GLEE last night

Last night, glee was all about loosing your virginity. All of the highschool kids have to do it according to last nights episode. After watching this episode it left me wondering how many high school and younger kids, probably the majority of viewers of this show, are going to start fooling around. I will be curious to see if there is an uproar about the episode in the upcoming days.

New music is like porn

To me it seems like many of the new songs are straight up porn. For example, songs like Justin Timberlake and Timberlands new song about fast food. It really doesnt leave much to the imagination. I wonder how this effects younger kids who hear this music and dont fully grasp the meaning of what they are listening to. I cant imagine how i would feel if i had a young child and was listening to this song with them. I have a 8 year old niece who sings these songs or lady gaga songs and it seems so strange to hear her sing them.

Text language becoming normal language

I think it is funny how when we text we use shortcuts for words. For example, LOL, OMG etc.... Now these phrases have become common use in talking with people. It is not rare to be talking with someone and say OMG (oh my god). I dont think it is a matter of people becoming more lazy and not wanting to say the entire word. It is a mixing of languages. Now there is a song by will.i.am and usher that is titled OMG. It will be fun to see how other phrases become incorporated into normal talk.

The Apple iPad

This weekend was a big weekend for technology. The Apple iPad was released. It is a new tablet computer. It basically looks like an iPhone on steroids. My question is there a point when there is just to much technology. It seems like people rely more and more and technology so they can live everyday. To me people become less creative in some ways on how to entertain themselves when there is so much technology. One can easily get lost sitting in front of their computer aimlessly looking and junk on the internet. Dont get me wrong, I think the iPad is totally cool but I wonder if there is a point when there is just to much technology in our everyday lives.

First Tiger, Now Jessy

Jessy James is the next to join the leagues of Tiger Woods. I think it is funny how things generally happen in groups. Do others notice this?? It seems like when one person does something bad a couple months later more people have the same issue. The issue with Jessy and Sandra makes me curious about their relationship. Jessy was known to be a "bad boy" and Sandra is seems to be the opposite of that. Couldn't we have called that this relationship was trouble. I guess we will get to see another marriage in distress and how it all unfolds over the next few weeks.

Dr. Jackson Katz

Before attending this lecture the only knowledge I had of Dr. Jackson Katz was his film, “Tough Guise” which I had seen in a com class. For the most part, I found his lecture to be interesting and captivating. I feel like many topics which are covered in com classes become biased and only viewed from the point of view of male or female. I appreciate that Katz is looking at issues from a more universal perspective. For example, taking issues such as women being raped by men and high school shootings being done by male students. He looks at these topics in more of a broad way than simply saying women are the victims. He proposes that males might be victims as well. He wants to understand what is going wrong with these men that makes them do these types of things. He says that both boys and girls are full of love and are lively when they are babies but what makes boys react in such violent ways as they grow up and not girls for the most part. He points his finger at the media and society. They influence men to be aggressive. The only place he lost me was when he said that men need to stand up and start making changes. We need to tell our friends who treat women like objects not treat them like that. I feel like he should have given more examples of how all people can become more active in offering alternatives to those who treat women badly. I think he should have given more examples of things he is doing to make a change. Overall I enjoyed the lecture and would go to another one of his lectures.

Funny prius owners

So the other day I was riding my bicycle and was at a stop light next to someone driving their prius. This guy is driving his "save the world car" and smoking at the same time. This made me laugh that this guy is driving a prius and smoking cigarette. Those two actions seem like they contradict each other. However, it got me thinking. If this guy had pulled up next to me and was smoking a joint, the car and his action would be more on the same level. I think there are a lot of people who think they are saving the world buy driving a prius but are unaware of their other actions.

The Academy Awards are kinda boring...

Out of all the awards shows I think the Academy Awards are the most boring. I like movies and I think it is great that they are recognized. However, I dont care to watch all of the people associated with the winning movies give all their thanks. I do like to watch the critiques of everyones outfits. I dont think I am the only person who prefers this part of the Academy Awards. There are numerous amounts of tv shows that their specific purpose is to critique what all the attendees are wearing. I think it is somewhat funny that people are winning these prestigious awards and recognition but we are more interested in how they look and what they are wearing.

Where did Tiger Woods go??

I think it is real funny how our culture gets so wrapped up in a given topic and then after it has lost its appeal we throw it away. Tiger Woods has been the hot topic for the past month or even longer. Even national news was covering the story. Everyday we were updated with new women that said they slept with Tiger. We followed him through his sex rehab. Now, he has completely disappeared from the media. What happened? How does this occur that we become so engulfed with a given topic and then all of a sudden it is just over. I feel like this supports the notion that these type of occurrences are sensationalized and what is represented of them is far from reality.

