Hello all — the readings/viewings due for next week are as follows:
- “Why Theory?” p. 1-9, TT (Theory Toolbox)
- “Popular Signs: Or, Everything You Always Knew About American Culture (but
Nobody Asked)”, p. 1- 15, SOL (Signs of Life) — handed out in class, but the book is now available in the bookstore for purchase. - View: Encode This Decode That
Please consider the following questions (below) as you read. You do not have to answer any specific set of questions listed below, and you are also free to write about something else that takes your attention, but your discussion about each reading should be thoughtful and critical, paying particular attention to the themes or major ideas presented within both readings.
Be sure to address BOTH readings, and also engage in a discussion with your student colleagues. Do not merely repeat what another student writes, but rather discuss your own thoughts as they relate to those of others. When appropriate, be sure to provide examples, either textual or contextual (examples outside of the readings). If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me.
1) What examples can you provide, personal or otherwise, in which the use of theory might prove useful? Explain why.
2) In what ways do the readings emphasize some of what we discussed in class? What
new ideas or thoughts are presented that were not discussed in the last class?
3) After reading the Introduction to Popular Signs, in what ways do both artifacts presented in our last class (Santa Pug and the Vejigante statuette) potentially blur the boundaries between high and low cultures?
4) What is your understanding of “signs” of culture? In other words, what is a “sign” and what do signs mean for our understanding of culture/s? What examples might you provide that are not provided already by the text?
5) Explain what you believe is the significance of the title “Encode This Decode That” after watching the video. How does the video relate to the readings and/or discussions we had in class?
* Again, if something else takes your attention that you would like to discuss, please feel free to do so. I might interject comments of my own as responses are posted, to help you blog and share ideas with others.
September 12, 2007 at 8:15 pm
Theory is useful to support your statement. A great example I can think of is global warming. There has been much debate as to whether it exists or not. Scientists who do believe it is true have provided great scientific facts and even visuals to prove so! There has been article after article, news reports, movies and so many different facts to support it and this helps people believe that the theory does exist. Without it we probably wouldn’t even notice global warming exists! The Theory Toolbox made a point saying that when people don’t support their theories with facts a lot of debates end up in the he-said, she-said cycle.
Although the Santa Pug probably came from a big sweat shop to be sold to chain stores in the United States and the Vejigante was hand-made and sold in an outdoor market they both came from very similar people. They were both made by very low-income people trying to earn a living by manufacturing something.
Encode This Encode that was a video on how media plays a daily role in our lives. Some things were hard to understand because of the music playing but overall, I believe that is what it was. The guy on the bed seemed bored because TV basically is news with a lot of controversial stories, brainwashing commercials and those corny infomercials. Media was not a topic we specifically talked about in class but I’m sure it will soon be brought up. What I didn’t get was why the guy laying on the bed had a Ziploc bag on his stomach. Can anyone guess why?
What greatly caught my attention while reading about the Volkswagen Beetle in “Signs of Life in the USA” was that a lot of symbols from the past generations are coming back. The flowery sun-dress that women wear today are a great symbol of the clothing the nature-loving hippies in the 70’s and women wearing tights, that’s so 80’s! Can anyone think of anything else that is not related to fashion?
See you all in class!
September 12, 2007 at 10:57 pm
1) I also think theory is very usefulin backing your statements or beliefs. For example, when talking about philisophical or poitical topics, theory is a must. If you were in a conversation and the subject of the Big Bang Theory came up, you would be able to understand. A lesser example would be if a music student had not been introduced to music theory, he would probably have a less understanding of the reading of music. Both of these show that theory is a way of giving people facts instead of having them blindly believe stuff.
I think that the readings show that there will always be a gap in culture between the high and low culture. I agree with what Evelyn says about the Santa Pug and the Vejigante. They were both made by very similar people, but I also think that they were made for different people. A more intellectual or “elite” person may not have the same appreciation toward a Santa Pug than a historical artifact like the Vejigante. While the average person may like the Santa Pug just fine.
I think a “sign” of culture just shows us the way that the times are changing. Usually culture is the first to show how our worldview or mindset changes. I think these signs show us where our culture is headed. For example, movies that show acceptance or understanding of a topic that was considered too risky back in the day influences how we will think about it today or in the future.
