Gangsta Rap of the 90s (Group Presentation)

Our group presentation will involve educating the class about gangsta rap and the influence it had on society. We are speaking about the influence gangsta rap had on music, movies and fashion.

Here are the images for the presentation Gangsta Rap

The videos that was used were complements of you tube and the source files included

Ain't Nuthin But a G-things -Dr. Dre
Ten Crack Commandments- Biggie
Straight out of Compton- N.W.A.
Push It- Salt-N-Peppa

New Jack City
Boyz N The Hood
Juice

Thank you for your time

So What Does This All Mean To Me?

American pop culture, what does that mean to me? As we near the end of our class I can honestly say it means a lot. Prior to taking this class I regarded pop culture as something that we hear about in the media and keep up with what we desire. Now I understand how much pop culture really impacts our society and all the different implications of it. Would I say I fully understand pop culture? of course not, to do so would be arrogant. There is still much to learn and understand but it feels nice to have a better understanding than what I had before this class.

Do I still have stereotypes toward people of different races? To answer the question truthfully I would say yes. As we have learned, many of the stereotypes found in society are not necessarily negative and many are done so subconsciously. Some stereotypes can be positive as they are a means to categorize things and place things into subgroups. It all depends on your intentions. I stereotype as a way to quickly identify certain groups of people and get a general image in my head. of course this has its problems, however it is effective for me. As a marketing major, stereotyping has it benefits as it's a way to classify groups of people into different demographics. For example, say I was promoting a new youth basketball stadium in a mixed neighborhood. Based upon the stereotype that African Americans like basketball, I might begin my marketing efforts by learning and targeting the trends of black students first and then branch out. Was this wrong of me? I would say no, just a starting ground.

When it comes to pop culture I have come to realize various values that I wasn't sure I had. After taking this class I greatly respect the roles of rituals and heroes in our society as well as how different people perceive different things. Understanding perception is the greatest value I will take away from this class. After speaking to different people in the class and better learning cultures and norms of different people, I have a stronger appreciation for different perspectives. Taking things from someone else's perspective instead of your own really allows you to critique different subjects as well as compare and differentiate your conclusions with that of someone else.

Through the rest of my career and life I will always take with me the aspect of perceptions. From a marketing standpoint, to understand how different people view the same material is crucial in understanding your demographics. Pop culture is always different and things come and go, to be able to understand how concepts such as rituals, stereotypes and myths are perceived by different people will the most powerful skill set I will leave with.

To those of you who enjoyed setting up a blog and utilizing it, I strongly recommend you maintain one and write about whatever interests you. To have a voice that can be read by virtually anyone is amazing and you really get some interesting feedback surrounding your subject.

May all of your future endeavors be bright,
-Chris-

Movie Formulas, Do They Still Work or Are They Quickly Dying? (Weekly Written Assignment 5)

We've all seen them, the Superman’s, the Spiderman’s and the Saw’s, so what do you think about them? If you’re like me you may feel like you’ve seen it all before. Are Hollywood movies of today becoming mundane with their storylines? Let me give you an example of two movie franchises: First movie- A regular person obtains supernatural powers through unexplained methods. Hero discovers new powers and has a frustrating time either finding acceptance or a place for himself in society. Something tragic happens such as a death or life changing event that causes the hero to look into his or herself. After self realization the hero becomes a “hero” by stopping evil and helping those in need. Then there is a love interest of the hero that may or may not be returned. Then there is an antagonist with a seemingly maniacal plan at conquest. There is a conflict in which the hero must make a decision to save others or save the girl. Hero’s choice reflects on who he is inside and he manages to save both. Hero thwarts antagonists plan and all is well. Second Movie- Similar formula to the first movie except that the hero comes to point in his life where he no longer wants to be a hero in order to carry on a relationship with his love interest. Due to the city being in peril, the hero must return to his role as hero and protect the city. At some point in the story line the hero’s true identity is revealed to the girl and this brings the two closer. Through extraordinary measures, the hero manages to defeat the antagonist again and bring the city back to peace. Although this is a rather simple formula do you recognize it? Superman 1 and 2 and Spiderman 1 and 2 followed this formula almost to a tee. (There some obvious slight differences) So how do movies released in 1978 and 1980 and 2002 and 2004 respectively have such a similar plot? We have seen the same movie formulas time and time again and yet we continue to enjoy them. Look at the list of top 250 movie of all time and look at the top 5: The Shawshank Redemption, The GodFather, The GodFather 2, The Good The Bad The Ugly and Pulp Fiction. (http://www.imdb.com/chart/top) If you’ve seen them what do they all have in common? I would argue the formula is the least they have in common. All of these movies have compelling storylines and acting and deserve the spot they hold. So what about Avatar?

The movie avatar is a huge blockbuster that now holds the record for highest grossing movie of all time (http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=avatar.htm). However many say that outside of cinematography, the movie doesn’t offer anything different. So why is it #1? Do any of you remember Pocahontas? Avatar and Pocahontas share a very similar plot and formula and we seem to love them both. After watching it myself I’ll admit I was impressed with the cinematography but nothing else really stood out to me.

