the true genius in a Harry Potter film, the true talent of Lady Gaga or the way you feel when Coach unveils its latest handbag. I know this is stereotypical, but I don’t believe that anyone is completely immune to every aspect of pop culture. We all have to have some secret indulgence!

            Understanding popular culture is relevant and important in a business environment for many reasons. It can help your company stay ahead of the competition in advertising, technological advances and even human resources. This definitely applies to my future career as I am hoping to acquire a job in a human resource department working specifically on training and development. Staying up to date on training trends, such as the current popular favorite of computer based training, is vital to offering the best in-house training possible.

            The popular culture artifact that I have chosen is Paris Hilton’s Chihuahua, Tinkerbell. This dog breed is known to be one of the smallest and in the past decade their popularity has exploded. A large part of their popularity can be attributed to Heiress Paris Hilton and her reality show The Simple Life. The show made her 2 pound Chihuahua, Tinkerbell, an instant hit. Today, breeders attempt to have each litter of puppies smaller and smaller, promising a maximum weight as they know that buyers are interested in the smallest dogs possible. This has gotten to extremes as breeders make unrealistic promises and ask unrealistic prices.