“Encode This Encode That is a great title for the video. It shows how we are constantly bombarded with media and so forth. The guy looked like he was either exhausted or brain dead. I think it shows how hard it can be from finding real meaning in culture vs. all the other worthless stuff that gets thrown at us. And I was also a little confused about the ziplock bag…
I agree that 70’s-80’s style of clothing is coming back. I also think that a lot of the bands coming out have the 60’s style vibe going on. I’m not sure if thats a good or bad thing, Probably a bad thing.. I have nothing aginst hippies. Just the music.
September 12, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Hey everyone, let me start off by saying that I’m sorry when I went to the school bookstore to buy my books they were out of “The Theory Toolbox,” so I was unable to read that section of the homework. I thought that encode this decode that did an awesome job showing us what how tv is a constantly presenting us with both beneficial and enlightening programming that give us a window to our culture and information about our world, and just plain crap such as infomercials and cheap entertainment. I thought that the video was pretty terrible and would have rather done an assignment in which I could watch TV and see for myself what I could find out there on that airwaves, but none the less I go understood the point. I see how we as humans living in the 21st century are subjected to so many opinions and biases in our day to day lives thru advertisements and the media we must decide to decode what is being said, sometimes with our own intuition or experience and other times by taking on what we are being told to.
I loved in SOL the section about how Americans are bored with their lives to the point that they need alternate realities thru TV shows specifically reality TV to escape the everyday monotony of life and see and alternate world where lying and cheating is an asset to the big payout in the end rather that working hard to earn a salary. I would like to pose this question to you guys…do you think that the reality tv comment about Americans being bored with their lives is only an American problem? Is it western culture or the whole world I am curious to see what you guys think.
Another thing I was interested by was the cycle of popularity in this case the VW beetle and how back in the day it was popular disappeared and reappeared 20 years later “bigger and better” and more popular. This reminds me of one thing that has always fascinated me about popular culture is it’s circular nature you can see reoccurring trends in music and clothing, look at a magazine from the 60’s and 70’s and walk into Urban Outfitters and I guarantee you would see at thing imitating the relics of our past. it is so interesting to me how styles can change and come back over time and who is it that decides what will/wont be popular?is it us the consumers or is it somone else?
Well that’s all for now I’ll see you all in class tomorrow
September 12, 2007 at 8:13 pm
I too, checked the book store and was unable to find TT, and I also arrived late to class, so I missed the video. I was able to read SOL. I found the reading to be very interesting because we as people, especially Americans, do live with signs daily and do not think about them. For example, the section about haircuts. You never put any thought beyond fact that you like a certain style which is why you get it cut that way. There’s alot more behind a simple hair doo. It reflects a lot about your character before you even speak. It can tell us if your clean and sophisticated or adventures and out going, although we shouldn’t completely judge a book by its cover.
Oh and to respond to Daniel’s question, I can’t necessarily say if people outside of America become bored with their life to where they need entertainment like reality tv to compensate, although I do believe some imagine of living another life, like a kid in India wondering what life is like here in America. I think it IS America’s problem that we’re bored with our lives and need reality tv as entertainment, because we take too much for granted so we over look sources of happiness and entertainment right under our noses. And we live in economy where money makes the world go round. In other words, money dictates a lot here in America. So with that said, money paints unrealistic pictures of life, like in music videos where one person owns 60 cars, and we envy what we don’t have. And actually, with reality tv, except for the real world, there’s nothing real about it. Its all just tricks to what “we’d like to see” thrown into live cameras and real people.
September 12, 2007 at 9:23 pm
their are all different ways in which i think of culture. the food and clothing and music. i really had a tough time understanding this chapter the language was to wordy for me.
i definitely loved the video i felt like it was talking about how much we are so influenced by the media and how they use it to their advantage to make all sorts of profits. the mix between family guy and the advertising, the family guy episodes i really understood the nuns and then switching to the hootchie girls and then making out and the wet t-shirt thing i believe that, that’s what guys want a good girl and then a girl that has a bad side that’s willing to do anything . the title “encode this and decode that” means to understand what’s happening and the things that aren’t so clean cut and out their find the hidden meanings.
September 13, 2007 at 10:41 am
“encode this, decode that” was an excellent title for that video: to me, it signified all the “hiding” that is done in American media. We are rarely told the truth; the truth is given to us in a “secret code.” I know I sound conspiracy-paranoid, but seriously. The part of the video that stood out most to me was towards the end, with the repetition of the phrase “You need sonic blade (or whatever it was called) every single day.” The media is constantly telling us what we should want and making it sound like it is something we need. It starts with things as simple as a kitchen device, or a subway sandwich, but it grows and grows until the message is actually “you need US (the media) every single day.” In 8th grade they made us take a survey about television, etc. Most of the kids in my class said, “I can’t live without television.” I, coming from a less priveleged home when I was younger, couldn’t understand that at all. I still don’t!
