Biggest Loser

The Biggest Loser catches my eye as a current popular culture topic. I don't like the show at all but I'll discuss it.

What tees me off about the show is that it is passed off as an 'overcome adversity heart breaker ', when in reality it is a make fun of the pigs' festival. It portrays the pigs as stupid until they are enlightened by the shows geniuses, once enlightened however the pigs are able to overcome their obesity problem by allowing themselves to be videoed then played back in slow motion as they run, jump, eat, walk. The slow motion is provided so the audience can see how disgusting and laughable the pigs are as they go about their daily lives.

In Biggest Loser, the producers play up their soft spoken "I care" acts so they don't offend the pigs but every once in a while they make them cry (for their own good) so the audience can see how shameful it is to be a pig. Run Piggy Run comes to mind as the pigs are stressed to work harder at losing weight or they get kicked to the curb to be scoffed at for failing yet again.

The "trainers" are made to be the sympathetic tough love gods who are able to enlighten even lowly pigs into seeing the ignorant ways. Trainers have answers to all problems pigs may encounter on their way to weight nirvana. Long Live the trainer.

So what does all this have to do with popular culture? Biggest Loser is a reflection of the feelings of the nation, hence it's popularity. It's fun and fashionable once again to make fun of people, whether they be fat or short/little. Fat people need help, your help, they are too stupid to do anything on their own and without the help of good caring people like TV producers and trainers we would have fat people stacking up along the roads.

Oh by the way, my wife loves Biggest Loser.

Stereotypes and Rituals

Stereotypes and Rituals


Stereotype and Rituals: A Brief Discussion
Rituals exist in society due to the need for people to connect to the past; so they know they have a history that has meaning and so they can fulfill the their responsibility to carry that history to the next generation.
Stereotypes exist as a shortcut in communication so that members may quickly verify who is being discussed and that they have the same opinion of the other group. Stereotypes can be negative but are not so by default, and are always full of ignorance and misunderstanding.
We see stereotypes in modern media and some may refer to the media as art but that description is purely subjective as I feel that art with stereotypes is simply bigotry or racism disguised as art.
I find that I am unable to shake the stereotype, passed from my elder family members, of minorities even though I know they are false, hurtful and demeaning. The echo of those I was taught to respect still reverberates in my head even though they were racists trained by previous racists. It is not an excuse, it is a fact that we each carry some of what our elders pounded into our heads forward and daily must filter the misconception out.
Marketers and advertisers play off of stereotypes and rituals for the same reason each of us do. With stereotypes and rituals in place the marketing gurus do not have to explain as much because the background stereotype/ritual information is already in the selected groups brain to be toyed with. The communication/stereotype shortcuts save companies money just as it saves us time in conversation. Society has an affinity to the use of stereotypes and rituals in advertising and marketing schemes because such schemes provide credence on a larger scale. If we see our beliefs played out on national TV or radio we receive reinforcement to our point of view.


Abstract

My favorite video game, Halo 2, provides an escape from the realities of daily life, an outlet for aggressive and tactical challenges in a harmless digital environment. Halo 2 worked its way into my favorite category over a period of years as it evolved from: Pathways into Darkness (1993) to Marathon, to Marathon 2, to Marathon Infinity, and finally into the Halo series with Halo 2 coming out in 2004. I learned a respect for the coders, the creators, the plot lines, the artistry and the time that it all took.
There is no Reality
Halo 2, provides an escape from the realities of daily life, an outlet for aggressive and tactical challenges in a harmless digital environment. Some people read, some watch TV, others go shopping, talk on the phone, collect stamps, and I and hundreds of thousands of other losers play Halo to unwind, escape, veg-out or what ever you want to call it from day to day life. I save the world from the continual onslaught of aliens that are always testing the outer defenses of the planet, the only planet, where civilization and all that is noble calls home.
Religious kooks call Halo an affront to Christianity because of the alien worshippers in it, they may be correct but that is a stretch.

PID
Halo 2 worked its way into my favorite category over a period of years as it evolved from: Pathways into Darkness (1993) to Marathon, to Marathon 2, to Marathon Infinity, and finally into the Halo series with Halo 2 coming out in 2004. With each new version of Pathways (PID) I was able to follow the evolution of the characters and the development of new plots which also increased my admiration for the developers. The original title seems, almost, omniscient as I look back over the years and see what I call a decline in the quality of life in America and a rise in the popularity of video games. The stereotype of the American kid laying around playing video games instead of getting out and doing something has its roots with games like PID and its children.

