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
Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
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-
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-
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
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.
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.
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