The SOL reading talked about several things that caught my attention, the first of which was described as “mass culture and mass production.” Even though Paris Hilton is far, far away (thank god) she still reaches most of us SOMEHOW (trashy magazines, TV, etc.) despite the distance. She reaches a mass audience even though she lives in her tiny little world: Paris Hilton has been mass produced. (As long as they don’t make a Barbie doll of HER, then I can stomach that.)
SOL said it may feel a little odd to search for political meaning in the tiniest of things—like Janet Jackson’s boob incident at the Super Bowl however many years ago—but if you think just for one second longer, it won’t feel odd anymore. It will feel like duty. (In my opinion, anyway.)
The last thing that interested me in SOL was something I have gone crazy about for, like, a decade. The display of “docile housewives” on television in an attempt to convince the world (and women) that women are meant to be in the house: I mean, look how happy they are, right? That’s just crazy. The line that sent it home for me was “Such images—or signs—did not reflect reality; they reflected, rather, the interests of a patriarchal, male-centered society.” SO F-ING TRUE.
Ok, I’m done. I have to go to work. See you all in class.
September 13, 2007 at 10:58 am
Hey everyone ,i`m sorry my respond is last minute my laptop was kidnaped by daughter.i read the sol article and everyones statement they were great, so here`s mine.i agree with daniel on the sol readings about the realityshows thirst for the big pay out(american idol,so you think you can dance,lost,etc)i belive that they are the game shows of today`s era.my era the game shows were hollywood squares ,the dating game, the gongshow,priceis right, just to name a few.(yes i`m 45).if we read between the lines and look at the trend of most reality shows today they have the same plot and are out for the money which mostly comes from advertisement. our thirst for these shows have also tarnish our court system giving us false beliefs on how a court room operates!!sean said it like it is,our thirst for money and power is the bottom line.
the clothing and hairstylesthat were out in the 60s-70s were apart of a political statement(in most cases).The afro,was a statement of individuality, today it`s a commercialized hairstyle that`s only a fashiontrend(money).the vw beetle was called the peace mobile,this car saved gas and they were very cheap to buy today thats not the case a v.w CAN COST UP TO30,000.
the items that come back today are controlled buy sportsfigures,people of entertainment,and of course the media
good point sean,the bottom line is the thirst for money,dollars andcents,not commonsense.
September 13, 2007 at 12:08 pm
First off when I stopped in the bookstore this morning they did not have the Theory Toolbox book. Apparently I’m not the only one who wasn’t able to aquire the book. Anyway I wanted to adress the question that Daniel had asked about Americans being bored with their lives. I really don’t think it is only Americans that feel this way. Being from a family that comes from Western Europe people there feel the same way. But, I’m not so sure its boredum that drives people to watch these programs. I think its more for the entertainment value and to watch people make complete fools of themselves on national televison. Really people all over America and the western world thrive off of other peoples embarrassment and misery. That is just the kind of world we live in now days.
As for the 70s/80s clothing coming back it is so people will just have to deal with it. The one thing that gets me on it though is the fact that it is all so commericalized. Americans are so materialistic that if it shows up in the pages of instyle or vogue they have to have it. I also agree with what Anderw said on the music aspect of it. More bands today sound like something out of the 60s. I don’t like that at all.
Alright that is all i have to say wheather it made any sense or not.
See you in class everyone.
September 13, 2007 at 1:48 pm
When reading this article I was becoming board until it started to speak of signs and messages. The article said that everywhere we stand signs surround us whether we can identify them or not. I looked at music as an example, sometimes we think we know what a song is saying but r we sure. Yeah, the writer could give u a clear understanding of what they are saying but I think that it depends upon the person. Each person identify through a song by what they been through, their culture. Sings are all around us, I agree with Olivia when she says that the world is materialistic but I think it’s up to see the sings and distance our self from that.
September 13, 2007 at 2:12 pm
My understanding of a sign of culture is an object or just plain anything that can be read beyond what it states. The example I was most attracted to was the picture of the old sitcom Leave It to Beaver. The actual show is where the viewer receives the idea of popular culture in those days. The father is the man of the house and the mother is the housewife. There is signs everywhere. One of the biggest one would have to be the media. For example the Advertisements for Kool Cigarettes. You can check these out for yourself.
http://www.subliminalworld.org/cool.htm
The video was intresting to watch and takes me back to the point of the media. When speaking about popular culture the media is where it begins. It wants you to think you need the unecessary objects like an ipod, or even more relevant a cell phone. When i was growing up all there was were house phones. I here people state all the time that they NEED their cellphones. Olivia C said the same about television. The best part of the video would have to be when a student said that having knowledge over some one is having power over some one. People that are not aware are the one’s that get seduced into the so called pop culture. So we should be aware of our surroundings.
