Written Analysis V

Written Analysis V: Violence in Pop Culture

                Over the last six weeks, I have learned much in the way of Pop culture.  If you were to ask me before how pop culture could be studied academically, I’d probably would have told you that it really wasn’t possible, or worth it.  Looking back, I can certainly say I was foolish for thinking that, and my eyes have been opened up to how pop culture affects each and every one of us on a daily basis.  When I first decided to choose violence as my topic in pop culture, I wasn’t really sure how in depth I would be able to go with such a topic, but I quickly realized that violence is so far spread and so different in nature from one type to the next that violence quite frankly is a huge topic in pop culture.

                To say that one certain topic of pop culture that we have covered fits violence better than the others would be hard to be certain of.  If I had to pick though, I’d think that the stereotypes of violence are probably what is strongest and most closely tied ideas we have as a society.  Everyone can imagine the picture of gang members, wife beaters, and school bullies, and serial killers who are all stereotyped and who all certainly have close ties to violence.  We have all thought of these stereotypes before and how they look and how they act, but it certainly goes the other way as well.  We can think of a type of violence (as there are many types) and we can pick stereotypes out of that as well.  The stereotypical bar fight, the stereotypical domestic violence, and the list goes on.  Stereotypes are all around us; likewise, violence is all around us in this society, so it really only makes sense that these two would overlap and create quite an interesting mesh that can be studied from many angles, as we have learned in the last six weeks.

                I most definitely have learned a lot about not only violence, but also the topics of pop culture during this class.  I will be able to pick up on stereotypes of violence more easily, and will also be able to pick out the other aspects of pop culture, such as icons, celebrities, heroes, and formulas of violence, that I would have never been able to do before.  While violence is everywhere, it helps to have an understanding of how violence manifests itself in our pop culture; doing so gives insight into why violence is popular, why it is spreading, and why it is so profound in the world.  This would not be possible without the study of pop culture, and it has opened my eyes to a whole new world that I have been ignorant to up to this point.

Written Analysis IV

Written Analysis IV: Formulas of Violence

                Violence can take place in many different forms, and in a very wide range of contexts.  Typically when one thinks of violence they usually think of one person shooting or stabbing another.  While this is certainly one formula of violence, there are many, many other forms that take place in our world every day.  Gun violence, as it is termed by left wing politicos, is simply violence that involves a gun - an inanimate object used in a way to cause harm to another much like a knife, rope, lead pipe, or candlestick could be.  I will bucket all of these into a single category of physical violence, which can be broken up into categories based on their cause. 

To peel the onion further, not only can violence be categorized by the methods used, but also the reasons that cause violence.  Most physical violence is caused by one simple thing: power.  Consider the first examples of physical violence that come to mind: War, which is caused by a desire for political power, Gang violence, which is caused by drugs or money, both a source of power, or domestic violence, caused by one person in the household wanting to have power over another.  Along the lines of physical violence is mental violence, which can be very much interconnected.  Torture is just as much mental as it is physical.  Likewise, domestic violence is often used to subdue the weaker into submitting to you both physically as well as mentally.  Even gang violence is mental, telling a rival gang they are not strong enough, or have enough influence, to overpower your gang.  Violence can also be sexual in nature.  Anyone that has seen Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is acutely aware of the wide array of sexual violence that depraved individuals can commit. 

While violence is often done from one person or group of people to another, it can also be self inflicted.  Self-mutilation or self punishment through violence is a rising issue in our culture, with burning, cutting, and other self-inflicted violence on a steep incline in recent years.  Suicide is perhaps the ultimate demonstration of self-inflicted violence; the murder of one’s self is certainly an act of violence that goes unrivaled by any other form of self destruction.

In conclusion, violence can take countless forms, so sayin there is a particular formula or formulae for violence is a bit of an impossible task.  Violence is as wide spread, and as varying from type to type as the human race is.  Violence will continue to evolve as our culture does, and surely even more new forms will surface in the coming years as people find new ways of committing violent acts on one another.

Journal Article Review

Journal Article Review

                Lisa Kirby, in her article Cowboys of the High Seas: Representations of Working-Class Masculinity on Deadliest Catch, discusses the portrayal and fascination of masculinity in today’s pop culture, and how that viewpoint of society has changed in recent times.  She offers the reader a very intriguing analysis of pop culture’s view on masculinity and both good examples and good reasons for why this viewpoint has changed.   I’ll summarize the article here and give my own feedback on her analysis.