Respect and Ignorance
I developed a respect for the coders, the creators, the plot lines, the artistry and the time that it all took. I see the hard work in the Halo game and I realize why it is successful I also realize plenty of other games took hard work from other coders and those games were not successful and I understand the myth of hard work equaling success. I view Halo as a work of art due to the beauty of the landscape and the breadth of its game environment. Other for the most part view it as a game to be played by silly children with no real life and parents who do not care about them. The stereotype of kids turning into unmotivated, ADHD diagnosed, Ritalin eating, Adderall mainlining, vegetables certainly comes to mind and would be ignorant as most stereotypes are.

Concluding Thought
I can not pick out a stereotype in the game but it does have endless worship rituals that the aliens perform, which in a way make fun of religion as being silly groups of lunatics making war with other silly groups of lunatics because they believe something different. So I guess there is an obvious stereotype after all; the fanatical deity worshiper that loves rituals. We really can not get away from rituals and stereotypes as they are part of the fabric of our very existence to the point we may not even recognize them without education and reflective thinking. Which I gather is one of the points of this course.

Shucksters and Hucksters of Breakfast Cereal

Shucksters and Hucksters of Breakfast Cereal



Abstract
In Tricksters and the Marketing of Breakfast Cereals, Thomas Green gives intriguing insight into the start of the cereal food market. I found it astonishing that the whole grain debate started so long ago and is still being fought. Groups using the religious angle to shame Americans into changing their diet I found to be offensive. As a member of a generation that knew no time without them, it is enlightening to see the state of dietary intake before breakfast cereals.

Profits Please
Thomas Green gives intriguing insight into the start of the cereal food market. Mr. Green illuminates the motives of the , ’s, Grahams, Magdalene society, and the Seventh Day Adventists, which were purely selfish moneymakers. Not that we should be surprised nor should they be condemned; but it is always disturbing that so many great movements are based purely on greed. We as lowly citizens see movement to enhance our health as good and noble while it is purely profit based on the part of the marketers; they couldn’t care less if we are healthy. This is sad, so very sad.

Since Time Began
I found it astonishing that the whole grain debate started so long ago and is still being fought. In 1863 the chief prophet of the Seventh Day Adventists reported to her fellow Adventists that she had a message from God about proper diet hence entering the group into the the, “widespread and lucrative business of health resorts, spas, hydropathic water cures,”. In this and all the cases, lucrative, is always the operative word. The saga of the cereal market is reminiscent of the saying; it’s all the money, all the time.


May God bless you, each and every one
Groups using the religious angle to shame Americans into changing their diet I found to be offensive. The hucksters in the Christian religion as always put forth their best efforts to sham/scam the believers. Green points out quite vividly that the founders of good eating were shameless in their ability to inject Godliness into conning of America into the breakfast cereal racket. The use of the word racket may seem harsh but Merriam-Webster holds a similar interpretation for the circumstance.
Main Entry: 2racket
Function: noun
Etymology: origin unknown
Date: 1565
1: confused clattering noise: clamor
2 a: social whirl or excitement b: the strain of exciting or trying experiences
3 a: a fraudulent scheme, enterprise, or activity b: a usually illegitimate enterprise made workable by bribery or intimidation c: an easy and lucrative means of livelihood d: slang
The cereal hucksters would also make illusions that God was giving the cereals as gifts to his children and like a good child we should be grateful and eat them with enthusiasm, gratitude, and without abandon. God will bless those that eat breakfast cereal.

Cereal = Life
As a member of a generation that knew no time without them, it is enlightening to see the state of dietary intake before breakfast cereals. Who would have guessed that our forefathers were strictly meat and potato eaters all the time, breakfast, lunch and dinner? Those that passed this way before us suffered the same maladies as us because we have failed to learn that no food should be eaten to excess lest we suffer in the end.

Conclusion
The hucksters did indeed profit from their scheme but before that, before the need for cash I believe they felt that cereal was a better choice for health and they wanted to share their idea but to share they could ,and needed to, also profit. Profit by making the long process of preparing the nutritional gruel into a dried, shelf safe product that provided convenience to all. The boxed cereal meant that women did not need to make their paste, then cook it until dry, break it up, and store it. The boxed cereals gave the women the storage container and a consistent product that was generally tastier than their own. Greens article was a delightful eye opener to the beginning of breakfast cereals.



