1-3 Journal Article Analysis

The article I chose to analyze is called Commodification and Popular Imagery of the
Biker in American Culture. The intended audience that this article is aimed at appears to be the general public in an attempt to educate. The article appears to be an analysis in itself of the biker image and it's evolution to what it is today. The writers of the article were very detailed in their analysis. In the beginning of the article they write about commodification of our society in general through products and mass production. There is a suggestion that we as an American society associate happiness and fitting in, with buying certain products and having certain things. I believe this to be true and see this as something that is evolving still today. Even me growing up have associated success in my life with one day owning a nice new car and my own house, having the clothes I want and going on trips. This pressure in America to have money and things is getting a rough go around right now since the recent recession. Now Americans are associating just having a job period as something to make you happy and fitting in with the rest of society.

As the article goes on the writers delve into an analysis of the commodification of the image of the American biker. The writers believe that the increase in popularity of motorcycles and this image is in response to the commodification of a rebellious look created in the past and attracted to capitalists to sell products to people who seek to look adventurous and express their rebelliousness.  This is amplified by the media and sold to consumers to help them create this identity that they want. The writers suggest that bikers currently are more interested in looking like a member of this "consumer tribe" than they are actually interested in riding. I for one have to agree. I think this is definately a stereotype but that it is very true. I think that a lot of these bikers today are not as hard and rebellious as they like to put on that they are. But they want to have that look and fit into this group. I work with people like this, live next to people like this and am related to people like this.

Also in the article they describe the imagery associated with bikers, the history behind it and the new millenium image and lifestyle of the American Motorcyclists. I found the article to be a very interesting read and I really enjoyed reading it. It made a lot of sense to me and I learned a lot from this article about the stereotypes of bikers right down to the leathers jacket. I found that interesting how they mentioned that the leather jacket is an icon in the article. What a good read for anyone interested in biking or anyone that knows a lot about biking.

Reference

Commodification and Popular Imagery of the Biker in American Culture

AUSTIN, D. MARK¹; GAGNE, PATRICIA¹; OREND, ANGELA¹

1. University of Louisville

[The publisher, Blackwell Publishing Inc, does not provide an abstract for this article.]

 http://0-journals.ohiolink.edu.olinkserver.franklin.edu/ejc/pdf.cgi/AUSTIN_D._MARK.pdf?issn=00223840&issue=v43i0005&article=942_capiotbiac

Weekly Analysis #5 Horror Films - Why are they popular?

          One thing that I ask myself when I think of horror films is; why do people like these films? Why do I like these films? These films are filled with terror and trauma. Some of them filled with sadistic torture, others with creepy supernatural mysteries. Sometimes they are a little too gruesome for my taste and absolutely terrifying. What is it that attracts enough people to generate millions of fans and dollars?  Not only do we have fans of the films that are a part of this but we also have the creators, writers, directors, etc. who are all in the same love boat with horror. Something in the brain of these fans is attracted to the blood, trauma and the rush you get from watching these movies play out. Personally I enjoy the shock value you get from the films; I like the rush I get from the suspense. I like to be shocked and scared and I think the creepiness of the movies and the scenery is neat. This must be the case for most people as well. I asked a friend why he likes these films, he said; "being scared is fun".

         There is most definately a formula followed in each of these films. You have the happy go lucky normal in the beginning where you meet the main characters. Then the shredding begins and the horror, the good people are struggling the entire time to outwit and escape the bad guy. The viewer is sent through a horrific journey with the characters, then in the end someone always escapes and you are left wondering if there will be a sequel where the bad guys comes back to attack again. One common occurence in the horror film is the death of the bad guy, who really isn't dead and then he comes back to kill a few times more. Often times there is a romance involved in the film as well. I like in the end when someone is triumphant over the evil characters. I often sometimes like for the evil characters to win. Very rarely do they though. The makeup and sets on these films is really what attracts me as well. I think that would be a great industry to work in and would be so much fun to be able to do the makeup and costumes.

        Since it's Halloween I think that you should pop in a good classic horror film, turn the lights out and scare yourself tonight. According to a lot of people, that's fun!