September 13, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Unfortunately, I had the same problem as many of the other students. Theory Toolbox was sold out at the Columbia bookstore, the bookstore on State Street, the Barnes & Noble in the DePaul Center, and it was checked out of the Columbia library. If anyone knows where I can find one, or if they could lend me a copy until I do, please let me know.
Anyway, I watched the video first. The guy laying on the bed with the ziplock bag on his belly made me instantly think couch potato. I thought of my own ability to sit back and become mesmerized by the television while eating mindlessly (I think maybe that’s where the ziplock bag fits in?). It’s unbelievable how much time Americans waste watching television, and the content of the video only reminded me of how terrible the programming is. Yet, it all has a hidden agenda. Those boring commercials that we sit through come packed with logos and sensationalized images. The news only shows the most fascinating stories (generally the most violent first). Everything has a bias to feed to us. Every station, every television show, and every commercial has some corporate person controlling what we see and hear and what we don’t see or hear. The episode of Family Guy reminded me of American History class last year, when my teacher explained his reasons for watching silly cartoons like Family Guy and South Park, as well as comedy central shows like The Steven Colbert Report. He told us that despite what seemed like just a television show, there were serious political ideas being presented (which fits with the SOL reading).
As for the Popular Signs reading, it made me think of my dislike of reality television, while reminding me of how I easily get sucked into watching it. Laguna Beach had a marathon last year, and unfortunately I started watching it. Then, I started watching The Hills. There’s no great plot line, I can’t relate to the lifestyle of the characters, and I get sick of seeing the same MTV commercials every second. Yet, I keep watching because something in their dramatic lives has drawn me in, and I anticipate what will happen on the next episode.Will Heidi marry that idiot who spray paints the living room wall? It’s not challenging my mind in any way, just entertaining that little part of me that says I’m glad I’m not in her shoes.
The section on Americans being passively entertained really made me think. As a music lover, I go to shows and sit back to watch the band perform, or I put my headphones on to zone out while working on something. I definitely see how we are not actively participating in our own entertainment. This goes back to the whole television concept, as well.
I thought of our class discussion when I read the part about exploiting our knowledge of popular culture (7th page?). The Santa Pug had meaning that we took for granted while the Vejigante statuette made us really think and ask more questions because we were not familiar with it. The author explained the semiotic method thoroughly. I appreciated that it went step-by-step with the Volkswagen, because it really gave me a sense of how to do so with my own observations of objects from popular culture.
Sorry this is so long and all over the place, I’m a first time blogger.
September 13, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Wow. I was worried that I would be alone on this one but obviously not… I even tried today to get Theory Toolbox and the bookstore was still out of it. Anyway, I really enjoyed encode this, decode that. The combination of that short video and the article you gave us to read was kind of like a rude awakening. With Encode this, decode that, it really shows you how much the media is controlling you. Even the news.. there was a huge accident or something happened and they were just pushing these people trying to actually help just to get the story FIRST. They didnt care about anyone. It was about the ratings and who can do it before everyone else. Then with the family guy shorts, it like sad but true. they make a tough situation light hearted kind of to relieve the burden of the not so good things that are going on in our society. And then the infomertials are where they really get you. You wake up in the middle of the night and turn on the tv and you are almost automatically drawn into this sale. Its almost like they hypnotize you: “you need this. you want this. ill help you. you know you need this and let me tell you why.” over and over again.
In the article we had to read, its almost like a rude awakening in another way. you dont think of yourself watching these programs to escape but thats really whats it’s like. Thats why there is the huge joke about housewives sitting at home during the day in front of the tv watching her soaps folding laundry. That was her only escape: who was going to sleep with who, who was going to die this time, who was going to blackmail who. She obviously didnt have any of this excitement going on for real in her life, so when she watched the soaps she got a taste of the betrayal and the lust. This has been going on for a long time. I remember when i was little, we would always watch lifestyles of the rich and famous and now today people watch the simple life or laguna beach. people dont feel like they live exciting enough lives on there own, they have to live vicariously through other peoples. Even with tabloid addiction. My sister buys a new life and style every week… she cant live without it and i know there are millions of people like that. I totally agree with the first chapter you gave us, we are definately and entertainment culture.