Perhaps people like what their use to. People are usually resistant to change so to introduce a completely different plot or formula to a movie may come with negativity. In the end formulas are used because they work and they bring consistently bring in money and as we’ve heard before, if it’s not broken why fix it. So with the Oscars coming up does Avatar deserve the numerous awards it’s nominated for (http://www.mahalo.com/oscars-2010)? If you ask me, I’d say no.

Video Game Heroes: Changing the Game (Weekly Written Assignment 4)

What is a hero? The dictionary defines a hero as “a man or woman of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his or her brave deeds and noble qualities.”(Dictionary.com) So what does this mean to you? What if these noble and admired qualities come in conflict with ethical decisions? When many people in society think about a hero, they refer to the person as one whom in the face of danger and adversity; they display courage or the will for self-sacrifice for the greater good. These are going to be your Superman’s and Captain Americas or other literary people who fit this category. The hero story has been told many times through different forms of media and we associate different events with heroes all the time (Dunshster). When it comes to video games, the hero story is heavily used. So what happens when a game uses the concept of a hero and pushes them to their limit?

The upcoming Playstation 3 game “Heavy Rain” addresses the issues with being a hero but does so in a morally questionable way. Video games of today’s age gave become repetitive and boring. The graphics are breathtaking but the stories haven’t changed. Heavy Rain promises to be a game that challenges our emotions and changes how we look at heroes in society. The game focuses on normal people who are faced with different situations or placed in the face of advisory, but instead of making moral decisions that help the good of the world, they will instead weigh out options to protect themselves and loved one, even if society’s values are skipped. The developer of the game quotes "Heavy Rain is about normal people who have landed in extraordinary situations. I wanted a much more personal story. The first thing that came to my mind, as a father of two little boys, was that the main theme should simply be a father's love for his son. This is not just a game about saving the princess or the world. It’s instead about a father's love and how that creates conflict with societal morals. The main story will revolve around four different characters, and we're putting the spotlight on their perceptions. The question 'what is good and what is evil' is the key here, that will be just a matter of viewpoint. I believe heavily in moral choices, I'm going to use them a lot. They're not about being good or bad, but about finding the right balance" (David Cage). One of the most interesting things about the game is unlike most games, if one character dies, the game does not end but rather picks up with one of the other characters with an altered storyline as a result of the other characters death.

This is a unique game that challenges the way we look at the concept of heroism. What is a hero to you? Someone who saves an animal from peril, perhaps a soldier in the military? Or maybe it’s someone you idolize for destroying bad guys and restoring peace among a community. Whatever your perception of a hero is it is different for all of us. Does one version of a hero hold precedence over another? Here’s an example for you, a man sees another man raping a young girl, he goes over to help her out and he and the perpetrator have a quarrel. The man ends up killing the perpetrator and saving the girl. Is this man a hero? Even though he killed another person? These are the types of situations Heavy Rain promises to place us in and challenge our values and moral decisions. Obviously there is some dispute about the game putting people in life situations like that but maybe this is the breath of fresh air that the gaming industry needs.

Here is a link to some videos to watch. Heavy Rain

Hero. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved January 25, 2010, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hero

Dunshster, S. (2008). What Defines a hero and heroism in today's society. Associated Content, Retrieved from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1029742/what_defines_a_hero_and_heroism_in.html?singlepage=true&cat=19

Dunham, J. (2009, June 07). Heavy rain interview with David Cage. Retrieved from http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/711/711613p3.html

The Big Game: And other rituals in Society that never change (Ritual Assignment)

Rituals are necessary for us to know anything about society. (Ken Kesey) This is a very good and true statement. In today's culture and in cultures of the past, rituals were preformed everyday as a means to maintain traditions or to show a different plateau of your life. When understanding the ritual, I believe it is a set of actions or a tradition often done that has a symbolic value that if not done, would result in the feeling of incompleteness or missing value. One ritual in society everyone sees that's practiced often is getting ready for the big game. Whether it be a game between rival teams, or a big bowl game, everyone has a similar ritual. We go to the store, get the beer and wings, set up an area in our house and shut out all outside distractions as we cheer for our team and yell obscenities at the other. Getting ready for a big game is something we have been doing for a long time and is probably never going to go away anytime soon. A couple more prevalent rituals of today are holiday meetings and potlucks. Holiday meetings usually involve people bringing food and games to family settings to spend time together and catch-up on past times or long patches of no communication. Potlucks are similar but you tend to see them more on a business level or with friends instead of families.

When it comes to my family rituals, it is unfortunate that they seem to be dwindling over the years. A couple that we used to do was going to grandmas on Christmas Eve and family reunions. Going to grandmas on Christmas Eve was a way for the intermediate family and extended family to get together and be with one another. Everyone would bring a dish and we would have a secret Santa party at the end. Now it seems everyone's personal lives are more important to keep up with other family members. (I have not seen or heard from my cousin since she was 11; she's 16 now) The family reunion is a big traditional ritual seen in many different societies as a way to bring families together once a year. We as a family use to be very big on family reunions but again, people's personal lives got the better of them. Now we rarely do them.