Kirby begins by noting the opening sequence of Deadliest Catch, which is a show on Discovery Channel about Alaskan King Crab fishermen, who, every fall, set out into the Bering Sea to catch crab in what is generally regarded as the most dangerous job on the planet.  The opening sequence is very fixated on the dangers of the task at hand, and emphasizes the “deadliness” and treachery of crab fishing.  In fact, the closing scene of the opening credits is a sea side funeral service.  Obviously, it is the show’s goal to portray these men as heroic and courageous, as they risk life and limb to get this high profile delicacy that blue collar workers such as themselves rarely could afford to dine upon.  Kirby is quick to point out however, that this is not the same light that blue collar men have always been portrayed in pop culture.

Consider the 1990s, and the popular TV shows of the time:  King of Queens, Roseanne, All in the Family, The Simpsons, etc.  What do all of these shows have in common?  The men in each of these shows are blue collar, and are portrayed as idiotic, simple minded, and in general, “buffoons.”  They are essentially there for comic relief and themselves and their careers are not heroic or respectable, even if they are good intentioned.  Now, consider the shows of the last decade that have been most popular among TV Viewers like Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers.  These men are heroes, and risk it all to do their job.  They are looked up to for their manual labor, unlike their reality show counterparts of the 90s.  There has been a radical shift in the portrayal of blue collar workers.  Kirby thinks she has the answer to the catalyst of this shift: 9/11.

This certainly makes sense to me.  In the wake of 9/11, America wanted heroes.  We need heroes in our everyday lives and this terrible act of violence against our country brought that to the forefront of everyone’s mind.  While this certainly got the ball rolling, is there perhaps another shift that is happening at the same time, exacerbating this cultural shift?  Kirby believes so, and she believes it is the growing popularity among society to the adrenaline rush of danger and life-on-the-edge living.  Deadliest catch is popular no doubt in part to the fact people can get hurt on the show.  It’s the same reason we’re fascinated with magicians being buried alive or locked underwater, and why we’re fascinated every time we see a car crash.  Sure, there is the chance someone will get hurt, and for some reason, the human brain is drawn to this potential, and we want to see it more and more.

Overall, I must wholeheartedly agree with Kirby on her analysis, and in fact I see essentially zero flaws in her argument.  Furthermore, nearly every popular show I consider in the 90s and today seem to follow the same patterns she has laid out here.  I think of shows like Home Improvement and Married with Children, and quickly realize that all of them follow the same template as the others Kirby mentioned of that time, with the blue collar men being ridiculed and present for comic relief as the idiot that couldn’t get a better job.  Then, I consider the second point in her analysis, which is that new shows have a different trend.  Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers, as she mentioned surely do.  Then I think of other shows that are popular today, including in my own house like Gold Rush, Dirty Jobs, Ax Men, Deadliest Roads, Swamp People, and Billy the Exterminator and it quickly becomes obvious the shift she mentions is most certainly real.  All of these shows follow blue collar men that are now celebrities and idolized for the physical jobs they do.  Furthermore, while I cannot prove or disprove that 9/11 was the catalyst for this shift, it makes sense and the timing fits.  That is to say I cannot think of any other reason that this shift in masculinity perspective would have changed, so I have no reason to disbelief this hypothesis. 

I believe that the points Kirby makes in this article are undoubtedly important in today’s pop culture.  With the current trends in society that, to me at least, are frightening, it’s relieving to see a shift in attitude that I feel is a positive one.  Men are exactly that, men.  They are masculine and courageous, and are leaders of our households.  The fact that some men work more with their hands and others more with their brains doesn’t mean that blue collar men are stupid, idiotic, or otherwise incapable of a desk job, just how white collar men are not ignorant to physical labor and skills associated with it.  I know some extremely intelligent blue collar people who are both very smart, and very successful, and I have furthermore seen white collar men who have absolutely no business managing people from behind a desk.  The color of your collar has zero merit in the quality of one’s mind or abilities; it is simply what you have chosen to do with 1/3^rd of the time in your life.  Men should not be ridiculed or put down for deciding to take a blue collar role, and in fact, these men should be celebrated.  They have taken a much bigger risk than us white collar job seekers; they have gone against the grain, against the pressures of society pushing white collars around men’s necks.  I salute the plumbers, electricians, welders, handymen, and perhaps most of all, the garbage men of our society.  Without these people, our society would truly fail, and our economy would surely crumble.