September 13, 2007 at 3:50 pm
I never realized how much theory came into life. I read the “Theory Toolbox” and thought that they were exaggerating. Who cares about theory, it’s closer to superstitions than truth. Then I realized that there is so much more, theory is not black and white. I guess it’s not gray either…it’s like a rainbow of expression which shows off someone’s beliefs, thoughts or motives in life. I found that more than the chapter, the song explained theory and opinion perfectly.
“ Each day seems like a natural fact, and what we think is how we act.”
One thing that I was confused about was the natural fact. It was brought up a lot this term of “natural fact.”
“Everything comes from somewhere, exists and functions in a particular context or set of contexts; there’s no such thing as a natural fact.”
I don’t really agree with that statement. I believe that there is natural fact. Not everything is just a theory. Although when thinking about what the man said, the man about the lottery, that to me sounded like a superstition.
“Encode this and Decode that” was a good interpretation of the way the media is in America today. Although it was very bias.
I agree with Evelyn Torres when it comes to the Santa pug and the statue. It shows how people buy stuff for the reason of amusement and entertainment. Evelyn’s point was perfect. Although one object is more esthetic, they both come from low income people and are sold to at least middle class people.
“The Signs of Life in the USA” was interesting to read. But that as well seemed bias to me. I mean i guess thats what the book is really about, but a second opinion without a condescending tone would be great. The opening paragraph just seemed sarcastic as all hell. it wasn’t a great way for me to understand or want to understand the point that this passage was trying to say.
The classroom connection part was the most interesting to me. The talk of semiotic interpretation was what I felt to be the realest part of the chapter, as well as the most informative.
To answer Daniel’s question about fashion and who chooses what’s in and what’s out. I believe it’s “The Man” lol. Really I believe that they can shift us either way, and when I say they I mean people that control the media. They can show a trend on t.v and use the popular actresses and actors as puppets. We as a society strive to be accepted. We believe that if we buy the shirt Jessica Alba is wearing in her new movie that somehow we to will be accepted by everyone that idolizes her. It makes me sad when I think of it but we are like puppets. Even if you try to revolt, even if you start to revolutionize, you are doing exactly what they want and could be the new trend.
Seee u all in class!
September 13, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Hello everyone, I have been buying books online because I have been able to find them at a fraction of the price but unfortunetly i havnt gotten my signs book as of yet and all i have to base this comment on is the theory toolbox pages. I read the pages and the whole time im reading im thinking to myself, man i really have to pay extra attention because this isnt really something i would just go off and ready by myself cause i feel like it. So as i was reading it there are points in the book where its talking about theory and what people use that theory for and how they let that effect their decisions. And while im reading this im just thinking to myself, ok so theory effects my decision I kinda already knew that. That was my thought until I got to the example in the book on I believe its page 5 of the writers friends father. He drives an hour away every week to the boarder of indiana and chicago to buy lottery tickets because there are a higher amount of sales there. And he has the theory of that the lottery is staged and if there are alot of people buying tickets there then the lottery will be sending winning tickets there and eventually he will win. But the real problem that i dont understand why he still does this is it dosnt matter where he buys the ticket because he uses whatever numbers he wants and its not like he just buys a ticket and hopes he got a good one. I dont understand people and their thought processes, and the more you think about why certain people do certain things it just ends up confusing you more and more. I think theory is a great thing to have because it helps base your decisions on a daily base off of something. More people need to think about their actions and what led up to the decision their making and how exactly they are making it. I hope thats a good enough response
See you in class in a jiffy
September 13, 2007 at 5:21 pm
I haven’t been able to track down a copy of Theory Toolbox either, but anyways on with the blog! After reading the intro to Popular Signs I came to a simple conclusion: Reality programs are poison. For example: Take a look at MTV. Back in the day it used to be so cool, as the station used to air something called “music videos”. Today however, we get horribly scripted reality dating shows and endless spinoffs of the Real World and Road Rules. Case in point: It used to be about the music! Sure there’s TRL, but most of the time they’ll either show 10 seconds of a music video or have some girl scream into a microphone about how awesome a particular artist is. It makes my ears bleed. Because of these reasons, I stopped watching MTV regularly years ago. But enough ranting for now. =P
Looking back at the artifacts shown in class last week, they can in fact blend the boundaries of high and low cultures. The statue could be considered to be made in some village upon first glance, but from an artistic point of view something similar can be found in a gift shop in some random museum. It could go either way. As for the scary Santa dog: Santa is a “character” widely known to all around the globe. Both in high and low cultures. It’s process of development is also worth mentioning. It started off being made in China (or somewhere along those lines) and eventually ends up in thousands of Walgreens on every street corner in the country. Completely different environments. The scary dog itself could be considered a “bridge” between both cultures. That’s about all I can conjure up at the moment. See y’all in class!