Reference:

Green, Thomas, Tricksters and the Marketing of Breakfast Cereals, The Journal of Popular Culture, Volume 40, issue 1 (February 2007), p. 49-68, ISSN: 0022-3840, DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-5931.2007.00353.x, Blackwell Publishing Inc.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

SciFi

Science Fiction (Sci-Fi)

Science Fiction is a wonderful Pop Culture topic because Sci-Fi is so popular. Ok it wasn't funny. This weekend's top box office wonder is Sci-Fi. Sci-Fi allows people to expand their dreams, escape the boring little lives we live and experience a vision of what might be or been. By presenting an alternate reality than our own Sci-Fi allows us to stretch our imagination in ways we had not considered. In Battlestar Galactica the creator presents a future overrun by robots, it is a future many people today have already considered and others can believe may happen. Corny? Of course it is, and that is what the allure is; corny but a hint of the possible just to keep us thinking. Atlantis is corny, fun and consistent with Campbell's theory on myths. Now with Campbell's theory fresh in my mind I can analyze my favorite sci-fi shows to see which parts are stronger than others and maybe I'll send critiques to the writers.

Daniel Boone American Hero

Daniel Boone American Hero Myth

Daniel Boone American Hero Myth

The Daniel Boone Song

Daniel Boone was a man. Yes a big man.

With an eye like an eagle and as tall as a mountain was he. Daniel Boone was a man. Yes a big man.

He was brave, he was fearless and as tough as a mighty oak tree. From the coonskin cap on the top of ol Dan to the heel of his rawhide shoes. The rippin'est roarin'est fightin'est man the frontier ever knew. Daniel Boone was a man. Yes a big man. And he fought for America to make all Americans free. What a Boone. What a wonder. What a dream comer truer was he.

(http://www.stlyrics.com)

Abstract

Daniel Boone is known as a tamer of the wild frontier ; a fearless man who’s only desire was to fight battles so other would not need to. Daniel went on to the Kentucky, battling the Shawnee, while losing loved ones (sons). If Daniel Boone would tame the land then there would be land; land for everyone. Upon Daniels building of civilization he and becomes a Statesman, then must return to the wild to kill Indians, then returns to be a Statesman.

Tamer of the Wild Frontier

Daniel Boone is known as a tamer of the wild frontier ; a fearless man who’s only desire was to fight battles so other would not need to. The song above is from a television series which ran for 6 seasons starting in 1964(www.danielboonetv.com). Born October 22, 1734 was called to action in 1755(Encarta) to fight the blood thirsty French and Indians. 200 years later America is making movies about the myth of Daniel Boone and his legendary fighting of Indians. The call to action in 1755 would match up with Joseph Campbell’s call to action as the first part of recognizing a myth, Boone has poor uneducated upbringing, yet is called upon to carry the burden of a nation. I can almost here the Battle Hymn of the Republic playing in the background

Helpers and More Helpers

Daniel went on to the Kentucky, battling the Shawnee, while losing loved ones. To complete step two of Campbell’s Monomyth theory, Boone must have helpers with him; and true to form he takes five men to the Kentucky wilderness in 1769(Rose). While in Kentucky he is captured by the Shawnee and befriends the chief, escapes and spends the winter in a cave, he then returns to his wife and family in the autumn. Now with talk of the bounty of Kentucky, Boone spread the word and eventually finds someone to fund his excursion back to the promise land. His son was killed in a Shawnee Indian attack during this period. In 1775 Boone is hired with thirty others to blaze a trail to the new frontier.

Land Land, for Everyone, Land

If Daniel Boone would tame the land then there would be land; land for everyone. In 1775 The Transylvania Company hires Boone and thirty others to blaze a trail into the wilderness and establish Boonesborough, Kentucky (Rose). Having blazed a trail to the new world of freedom Boone moves his family to the new found paradise where they are constantly under attack by the blood thirsty Shawnee who wish to take the land from Gods settlers. Boone and company begin a 20 year war with the savage Shawnee. Boone being the hero he is leads his fellow man to a new world and new beginning.

The Legend becomes a Statesman of the People

Upon Daniels building of civilization he becomes a Statesman, then must return to the wild to kill Indians, then returns to be a Statesman. For the 20 year from 1775 to 1795 Boone becomes a Statesman for Kentucky then is recalled to fight the savages and the returns as the conquering hero to become a Statesman again. Thus fulfilling his destiny Boone lives out his life in harmony, one with nature, ruler over the happy people of Kentucky. The End

Analysis

Whoa, hold on, hold the heck on, wait a minute, hold the phone; there never was a new world, the promise land or a new beginning. What actually happened is Boone was born in the midst of Amish Country, to the ultra conservative class and his family was ejected from the sect for long forgotten reasons (Silverman). The family moved from the area in shame and Daniel spent the rest of his life with an axe to grind against those who would force him to do anything. Boone and his toadies loved killing Indians because they wanted the land the Indians occupied; it was not a new world it was the Shawnee’s world and Boone wanted it. When Boone finally stole the land he wanted he became the largest, wealthiest, businessman in the frontier. But hold on, the new government of the United States decided he did not own the land after all and disputed his claim, took the land away and left Boone broke, penniless, destitute. Some Spanish cronies took pity on him and offered oodles of land in Missouri which he gladly accepted and he ruled over that for a few years until the United States once again disputed his ownership right and took the land from him one more time(Rose). Boone died broke while living at his sons’ home in Missouri (Silverman).