Rock Band! Taking Karaoke to the Next Level-Weekly Analysis #4

             Rock Band is a super fun music video game. The game can have up to four players and each player has a musical instrument that is the controller as well so you can perform as a band together. I own Rock Band 2 with the entire set of instruments. The first night that I bought the game my boyfriend and I were up until 2am playing. We formed our own band and went on tour earning trophies and getting more and more addicted. It is a perfect way to fantasize about being in a band when you have absolutely no musical talent. You sort of feel like you are playing the instruments, you can sing as well with the microphone, just like karaoke. Rock Band is like taking karaoke to the next level. 

            “The last few years have been another boom time for the gaming industry.” (Petracca & Sorapure 2007, p.99) This is a very true statement. The newest waves of gaming systems out today have internet capabilities and amazing graphics that were never even imagined possible 20 years ago. This has made video games able to thrive and evolve. A game so interactive such as Rock Band is something completely new and a more active way for gamers and music fans to enjoy this type of game. One thing I've noticed about this game is how it has attracted a certain type of crowd to it. The trend is for the “rocker/punk” type kids to be associated with playing this game. The packaging of the game and the style is aimed at marketing toward this specific crowd and it is successful.

              Rock  Band has some competition such as Guitar Hero which is a similar music video game, but I think that Rock Band will be able to stay afloat even when this competition is involved. People always want something different, whatever is newest and most recent and in the video game world things are always getting updated and outdated. You really need to keep watch closely to stay in touch with the happenings in the gaming world. I hope that Rock Band stays around for a while because lots of people get a lot of fun out of playing it. I know families that play together for family night and kids that play together forming their own bands. It's good clean fun.

Resources

Petra cca, M. & Sorapure, M. (2007). Common culture: Reading and Writing About American Popular Culture. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Assignment 1-5 Module 4 (1945-1960 Music and Science)

MUSIC

Music is a huge part of life. Music is something that everyone seems to enjoy, I have never met a person that said they don't like music.Through the years music has evolved and changed into very many different styles and still manages to keep evolving even still. My parents were born around the year 1945. Their taste in music was influenced by music that was produced in the time period of 1945-1960 and one thing I've noticed is that they still listen to much of the same music today, it's what they really enjoy. When I was a teenager in the 90's I had no clue why my parents enjoyed this music, I thought it was boring and lame. But now that I'm not so concerned with "being cool" I can honestly say that the music from these periods is of high quality and these musicians had some real talent and that what made them popular back in this time. Not because they had a good looking body alone. I called my mom and she said during this time period music was accessible by radio and then mostly from 1945 to 1969 was available on record. There were radios in cars so you could listen to those but if you didn't have a television that would be what you did, sit in front of the radio and listen. Below are a couple of hits from these dates.

Don't Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters 1945

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMnLoOnrwbg

Sam Cooke "Chain Gang" 1960

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmZdvVnMXCc

My mother also said that much of the racial integration during this time period was assisted by music. She said that you had to play music at a club for your race only. But many of the African American musicians were so extremely good that this attracted many of the whites to want to attend their shows. This assisted with integrating of the races.


SCIENCE

Below is a link to a time line of scientific discoveries. Between the years of 1940 and 1960 there were several biological scientific discoveries, such as finding the cancer cell line and the helical structure for DNA. The first transistor was invented as well. One thing I would like to mention in regards to science for this period was the fascination with it in the are of movies. Science fiction films were hugely popular. I love watching these old sci fi movies and totally crack up when I watch the trailers.

http://www.wattpad.com/22971-timeline-of-scientific-discoveries

The Cosmic Monsters trailer. 1950's Sci-Fi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W7iIxjWhz4

Going “Green” to Make “Green” Weekly Analysis #3

            Since  I was a child I have been worried about the environment and the negative impact that humans have on the earth. In the last twenty years of my life I’ve seen a steady increase of interest in these causes and now everywhere you look businesses and individuals are “going green” in an effort to conserve our resources and reduce our negative impact on the environment. I think this is absolutely wonderful and I am so happy to see this type of thinking being taken seriously and begin to catch on in mainstream society.

Sometimes I question when I see a business “go green” if it is legit or if they are just using this as a type of advertising technique to make more “green” for their wallets. I question this especially now since the eco-friendly interest is on the rise and consumers like me only want to purchase these eco-friendly products.