References:

Kirby, L. (2013). Cowboys of the High Seas: Representations of Working-Class Masculinity on Deadliest Catch. The Journal of Popular Culture, 46(1), 109-118. (2013, February). Retrieved August 21, 2014, from Franklin University Electronic Journal Center.

Written Analysis III

Written Analysis III: Heroes and Celebrities of Violence

                Generally speaking, when someone thinks of the word Hero or Celebrity, rarely would they also think of violence in the same thought.  In today’s society, we essentially idolize famous people, giving rise to the term “cult of celebrity.”  However, how often do we really consider the violence committed by celebrities, or, gasp, our heroes that we have come to look up to?  Let’s take a moment to explore the connections between Heroes, Celebrities, and Violence.

                To illustrate how violence and heroes are intermeshed, let me ask you to finish this sentence: “From now on, you will no longer be known as David Webb.  You will now be known as… (Finney, 2007)” - Can you finish the sentence? If you haven’t lived under a rock for the last 7 years, you probably can.  The answer is “Jason Bourne.”  Jason Bourne is a hero for all who are anti-corruption, standing up for what is right.  He is undoubtedly a hero.  But something we have probably never considered in the means by which he accomplishes his goal.  Jason Bourne resorts to violence.  In a “fight fire with fire” display, Jason Bourne shoots, stabs, kicks, and otherwise kills his foes in a crash of brilliant sounds and effects.  We, as a society, certainly overlook this violence, and justify it for a cost to achieve the greater good, but it is certainly violence nonetheless.  I’m not saying it’s wrong, but certainly heroes can be violent as well.  From Han Solo to the Power Rangers, from Jason Bourne to our very own armed forces, heroes are often violent to save the day.

                Celebrities are also not immune to violence, either on the sending or receiving end.  I’d say the President of the United States is certainly a celebrity, and yet, four of them have been assassinated while in office, and another 6 had assassination attempts on them (Kelly).  Because of society’s obsession with violence, it is a go-to solution for anyone wanting their way.  All it takes is one person who feels the “rewards” outweigh the consequences to attempt an act of violence on a celebrity.  This could be to gain fame or for political reasons, as it often is with Presidential assassination attempts, or another reason entirely.  However, Celebrities can also be the ones perpetrating crime, as is the case with Ray Rice, Aaron Hernandez, and others who are celebrities (in the sense of being famous) because of their violence, like Timothy McVeigh or Osama Bin Laden.  Celebrities can be famous for many reasons indeed, but that certainly doesn’t exempt them from being perfect, or being non-violent. 

Any person with no exception can be a victim of violence or a perpetrator of violence.  Being a hero or  a celebrity does not exempt you from many of the issues we face as society as a whole, and violence is certainly one of those things.  While we often do not attribute violence to heroes and it is often an oversight to celebrities, we must stop and consider the facts laid before us: That heroes are often as violent as the villains, however it is the context they use their violence that makes them good or bad.  Secondly, we must realize that celebrities while often popular and favorable in the eyes of the masses, they can be violent just as easily as your neighbor, with the only difference being the celebrity is more likely to make the evening news.  We must keep in the back of our minds that, while this “cult of celebrity” is alive and strong, we cannot neglect the fact that celebrities may not be any better behaved or any less violent than the “average Joe.”  Ultimately, it is up to us as a society to hold heroes and celebrities up to the right moral and ethical standards when it comes to violence.

References:

Finney, A. (Performer) (2007). The bourne ultimatum[DVD].

Kelly, M. (n.d.). Number of presidents assasinated. Retrieved from http://americanhistory.about.com/od/uspresidents/f/faq_assassinat.htm

Written Analysis II

Written Analysis II: Rituals and Stereotypes of Violence

                When Someone says the words “ritual” or “stereotype,” you most likely don’t have violence come to mind.  While there are much more obvious aspects of pop culture that have prolific examples of rituals, and especially stereotypes, there are without a doubt both of these within violence as well.  Violence as a whole is so widespread in our culture that it doesn’t take long to find connections between rituals and violence, as well as stereotypes and violence.