September 13, 2007 at 5:32 pm
I have also not yet gotten Theory Toolbox. Next time!
Let me start by saying, popular culture gives me a headache. Everywhere I go, everything I do, and everywhere I look, someone is trying to sell me something. Effective marketing and branding are constantly nagging at me, trying to have an effect on my personality, the choices I make, or the things I buy.
The video on YouTube, “Encode This, Decode That,” and the SOL texts provided me with solidifying evidence that, in today’s popular and mass culture, we are pretty much being controlled by entertainment; what’s on TV, what’s playing in the movies, the new Nintendo or Sony game systems, whether or not Paris Hilton is in or out of jail today. We are obsessed with entertainment, and it is conveniently at the push of a button in many aspects: iPods, iPhones, television, DVDs, music… we can, at any time, get the entertainment that our minds and our bodies crave. So far removed from the days where we had to find ways to entertain ourselves, it’s no wonder that the average number of years for an employee to hold a job has fallen from 20 years to 7 (or something along the lines of…). Our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter by the minute!!
One thing that the SOL text touched on is the fact that mainstream popular culture is directly related to the economy. So it’s no wonder that there are things that exist such as the Christmas Pug. The things that we like, our hobbies and our interests, are constantly being combined and marketed to us in clever packages.
And you know… as much as this annoys the crap out of me, I’m still a victim. I own a Blackberry, I have an iPod, and I will purchase the things that appeal to me. But when I’m standing in line, waiting to check out, I feel like I’m thinking to myself, “What a sucker.”
September 13, 2007 at 6:00 pm
It was cool to see the toolbox talk about some literary theories because I studied those last year in English. Other than that it just seemed to introduce the idea of “theory” which most easily understand as: a pointed opinion towards a certain thing or subject that is based mostley on logic and reasoning. And it went on in great detail to explain that; in other words, people think about different things in different ways because they have different values and experiences.
The “signs” was much more self-explanatory. That was just a long way saying people have come to a point where what they value is what’s considered cool or sexy or just plain bad ass. This is what they call “entertainment culture”, a culture that’s focused on what keep our attention span the longest. “Signs” just seems to be making exhaustive examples to show how to spot cultural lines by comparing the people in the culture and what creations fluorish within it.
Does any of that make sense?
bp
September 13, 2007 at 6:15 pm
I can see that this class is going to make me ashamed of being an American (not that I wasn’t already slightly ashamed). Yes, we are a materialistic, self-indulgent, bored culture. What I like about SOL is that it asks questions like “how did we get this way?” and “what were we like before?” These are questions that I never would have asked if it weren’t for reading this book. I like the example about folk music evoloving into a profitable entertaiment industry. Unfortunately, I think it was a natural progression that the industry had to take.
I also have to say that although I am not a fan of any reality shows at the moment, I don’t think there is anything wrong with fantasizing that your life could be different, rich and famous, beautiful, etc. In that way they are no different than fictional shows. Example: I love Grey Anatomy, who doesn’t get sucked into the romance sotry lines and fantasize about meeting a “McDreamy?” I do understand that it is wrong for “reality” shows to make people think that it is reality, because obviously it is not.
September 13, 2007 at 6:16 pm
so i was able to quickly buy both books from the bookstore today and read the TT. Im new to this class so i am alittle confussed about this whole class blog thing. from what i have been readign with the responses above i think i know what is going on.
i moved here from gemany and the first thing i noticed was the grocery stores and how huge they are. it blows my mind how they have two isles of just chips. why? our grocery stores in germany are a quarter the size. also i found it annoying how many commercials there are during tv shows. i feel like tvs main perpose is the try and sell new produces and not entertain the watchers anymore.
i also watched encore this and decorde that. i found this very interesting however disturbing at the same time. i felt like things were moving so far and so much was thrown into it which made me think of how fast things move here in the US. i agree our generation does have a short attention span but in german we still take things slower and take time out of our daily lives to sit, have a coffee and socialize with our family and friends.
i feel like media has taking over this country and almost everyone tries to live their lives the celebrity way.
sorry this was all over the place
i will see you all in class in 15 minutes