Everyone should be aware these products come at a higher cost due to the nature of how the products are produced being so much more expensive. But sometimes if the products are no different than an ordinary product and they are advertised in a way that makes it look “green” then businesses can attract consumers like me who are seeking out these eco-friendly products. For example I picked up mascara at the store labeled “Organic Wear” which made me think organic and safer, more eco-friendly. I compared the mascara ingredients to a regularly packaged mascara and the ingredients we identical. “Organic Wear” was the just name of the brand; also the way it was packaged made it look sort of earthy. But nothing about that mascara was any different than the regular version, just the packaging. “Is it not possible that in their selective and carefully calculated use of outside information, advertisers have the power to focus consumer attention exclusively on the positive, i.e., on what is good about the brand or even the entire product class?’ (Petracca & Sorapure 2007, p.99). So the “Organic Wear” mascara is no different than any regular mascara but the company has a strategy here by making it look less harmful in the packaging, it can easily convince a consumer to believe that it is.

So in our quest as a society to “go green” as consumers we must be aware there are companies out there looking to get more “green” in their wallets by tricking us with their intentional packaging and misleading words.

Assignment 2-1 Weekly Written Analysis 2

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is one of the most hilarious American television sitcoms I’ve seen in years that didn’t get canceled after the first season. The show premiered on August 4, 2005 on FX and is now signed to complete up to at least a seventh season with FX. Comedy Central is even airing re runs of the older seasons. The show as developed by Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day, who also star in the show, the show focuses on the daily shenanigans of “The Gang” a group of very selfish friends who run an unsuccessful bar called Paddy’s Pub in South Philadelphia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_Always_Sunny_in_Philadelphia).

The writers and actors in this show have managed to take serious topics such as racism, terrorism, mental illness and drug addiction to a level of hilarity that I can’t quite explain. For these writers and actors to portray situations like where in one episode two characters get addicted to cocaine on purpose to attempt to get welfare money, to make that funny and acceptable for television takes talent. Adding Danny Devito to the series in the third season added even more of a fan base for the show and helped seal the deal for the remaining seasons as well. I love all the characters in the show and I think the majority of everyone I talk with about the show feels the same way about all the characters. They are all just equally important to the show and provide something valuable to the show.

The show pushes the envelope and that is what makes it stand out and so entertaining, a lot of what is seen on the show are things you would never imagine doing yourself. “Paradoxically, television’s greatest benefit is its potential to broaden our experience, to bring us to a place we could never visit, to people we could never meet, and to a range of ideas otherwise unavailable to many people.” (Petracca & Sorapure 2007, p. 144). A lot of the ideas on this show you might not want to ever experience or meet. But you can certainly watch, laugh and be shocked.

Resources

Petra cca, M. & Sorapure, M. (2007). Common culture: Reading and Writing About American Popular Culture. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_Always_Sunny_in_Philadelphia

Assignment 2-2 Icon Analysis

 Icon's per Linduh.

The IPod is a portable media device that is completely awesome. I cringe to think about life without my IPod. I have had one since they first came out and will continue to buy them until they quit making them. I store music, movies and pictures . This icon is hugely popular and it seems like every day they are coming out with updated models. This device is one that is popular for all generations and it is even used for education. I think the IPod is here to stay for a long time.

Nintendo Wii is a fantastic video game console. I absolutely had to buy one when it came out. Some of the best money I have ever spent was on my Nintendo Wii. You can download all the classic games on it like Super Mario from the 1^st NES and just about any classic NES game you can think of. And there are all new games that Nintendo has made for this console as well. Now I watch Netflix instant streaming movies and television shows through my Nintendo Wii. This was the first game console with the remote like it has with the motion sensor. It was hugely popular when it first came out and is still holding strong today.

Beavis and Butthead are icons from my childhood. When Beavis and Butthead first came out on MTV it was groundbreaking. Parents all over the country were disgusted by the actions of these two stupid boys and were trying to censor their children from watching them for fear they would be influenced negatively. My parents included. I would sneak around at night to watch these morons and loved every minute of it. Now I still watch episodes and laugh. I've heard they are going to be coming out with new episodes in the future of Beavis and Butthead. They are true one of a kind icons.

I chose these three icons because they are a few of my personal favorite icons. All three of these icons provide entertainment for me and a lot of the world. These icons are fun and can help you to escape from your problems and worries. I think we all could use a little escape from reality to have some fun, listen to some music, play some games and laugh at a stupid and funny show. These type of icons continue to grow and change but ones such as these three stand out amongst the crowd.