The Problem of Impatience

I think impatience is a problem in America because in many situations you have to take time and wait. Waiting is something done in everyday life whether it's at a stop light/sign, in line, or even on the telephone. Yes, it is good to get things done, but you don't need to force getting it done first or in a hurry. In class we discussed some negatives about impatience and the one that stuck out to me with the death during black Friday shopping. Also all the people driving who are in SUCH a hurry they stop caring about others safety and just weave right on through cars. I think being that impatient is ridiculous! Although I myself am impatient while waiting at a doctors office or in long lines at amusement parks, but I would never get so impatient to trample someone and kill them! I personally do not think impatience in America will ever be fixed. There are many people who are very impatient and I think something like that can't change. People can't just decide not to care when they're standing in line for a half hour just to check out their two groceries. Although, I think if people had something to do while waiting in lines or at places they wouldn't be thinking about how slow time is going by. In almost every situation you find an impatient person and I don't think that will ever change.

Results of Reality Television

Reality television can relate to and affect people in many different ways. There are some TV shows that show people in hard situations and shows things that they can do things that they think they can't such as: teen mom, intervention, and true life. People are sometimes put in hard situations and you can watch them do things to help them get through their hard times. This can also have a negative impact on people though. These shows showing teens having children and make young kids think that is okay, but really they are not ready. Also, there are a lot of television shows that show people drinking and fighting all the time. People see this as entertainment so they like to watch it. That is why I think it is so popular.

Popular Music

I think popular music today and masculinity and violence connect the most out of things we discussed in class. Many popular songs today about about violent things such as: fighting (guys or girls), killing, drugs, stealing, etc. I think if people get involved enough with songs or the artist, they might try being like them or do what they say to be cool. Also, today you see a lot of men wearing baggy pants, hats turned sideways, and bandannas. Where did these looks come from? Rappers. Most rappers do/used to dress this way. Another example is women allowing themselves to get beaten. This is something very commonly talked about in songs, and if women hear this is happening to other people they think it's okay if it's happening to them as well. I think popular music today has a very great impact on how people act. Music is a very big part of peoples lives. Music is played everywhere. There are also more and more electronics being made so music can be listened to all the time. The ideas being spread through music I think are sending a negative message which is leading to negative impacts.

Country and Hip-Hop

In society today, people listen to many different types of music genres. Two very popular genres are country and hip-hop. Although they're seen as two very different types of music, they do have some similarities. People are always talking about rap music being about killing and fighting, but country music also has some songs talking about going to the bar, getting drunk, and fighting for the girl you want to be with so technically, they're both showing some profanity. Although they may be talking about killing in fighting, most every country and rap song tells a story. Another thing that both country and rap have is growing numbers in women artists! Yes, there are a few things in common, but there are definitely more differences. These differences start all the way back to where the music was started. Country music was started in the southern part of the country, while rap was started in the more urban areas. Like I said before, both country and rap tell stories in their songs. Although, recently rap songs have been getting very aggressive with the choice of words making the artist sound angry. With country, the artists are sounding more depressed and upset. The biggest difference I see in these genres are country is more formal than rap, and rap seems much more aggressive.

How Popular Culture Is Changing Us

In class we discussed how popular culture is changing they way people act by seeing everything in the media. I do not think it's making people any one certain way, but I do think people are just changing in general. I especially think people are getting meaner. If someone doesn't look or act socially acceptable like seen on TV and in magazines, they get picked on and teased for it. Personally, I think they should look and act as they choose. It's their lives and they should be free to do what they'd like. Some people get messed with so bad about the way that they are it leads them to take their own lives, such as the Tyler Clementi case. I do not this this is healthy for the culture at all. If things are like this now, how will they be ten years from now? Everyone is going to keep pushing toward everyone looking and being like the ideal person. Magazines and television shows are going to keep finding the 'hottest' people they can to star in their shows. Not only does that make society unhealthy, it makes people unhealthy too. Some people take things to extremes just to look like those 'hot' people. I believe all these things are effecting society equally. Some things are noticed more then others, but some things people do are also sometimes kept secret. Nobody never knew making fun of Tyler would lead him to do what he did, but it's our society's fault as a whole. If there were gay people in the media would he not have been made fun of? I don't think he would've. If anyone is like, or trying to be like someone in the media their considered 'cool.' It's time for popular culture so accept everything to make our society healthier as a whole.