Conclusion

One television series, two songs and three books have been written about the great pioneer of the frontier Daniel Boone. He is a Great American Hero whom was a creation of great story tellers, who wanted the people of a young America to feel free to get out and explore their new world, a world which seemed to have unlimited borders and a few savages to be slaughtered. If the new Americans would/could be persuaded to kill the savages and spread out across the land then there would be vast wealth for all. So, the new ignorant people of America felt empowered to venture and kill their fellow man in the name of God and country. Daniel Boone was a man just like any other but the country needed a hero so he became one.

Reference

Drake, Francis. "Sir Francis Drake on the California Coast" in Burrage, Henry S. (editor). Early English and French Voyages, Chiefly from Hakluyt, 1534-1608. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1906); online facsimile edition at www.americanjourneys.org/aj-032/. Accessed September 28, 2003.

Rose, Julie, http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/HNS/Boone/chronology.html , Referenced 1-17-2008

Silverman, Sharon Hernes. Pennsylvania Trail of History Guide: Daniel Boone Homestead (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2000), http://www.danielboonehomestead.org/history.htm, Referenced 1-17-2008

www.danielboonetv.com, Referenced 1-17-2008

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761574826/Daniel_Boone.html, Referenced 1-17-2008

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/televisiontvthemelyrics-sciencefictionwesterns/danielboone.htm. Referenced 1-17-2008

Popular Culture or Myth Making the American Way

Popular Culture or Myth Making the American Way


The Great American Home is being foreclosed.

Today’s society believes we all deserve and are entitled to live the American Dream of Home ownership. No longer do individuals correlate hard work and saving for the future down payment, mortgage, insurance and upkeep; people actually believe the home is a right bestowed on them by some god or government. When the poor and unemployed see TV commercials about no money down, pay no interest for five years, bad credit, no credit home loans they can not conceptualize that the loan must be repaid by them and them alone.

Figure 1 American Home Loan Closed

The poor/welfare class has become so accustomed to having the government bail them out of life’s money crunch that they expect the same for the house payment. Somehow the poor/welfare class extrapolated that free food stamps, free training for a job, free medical care, free rent, and free utilities meant that all of life is free. Somewhere in the education, upbringing and observation of these wretched souls they simply came to believe that only the suckers work and the smart people know how to work the system. Mom and Pop made it through on the dole and the dole kept expanding to the point that the welfare class felt cradle to grave subsidies are a right of life; society has become so perverse and distorted that the poor actually believe they are entitled to live as the elite and the elite should be happy to pay.

Figure 2 Economy Based on Deck of Cards

Yes, somewhere along the line the dumpster divers and politicians sold the American voter on the notion that we really are created equal, we not only have a right to pursue happiness but we have the right to have it given to us. Unfortunately the joke was on all of America, there is no free ride, no God given right, the loans have come due and there is no one to bail out the extravagant life style we told all Americans they had a right too. The economy of no work, free rides, take what isn’t yours, is collapsing. There is no American Dream, just dreams and hopes; the world is what you make it and if you can not make anything then you are destined to serve someone who does.

3 Cultural Icons

Three Current Cultural Icons
January 17, 2008


Abstract

Three icons which come to mind are Macintosh, iPod and Paris Hilton. Apple Computer gave birth to two icons that have changed Americas view of computing and music. Paris Hilton single handedly made acting slovenly acceptable to the masses.



Where Did the Lemmings Go

Nothing says you are it, creative, hip, knowledgeable, tecno-savy, and a step above the masses like a Macintosh computer, and nothing says you are one of the rank and file masses like a Windows compatible PC. If you do not follow the crowd then you would naturally use a Mac.Apple Computer has carefully crafted the image of the Mac to be the computer for those who see the world in a different more intelligent light; the Mac is not for everyone as it changes those that use it to be free to put their creative talents to work. The true thinking person can not be concentrating on how to get the silly computer to work when there are world changing tasks at hand. Some people are bright enough to be converted to the Mac way while others are satisfied to follow the masses. You see the Macintosh is a religion of some perverse sort; ask Guy, or Rodney.
Icon = iPod

The iPod is a cultural icon (Brown)created by the iconic geniuses at Apple Computer. The iPod brings music to the world as it has never been delivered before, some would say (White) there is no music without iPod. No product has changed the way music is delivered and enjoyed. iPod has swept the world and changed the way business is done, and how news, music and TV are delivered. While other music players are copied without thought, people are unwilling to use a knock-off iPod (White) as it would be embarrassing.

