Assignment 4-1

Fashion
Women love clothes and so they dress, there are different kinds of fashion that people were on a daily basis. You have clothing from newborns all the way to elderly. There are, clothing for your dogs to your kittens. It always a good deal to, but sometimes it is extremely important to dress for every occasion. Fashion is for everyone and no matter what style you like or need to wear. It is appropriate to make the right decision at the right time.
Fashion means the way you dress, or you’re since of style, it also stands for the latest style. Most stars wear the fashions that mostly represent them. For instance, you have rappers that wear baggie jeans with the big chains and the different color fronts (mouth piece) in their mouth because that is what makes them famous. Then you have singers wear a lot of dress clothes because they feel sexy and it makes them look confident. For example, the singer Beyonce was known for her vocals and from being in a female group, now she is known for her latest fashion called the “House of Dereon”. Her fashion was named after her grandmother that past away, but used to help her mother become who she is today.
If you ever feel like you want to lie down and relax you have jogging pants or velour’s to do this end. If you go to a cabaret party or a graduation party you tend to dress up so you could put on dress clothes with the high heels and the expensive jewelry. It always good to look nice so fashion will be here for the rest of our lives. Fashion also is popular in the athletic area. You have team representing where they from or what team they like, for instance. Michigan loves the Michigan Wolverine gear and Ohio love the OSU gear.
Fashion is important because people like to stay up on the latest style, if you don’t stay up on style you either are talked about or cast out. When your children goes to school you make sure you do school shopping every year because you don’t want them to feel left out, because a lot of children are harsh and they will talk about you if they don’t see you in anything knew during the beginning of the school year.
I think fashion is for everyone and if you like to dress you should dress up. If you like to run or walk buy you some walking shoes, and if you want to travel or go camping it’s always good to wear the camping gear or traveling gear, so fashion is nice at all times.










Reference
www.Beyonceworld.com
www.Wikipedia.com

Assignment 3-1

Assignment 3-1

Digital Cameras and Film
There are different ways to make a movie these days and film is a big part of America from watching them on The Big Screen, Imax, or on your DVD players films can be viewed at all times. Films which is stated in Wikipedia, are cultural artifacts created by specific cultures, which reflect those cultures. Now a days, people use film to view birthday party’s for there children, and record fights when ever necessary.
Digital cameras on the other hand works similar to films but there used to create or make a film. Digital cameras are known today because you can take a camera snap a shot or make a film out of it. You can also scan from your digital camera what you may have recorded through your film earlier. Films and digital cameras are mainly used today buy actresses, singers, and even parents because ever shot that you take are also worth filming.
Stores are using your digital cameras and instead of them making copies of your pictures that you have taken, they are also making you DVD tapes of your recordings. If its just through a picture now you are able to make a film out of what ever you take from your digital camera, personal I notice individuals like famous persons walking around with a digital camera and taken pictures of themselves from every angle. There also very popular because some digital cameras can take your picture and give you some kind of music download effect. This helps you bring your own sounds to your background of your film through your camera.
People are using digital cameras more often today then they used them in the past. In the past you use to have the big video camera that you just video tape what you record, and today you buy the digital camera that records what you want from video taping, downloading music, and taken photos. Digital camera is what’s in today and they are available in all colors and in most stores. You have a big variety to choose from and they all have different kind of programs to the camera similar to a cellular phone. If recording, listening to music, taking photos, and making film is important to you I believe that a digital camera would be the best purchase for anyone who enjoys doing and using all these things.
WWW. Wikipedia.com