                One of the most obvious rituals in terms of violence, to me, are the rituals of gang initiation.  One half of one percent of the US population are active members in street gangs, and nearly all of these gangs require a violent initiation to be included in a gang that will simply spread more violence (“Gangs,” 2014).  This initiation typically comes in the form of being “beat in” for men, and “sexed in” for women, which sadly are exactly what they sound like (Knox).  Gangs aren’t the only ones who have violent rituals, however.  Many college fraternities (and even sororities) have violent initiation rituals, from paddling to fist fights to boiling water and other forms of torture, not much is outside the minds of college students thinking up ways to hurt or humiliate their fellow students.

                There are also many stereotypes of violence as well.  Going back to gangs, most everyone associates gangs with violence completely.  This is a stereotype that is, for the most part, true; however, there are many gangs (especially biker gangs), that are actually do-good gangs that protect people that have been victims of violence, and children who have been abused by parents or guardians.  There is also a street gang in New York known as the Guardian Angels who protect those who use the subway system.  Another stereotype that is widespread is the notion that all Muslims want to kill Christians.  While Radical Islamists do take their beliefs to the extreme, to the point of wielding AK-47s and killing any and all Christians they can, the vast majority of Muslims in the world live peacefully next to Christians. In fact, over 2% of the US Population is Islamic, yet you don’t see them whipping out guns at Wal-Mart and going to town (Gabriel, 2013).  I believe most Americans only have exposure to Islam through the news, and don’t realize the truth about Islam.

                As individuals I believe it is our responsibility to do our due diligence in not believing stereotypes and doing our own research to see what the truth is on any subject of value to society, and “fact checking” as necessary to make sure we don’t fall victim to this ignorance.  Furthermore, I feel we should do what we can to promote beneficial and healthy rituals, and shun those that are violent or otherwise non-beneficial.  Doing so would ultimately lead to a more informed, less violent society.

References:

Federal Bureau of Investigation, (2014). Gangs. Retrieved from website: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/vc_majorthefts/gangs

Gabriel, M. (2013, May 09). Do all muslims want to kill us?. Retrieved from http://www.charismamag.com/spirit/world-religions/948-do-all-muslims-want-to-kill-us

Knox, G. National Gang Crime Research Center, (n.d.).Females and gangs. Retrieved from website: http://www.ngcrc.com/ngcrc/proffem2.htm

Icon Analysis

Icon Analysis

                When someone says “Icon,” many different things may come to mind.  In today’s society, icon has come to mean a very different thing than times past. The widespread use of the world “icon,” especially in the technology world with computers, tablets, and smart phones, the average person would say “little image” if you were to ask them what an icon was.  However, an icon, in the sense of pop culture, is much more than that.  An Icon, which can be a person, place, thing, or even idea, is simply one that has surpassed a level of status in the terms of popularity, to the point it has carved its own place out of history.  While most would think celebrities are iconic, most are not; only the absolute pinnacle of celebrities are able to achieve the status of “Icon.”  So, with that, you may be wondering what a few examples of an icon may be.  I’ll discuss one each of a person, place, and thing that I believe have become pop culture icons.

                To start, what if I asked you to complete this sentence: “It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…”  What would you say?  You would probably (correctly) guess that the next word is none other than “Superman.”  Certainly, Superman is a pop culture icon, and has been for decades.  Superman is arguably the best of all the superheroes, and unmatched in popularity by any other super hero with possible exceptions [ties] with Batman and Spiderman.  Most boys, and even some girls love watching the shows and reading the comics of this do-good icon.  Superman is a testament to the fact that a pop icon doesn’t have to be living, or even, tangible.  The very idea of this super hero is enough.

                Sometimes, Icons are places.  “The Big Apple” is enough to get that point across.  New York City is not only the most populous city in the United States, but it is the number one destination city for tourism in the entire world.  From the busy streets filled with yellow cabs and the countless skyscrapers, to Central Park and the New York Stock Exchange, there is no denying that New York City has made its place not only in pop culture, but in history as well. 