One Night in Paris
Paris Hilton has made herself into an American icon by parlaying beauty, porn (Kevin), wealth and ditzy into fame. It is now fashionable for young girls to create their own porn video and upload to the web so that they too may become an overnight sensation in the footsteps of Paris Hilton. But wait there’s more; Paris has added the coolness in flaunting the breaking of the law and finding Jesus as a means to get out of jail free. The Paris wannabes have latched on to all the great new ways to be cool brought by icon de-jour.




Conclusion

Cultural icons are made by companies and by individuals, for profit or fame, there are no rules. Companies that wish to leave their mark need to keep their ear to the ground and finger on the pulse of the pop culture crowd and with concerted effort can make it big.

Reference:

Guy, http://www.user-groups.net/news/Guy/kawasaki.html
Rodney, http://lowendmac.com/things/010212.html
Brown, Jeffrey, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june06/ipod_05-15.html
White, Charlie, http://creativemac.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=35512
http://creativemac.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=35512
Kevin, http://wizbangblog.com/content/2003/11/06/paris-hilton-po.php

How Are Newspapers Surviving the WWW

How Are Newspapers Surviving the WWW

January 13, 2008

Abstract

Newspaper readership as a percentage of population began dropping in 1940 but the booming population kept the total number of readers on an upward swing until about 1970 according to Journalism.org. Today the World Wide Web has stolen readership and advertising to cause the financial destruction of newspapers.

Where did the readers go? 1940-1990

Newspaper readership began to drop as visual media and radio took off. The trend is glaringly obvious that when radio and television emerged people no longer needed the newspaper to keep abreast of local, state, national and world news. By 1940 an increasing active society no longer had time to sit and read the paper when they could listen to as they went about their day or see it in video on television while they ate their dinner.

It’s Ones and Zeroes Stupid

With the advent and acceptance of the World Wide Web the newspaper industry met its match. Although the writing is of lower quality, for the most part, the Web allowed every publisher wannabe to realize their dream. Suddenly the advertising dollars that were spread thin among traditional publishers were funneling into online ads, hence sounding the final bell for many traditional papers. According to Richard Perez Pena of the New York Times only a handful of newspapers are holding their own today. On Sunday 1-13-2008 The New York Times ran article on the plight of the returning American combat veterans, unfortunately so did over 1 million independent websites do the same for free (Google search 2008); little wonder over why the traditional papers can not keep their doors open in this type of environment.

Conclusion

The popular culture of today is lusting after instant, up to date news for free, regardless of the source. The broadest spectrum of our society has found that they can believe the internet news as readily as the print news and are rapidly moving toward the World Wide Web as the first choice for news.

Reference:

http://www.stateofthenewsmedia.com/narrative_newspapers_audience.asp?cat=3&media=2 , 2004. Retrieved 1-7=2008

Pena, Richard Perez http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/business/media/06adco.html?_r=2&ex=1352091600&en=4e80dbc034e15757&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=login&oref=slogin

Retrieved 1-12-2008

http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=returning+American+combat+veterans&btnG=Google+Search

Retrieved 1-13-2008

What is Popular Culture

Popular Culture Blog

Popular culture is the activities that the majority of a segment of a society engages in to such an extent that the activities are what define the day-to-day actions of the group. The art, music, education, discipline, family activities of the point in time that a group experience whether joyfully or not, is the culture of the population or group. When thinking of Popular Culture it is important to remember that not the entire world moves through the same Pop Culture at the same time.

Why, you may ask is it important to business to understand and use Popular Culture? It is important for a business to understand Popular Culture in order to understand the customer. If a business can understand the customer as well as what moves, motivates and needs they have, then the business may be able to market a product to them.

If we look at the immensely popular band of yesteryear The Who, ("Who are you" released August 25,1978 and went double platinum) whom helped shape the baby boomer view of the world , from a business standpoint we may find that we can use that popularity today to add the cool factor to a current product like TV shows. The popular series CSI has capitalized on what was once popular, to make money today. A song from 30 years ago jogs the memories of a generation and makes them want to watch a TV show today. That is Popular Culture being used by business successfully.