Assignment 2-1

Health Insurance
Getting insurance and keeping it, is an issue today in America. There is always sometime of Insurance plan that help you when your young, but when you get older it hard to keep your insurance going because you tend to get sick, and then your not able to keep up with the payments. I believe this is a big issue and our society. Insurance are sold from television, on-line, or through the company you work for, but truly what is the best insurance.
It seems that insurance are getting more expensive to keep because there are a lot of different company’s, and plans that are going against one another to get you in. For instance, you have Aetna, Anthem, and care source. There are individual and family plan insurance and you have to go with the one that best suits you. This insurance plan is made for one person or a group of family members, instead of employees. Sometimes it’s cheaper to find an insurance company of your own then has insurance paid for through employment.
Instead of jumping right into one insurance company, you should shop around to see what is cheaper for you, but worth your money, and what is perfect for you children. A lot of insurance company takes advantage of the elderly because they feel that they don’t really understand the situation, so they lure them in to make more money, not knowing that there are a lot of family members that get upset with the situation, and you may have to take the company to court.
My mother is older, and she takes medicine everyday to stay alive. Not only does she have to take medication for her situation, she also has high blood pressure, arthritis, and when she uses certain products she tends to swell. Her insurance did not cover all her medication like they said they would and the time she became a member of this company, they raised her co-pay up yearly. When my mother became a member she was alone so we weren’t able to go through the paper work with her, so they took advantage. My siblings were so upset that it took six to eight months to cancel her insurance legally. Now my mother has a good insurance that covers all of her medication, including her high blood pressure and arthritis medication, which also lowered her co-pay down to ten dollars, which doesn’t go up yearly.
Anthem is a good insurance company which is blue cross, blue shield and it covers family members from your child all the way to senior citizens. This is a world-wide company, and if considering this company you could get information sent to you about the company without them trying to make you buy this insurance. It has a plan for everyone and Anthem would help you cover most of your doctor bills instead of one thing. This insurance is also good for dental, and great for disabled persons.
I am not a member of Anthem, but I do help others try and get insurance through this company by searching for different kinds of information through websites.

www.aetna.com,
www.anthem.com

Assignment 3-3

Why Did I Get Married
Stereotypes




Carolyn Chairs






Humn341-F1WW, Popular Cultural
Professor Denise Schottenstein
October 14, 2008





Why Did I Get Married?
This movie “Why Did I Get Married”, produced by Tyler Perry, is one of my favorite movies because it tells the story of four friends going to a wedding retreat to spend time with each other and finding themselves in a world of trouble in their relationships. I made this my favorite movie because being a relationship myself you learn from people and watch how other relationships are and I either would like for my relationship to be like the other persons, or I would think twice about what I might do, and what I could change in my relationship.
This movie was awesome because it shows how four different relationships were all completely opposite. One couple was unhappily married so they would cheat on each other, the other was rich and the wife did not want to have a child by her husband because her job was more important than her marriage, then there was a couple that lost a child in a car accident, so the husband blamed the wife, who was played by Janet Jackson, and the last couple was the worse of them all because the husband cheated on the wife with her best friend because his wife Sheila played by Jill Scott, was over weighted.
Hidden Stereotypes (implicitly and explicitly)
In the movie “Why Did I Get Married”, I notice different types of stereotypes. One of which was implicit. Sheila was not happy with her life, but she pretended to be happy, she was quite when it came to her husband that she did not realize that he was cheating with her best friend. In one part of the movie her husband, who was played by, Richard T. Jones, made her drive all the way to the retreat by herself why him and her best friend catch the air plane. They stereo typed her for being over weighted and so he used every minute to down her about her weight he was explicit because he was very outspoken and said what ever he felt. Even though this would hurt his wife feelings he did not care. His wife was very quite and she kept to herself, so she to me was implicit and she brought a lot of attention to her by her weight, but not her words. Then you have Tasha Smith, one of Sheila friends that’s very outspoken. What ever Tasha feel is right she lets it be known. Tasha knew that Sheila husband was cheating on her so she told it all too all the family and friends at the table. Tasha loved her friend Sheila and she was tired of her husband cheating on her.
Contribution to Stereotypes
The forces that contributed to stereotypes were of social, cultural and economic. These three were emerged because Sheila husband did a lot of nagging about her weight. Ever time they would meet together for dinner or if the couple’s decided to do something her husband would bring up the issue about her being to fat or to big to do anything. Sheila husband was socially rude to her and all of his surroundings and he thought they would make him look like a good person when it really made him look evil. Then culturally and economically emergence of stereotypes because its said that women should speak when spoken to or when a man ask you to do something you are to listen and do what is told of you, but in this movie, Sheila friends was not willing to listen everyone had an opinion and they would make it known. Sheila on the other hand was quite and when her husband would tell her to does something she would do it with knows questions ask.
The reason why I believe stereotypes emerge is because of what individuals do. People sit and speak badly about a person because of what they may or may not have, or how that person was raised. For instance, in the movie “Why Did I Get Married”, you had one man disowning his wife because she gained a lot of weight. Then we had another woman not wanting to have a baby because her job was more important and she did not want to neglect her child like she was doing her husband for her job. Stereotype is every where and I see it everyday. If you walk into a store and the store is majority of whites being of another race you would be stereotype for that, and this goes vice versa.
Today, stereotypes are all around just like they were before I was born it could be misleading to others and it could be a good thing, but majority of people stereotype because they don’t know what to expect from an individual or a group of people. If you do not know a person it may be easier for you to stereotype that person before you get to know the person. We take it into our eyes and go on with what the assumptions in what we believe for this individual or group of people to be, if it’s good or bad.
There are certain functions that stereotypes fulfill. It could be from your belief, what you say or do, or from mediation. No matter what stereotype is out there, if it’s from us stereotyping others or them stereotyping us. For instance, it was stated in Charles Ramirez-Berg reading, “There is a degree of psychic comfort in fixing the Other—and the world—in this way, as if once named and defined they could be contained once and for all.” In my words I believe he is saying that stereotyping is psychological and everyone does it if they mean to or not and no matter what you do its not fixable because people are more comfortable stereotyping then figuring out a person by asking that individual or group of people who or what they are and what they do.
The movie in which I have chosen I believe shows negative stereotypes because you have a man cheating on his wife because she gained too much weight. Also, when Sheila was on the plane getting ready to go to Colorado for the resort the attendant on the plane ask her to pay for two seats because of her weight so her husband would not pay for the extra seat so he made her drive and he stayed on the plane. I thought that was negative for the plane attendant to stereotype her for her being a certain size and everyone else that looked at her funny, so in my thoughts I believe that all the stereotyping in this movie was negative, but her friends were positive when they stereotyped her because they gave her confidence and her new found man also gave her confidence in the way she looked and he told her she did not have to loose weight, but if she wanted to loose weight he would work out with her, so in all this was a positive thing for Sheila.
In summary, you see stereotypes everyday from marketing and advertising because if you turn on the television you see commercial asking you to buy products daily. For instance, there is a commercial telling you that if you try this pill you will lose weight in a few weeks. They will show you a person before the lose weight pill and after. On the before picture the women is depressed, no make-up, and posed a certain weight, then on her after picture she’s standing up, has make-up on and she’s happy. In our society we are so concerned in the way we look and what people may say about us we immediately go for this pill because we want to look like the after picture, not because you would be healthier. What we don’t know is the risks your taking behind the pill because we too are concerned about people stereotyping us so we want to make a change and quickly. I feel that this isn’t a good thing and we should pay attention more carefully to ourselves and stop worrying about what people may think of us, and we would find our self like the after picture happy, standing strong, and believing our self.