                Lastly, Icons can be things as well.  As a board game geek, I must admit while I’m not the most skilled player, Chess is an iconic game.  This game of logic and critical thinking has a very long history, spanning over 1,500 years.  Chess is so popular, in fact, that is has even birthed its own myths, such as the idea that all Chess players are smart, and/or geeky.  It doesn’t stop there, however.  This game has such an iconic status, it is the very measure of how “smart” computers be, with Chess Grandmasters playing supercomputers in the geekiest battle of man vs. technology. 

                Pop culture icons are very important, as they have profound impact on each and every one of us, even if not directly.  As a self-proclaimed nerd, I find computers, and programming in particular, to be very fascinating.  My wife loves New York City, and has been equally drawn to it as I have been to technology.  While on the other hand, I can say I had zero interest in Superman (I was more into Hotwheels and Tonka trucks), I know that a vast number of boys have Superman help shape their childhood.  While some icons have more of an impact on culture than others, all pop culture icons do their part to shape the way each of us live and interact with each other, and the experiences we have in life in general.

Written Analysis I

Written Analysis I: Violence in Pop Culture

                Violence is without a doubt embedded into today’s pop culture.  Society has slowly but surely been shifting towards a culture that is not only more tolerant of violence, but welcoming of its mysterious draw on our curiosities.  In America, TV shows can act as a pretty good gauge in what people are interested in.  Shows that are interesting get more viewers, so it stands to reason the most popular shows contain topics we find most interesting.  With this being said, the most popular show in 2013, NCIS, is focused around violence; violence centered shows made up for 50% of the top 20 TV shows (Schneider, 2013), and as far as gaming goes, the entire list of the 20 most popular PC games are centered around violence (“Most played PC,” 2014).  The most popular movies in the US paint a similar picture.

                There are also many popular beliefs that point to violence.  The idea that violence breeds violence has proliferated throughout society, with many scholars looking into whether or not watching and roleplaying violence leads to violence in the real world, with mixed findings (Steinfels, 2001).  If you’ve watched the news lately, you’ll notice that ISIS is on the rise, with all violence being centered on religious beliefs.  This goes to show that there are widespread beliefs that violence gets you what you want.  From armed robbery to war, from gangs to terrorism, violence is perpetrated as a means to achieve a goal.  Violence is a default for many in our culture to get what they want when they want it.

Even myths give way to violence.  The Monomyth, is a myth in which the hero must usually take to violence to win over his goddess and to achieve his end goal and become a master of two worlds. Another myth, good vs. evil, has violence at the very center, with good trying to overcome the violence spread by evil.  It’s hard to deny the overwhelming presence of violence in our culture. 

Pop culture has even birthed a few icons of violence.  Gangsters such as Al Capone, gangs such as the Bloods and the Crips, the term “9/11,” and even guns such as the Glock and AR-15 have all become household names, usually (and sometimes incorrectly) tied to violence.  Violence is in our movies, our music, our games, and especially recently, our news.  We cannot watch even a 30 minute newscast without hearing several instances of violence in our own backyards. 

So, with all that being said, is violence here to stay?  I’m inclined to believe so.  Violence is so engrained in our culture, that a child killing someone on a video game doesn’t spark unease in the average parent.  Brutally violent movies are getting PG-13 ratings (Dahl, 2013), and the most popular music among the most impressionable of us, teenagers, speaks of nothing but drugs, sex, and violence.  Perhaps this is a fad more than a permanent shift, and one day violence will fall out of favor among pop culture. But, for the foreseeable future, I see NCIS and Call of Duty standing at the pinnacle of pop culture media, on the shoulders of American Idol and Tetris.

References:

Dahl, M. (2013, November 11). Pg-13 movies are now more violent. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/pg-13-movies-are-now-more-violent-r-rated-80s-f8C11566223

Most played pc games. (2014, March). Retrieved from http://www.statista.com/statistics/251222/most-played-pc-games/

Schneider, M. (2013, June). America's most watched. Retrieved from http://www.tvguide.com/news/most-watched-tv-shows-top-25-2012-2013-1066503.aspx

Steinfels, P. (2001, October 27). Beliefs; violence can breed justice as well as injustice. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/27/us/beliefs-violence-can-breed-justice-well-injustice-when-history-common-sense-make.html