When doing research I came across an article about the importance of rituals in family life. The author, Joyce Shriner, talks about the six stages of family life and the importance in the rituals of those stages. For example, in stage 3, the families with young children stage, she discusses how young children thrive on rituals and the importance of each ritual to their lives (Shriner). Story time, bath time and playtime are common rituals that reinforce the family bond in the early years of children.

Although we dismiss many rituals as useless tradition, we should maintain the ones that are symbolic to us. By doing so, we'll be able to pass them down these rituals to our children so that they may keep the tradition and rituals going.

Shriner, J. (2007). The Importance of rituals in family life. Ohio State University: Family and Consumer Sciences, Retrieved from http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/pdf/Rituals_Family.pdf

Technology: Changing the market again. (Weekly Written Assignment 3)

Technology is a perplexing part of culture that is always changing. An article about technology discusses how over time, the borders between private and public realms have come down and really changed our culture. (pg 339) Most of the chapter discusses how the different generations and the different age groups implement technology. In addition, it addresses the barrier issues faced by trying to make certain technology mainstream. The article about breaking down borders intrigued me the most. The questions at the end are excellent questions to ask yourself and look at from different perspectives and they are; "How do you think the technologies you regularly use have influenced the way you live your life?" Also, "What would your everyday life be like without these technologies?" As we look around in our lives, we see the blended environments of the public realm and the private realm. You can walk into Starbucks or any place that offers WIFI in a social setting and find people busy on their laptops and smart phones as if they were at home. The new LG projector phone is a great example of mixing a private "business" or personal environment to a public environment. The phone has a built in ability to project the images or videos on your phone to a bigger "screen" such as your wall (Segan). Before, people would have a stand-alone device to give presentations or watch movies in your living room. Now people will be able to be virtually anywhere they want to show off personal videos or presentations in a much more public atmosphere. One thing that really stood out to me was when Samuels discussed how people use these technologies to create their own personal culture (Samuels). The ability to take culture wherever you go is an ever-growing aspect of our society and the line between private and personal is becoming more and more unified. The other side is that people are trying to multitask so much that they lack the ability to do a single task (Samuels). So how do different generations look at it? As said before by other classmates, the older generations are having a difficult time melding the technologies of today with their own lives. However, these new smart phones like the projector phone have been designed to appeal to a broader audience and are used for more than just business (Nielsen Wire). So now I ask, how do you think technology has allowed the private atmosphere of people to meld with the public atmosphere of people? Do you think this is a good thing or is it a means for people to get lost within themselves?

Dr. Clip, Initials. (2009). Smartphone and iphone demographics. BitBriefs, Retrieved from http://bitbriefs.com/2009/09/20/smartphone-and-iphone-demographics-from-nielsen/

Samuels, R. (2007). Breaking Down Borders: How Technology Transforms the Private and Public Realms. Common Culture, 339-342. .

Segan, S. (2009, November 30). LG, AT&T Announce 1-Ghz Projector Phone. PC Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2356407,00.asp

Verizon's anti-iPhone commercial- Droid Does (Weekly Written Assignment 2)

Advertising plays a large role in our society and utilizes many social trends as well as other aspects of our culture to push its agenda. It would come as no surprise that Verizon Wirelesses recent commercial advertising the Motorola Droid by bashing the iPhone is an example of trends in society. As we have learned in the book, this type of advertising would be an example of Salespeak advertising. In an article about Verizon's latest marketing strategy, Dusan Belic discusses how Verizon focused on society's perception on the iPhone. The marketing of the iPhone really used the salespeak form of advertising to show how the iPhone is more than just a phone; it is a lifestyle. The attitudes of people nowadays are about how smart phones and other PDA's have become part of the norm. For the iPhone commercials, instead of attacking other phones, it instead gives the revolutionary aspect of how the iPhone combines all of the things you do in your everyday life into a device where its all at the tip of your fingers. The iPhone attempts to be different from the Blackberry devices by appealing to everyone instead of just business people. This is evident with all of the joyous life is good iPhone commercials. The commercials are not so much of an advertisement, but rather a persuasion on how to enhance your lifestyle with its catchy imagery and merry music.

The Verizon Droid commercial plays on the effective salespeak advertisement of apple to push its new phone. The commercial uses the catchy music made famous by Apple to point out the flaws of the iPhone. This commercial is unique in a few different ways. When the iPhone was released, it told society about all the things it can do to help them manage different things. This commercial takes that aspect and mocks the iPhone. The chief advertiser of Verizon said the main purpose of the commercial was to make people aware that the iPhone is not everything. Advertising is a very big part of our society and this commercial has really gave us an example of the different form of advertising and how they have influenced and impacted society.

So I'm curious, What are your thoughts on commercials like this? The ad can be found here.