The V-neck

How many of you were wearing a v-neck every week and not as an undershirt a year ago?? For me, I was not. Now it seems as if the v-neck is a normal part of everyones wardrobe. Not only has the v-neck become popular but so have neon colors. This is a throwback to 80's fashion and to no surprise 80's themes parties have become extremely popular recently. It's clear, v-necks are an "in" article of clothing. One question I would like to bring up is how low is to low with v-necks? When do you draw the line. I do not wear super low swooping v-necks personally basically because I dont think they look very good and they are a little to feminine for me. A year ago it seemed like plaid had made a strong comeback. This style seemed to be from the early 90's. It basically seems like we are just going back in time and resurrecting previous popular fashions. Personally, im cool with that. I cant wait to see what the next fad will be. It seems like we have covered the 90's and 80's will it now be styles from the 70's??

Fixie bikes, rayban sunglasses and more!

Today, it seems like so many throwback styles are becoming popular. The fixie bike is an example of this. If you would have asked a college student as recent as 2 years ago what a single speed fixie bike was they would most likely have no idea. Now, just about every other person on campus is riding one. The fixie single speed bike are those bikes that look like a road bike frame with short stuby handle bars and only have one speed. The fixie is a term for the bikes that have a fixed gear. That means when you stop peddling the peddles dont coast like you beach cruiser bike. They keep on going. This fad has become so popular that you can even build and order your own custom single speed bike on urban outfitters website. The second topic I want to talk about are the rayban wayfarer sunglasses. This is a tradition glass of raybans which were popular in the fifties and sixties. Now, just about everyone is wearing them. Other brands such as Oakley have created there own line of wayfarer like sunglasses. Why did these become the rage?? Who knows but now everyone wears them. I suppose you could look at these two topics with a marxist point of view of comodification. These were both previously popular things. Now companies such as rayban and bike companies are bringing the styles back and making good money. I feel like a see this constantly happen where old styles will get second winds and become popular once again.

Sports defining pop culture and a little more on music

In this post I am going to discuss my thoughts on sports being a key component of pop culture and how electro music is becoming more popular.

In specific, I want to talk about snowboarding. Snowboarding is a huge part of modern culture. Snowboarding becomes more and more popular with icons such as Shaun White progressing the sport. Snowboarding has transformed the winter olympics. In the past, snowboarding was not a part of the olympics. It was one of the first extreme sports to enter the winter olympics with the super-pipe. Now, the winter olympics are considering including more extreme sports such as slope-style and big air for both skiing and snowboarding. Snowboarding is not just a sport. It is a way of life. People who snowboard identify with other snowboarders. These people talk a specific way, wear certain clothes and share an overall passion for this sport. Snowboarding is a cool thing to do. This is an example of why more and more people take part in this winter sport. They see how fun and cool it looks so they want to be part of it.

The other topic I wanted to talk about quickly is electro music. Techno, house and electronic music is becoming more and more popular. Why is this happening? It has been popular in Europe for a long time and more underground in the United States in the past. Now, music groups such as Black Eyed Peas, MGMT, Kesha, Royal Gigalos and DataRock are creating a new hype and popularity for electronic music. David Guetta is another artist from Europe who is gaining popularity in the United States. He collaborates with black eyed peas and creates new electro music. Now when I go to the clubs and bars this is the type of music I usually hear. I think this is good pop culture and a good style of music. I am interested in what other opinions are on this music. Do you guys like it? Is it to electro?

Pop Culture creating a new language

I believe pop culture has created a new way of speaking. When I say this, I am thinking of the language which has been introduced by musicians (rappers), movies and tv shows (Ali G) and catch phrases we adopt from the media and tv shows. Rap has introduced words such as "boo" "shorty" and many more. These are words that are not exclusive to black rappers. General public has adopted them. Not only have words been adopted, a speech style has been adopted. People talk like rappers. It is not un-common to hear a white guy say "what it is shorty." This language is catchy like the music it is being channeled through. I think all age groups can enjoy it as well. I have an uncle who listens to Ludacris and have had my mom call me to ask, "Whats that song about the apple bottom jeans?" So all this modern pop culture is adopted by all age groups.

Shows like Ali G and his Sasha Cohen other characters have created a new identity that people identify with and poke fun at. Now you have people saying "booyakashaa" and other phrases from his characters.

One might say that pop cultures music and media changing our language is a bad thing. I think it is a good thing. It is fun. People can choose to use this language and just be playful with it. They dont have to adopt it as the only way they speak.