What is a "Manly Man?"

In society today women aren't the only ones who have to live up to tough standards of being considered "sexy," but men are as well. In class, the survey we took shows that muscles and being athelitic or having an atheletic body are the top to things that make a man manly. I personally did write both of these things down. When considering what's sexy or manly, of course someone  is going to put their perferred physical appearances. In being considered manly, I do not think you have to be huge and muscular, or play sports. For some men it is harder to attain those muscular six pack abs and be naturally gifted with sports. On the survey, confidence was voted number three. I may not think you need muscles or have to play sports to be manly, but I do think confidence is very important in being considered a man. Without confidence, you wouldn't be able to do anything such as: get a job, be able to have a family, or even talk to many people in general. Pretty much all in all our society determines whether someone is sexy or manly by physical apperance which is unfortunate but it is what it is.

"Only Two Percent of Women Describe Themselves as Beautiful".. unbelieveable!!

Now that we have read six articles for Popular Culture, look back on those six articles (from Aug. 31-Sep. 14) and explain which of these six articles provides the most provocative and interesting information for the reader.  Why is this information interesting?  Is this information also something that is important for the reader to know or think about?  Why or why not?

-Of the six articles we read, I think the most provocative and interesting to me was "Only Two Percent of Women Describe Themselves as Beautiful," but Dove, Strategy One, Nancy Etcoff, and Susie Orbach. The thing that caught my attention with this article was that the percent of women who think they're beautiful is so low, and the fact that they did actual tests/surveys to prove it. The reason women think they aren't beautiful is because they don't look how our society expects them too. Well America, not all girls can have that perfect body and face like everyone would like! Also, not every women can afford to get surgical procedures to look that way! I think this information is important for the reader to think about because then they can see the impact our society actually has on women. We should not judge wether someone is beautiful or not by just wants on the outside, but what's on the inside as well.

What is the proper role of pornography in American society?

I think porn plays a bad role in American society because so many people are involved with it and get so obsessed with it. It takes up so much time in peoples lives and does them no good. Whether they're sitting at home watching it on their tv or watching it on the internet; it's everywhere! Porn can become a bad habit to anyone like the man we saw who lost everything because he was so obsessed and involved with porn. People say porn is their "escape" or helps them have their own time, but that's where the addiction starts. It also makes people think that they need to be like the girls or the guys being filmed, or even act as they do. Also, it puts a sterotype on housewives, school girls, and others.

 

Do we focus on physical beauty too much?

I definitely think our culture focuses on being beautiful too much. In class we discussed that your appearence can effect whether someone gets a job or not over someone else. Yes, you need to be presentable, but you don't need to be the perfect descripiton of beauty. Someone could be not as goof looking as someone else, but does work so much better and they wouldn't get the opportunity to show that. I think our society makes a very unhealty picture for beauty. On televison shows and in magazines you rarely see a plus sized girls, or a girls with braces and glasses because that isn't considered beautiful in our society so they don't want to advertise it. Being considered beautiful in our culture today is very had for anyone.

Is our popular culture healthy in regaurds to beauty?

I do not think our popular culture is healthy in regaurds to beauty because some women physically are unable to be Pamela Anderson beautiful and it really gets to them when they don't look like that. Also, it makes our culture look bad when women don't look like that since they expect them too. Although, Pamela Anderson is not naturally beautiful that is our cultures beautiful icon. Not all women can afford surgeries and procedures too look beautiful and fix their natural flaws. Our culture should not have a beautiful icon because beautiful should be determined what is on the inside as well.

How do you respond to the arguments that have been made in this weeks reading?

I enjoyed the arguments that have been made this week. For me personally, it put a different outlook on beauty. I was one of those people thinking you have to be celebrity pretty to be considered a beautiful person, but now I know some people don't like that fake look and true beauty is really on the inside. I was also very surprised that some people didn't like the perfect face, perfect body, celebrity look. The different ways people view the body and determine if someone is beautiful is very interesting to me.