References

Charles Ramirez- Berg, Categorizing the Other: Stereotypes and Stereotyping Latino Images in

Film: Stereotypes, Subversion, Resistance. Readings Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002. pgs. 13-37. Retrieved October 14, 2008.


Definition or “explicitly” wadsworth.com/englis_d/special_features/definition.html, Retrieved

October 14, 2008.



Profiles of Popular Cultural A Reader. Ray B. Brown. UCP: 9780879728694.

Retrieved October 14, 2008, from FranklinUniversity.edu


Www.Wikipedia.com. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from on-line database.

Assignment 2-2

Pop Cultural



I have chosen the icons of Superman, John Travolta, and Chuck Jones. I chose these icons because they are all classical and they all carry a lot of speed. Superman is a pop culture because he’s been around for a long time before I was born. He always was helping others in the time of trouble. Superman was an American cultural icon, and he was a superhero in the comic world. In the real world he was known as Clark Kent, and he worked as a reporter. Then I have John Travolta, who was an American icon that plays in different movies as a bad boy. John Travolta could act, dance, and sing which made him famous. When Travolta played in films he became famous for what he could do. John had a downfall in the industry, but after playing pulp fiction the film helped him arrive back onto the set. Chuck Jones was a cartoon artist that died February 12, 2002. He directed a lot of animated characters on film, like how the Grinch Stole Christmas, and many more. His career blew up fast because of his ability produce and direct different characters so well. Road runner was a television character that was so fast that know other animal or man could catch him, this was another animated character that Chuck had vision for, which also lasted for years.
I chose these three icons because I believe that they have a lot of history behind them and I feel they are iconic. For example, I chose Superman because he was fast and he liked to help others; he held strong in what he believed in the time of need. If all went well he would when in the end and I knew every time I watched this character as a child I always received the message. John Travolta, I chose him because he could play a bad guy and a good guy and what ever part he played it also had a certain message and a meaning. He was a hard worker in my eyes and he was very talented in a lot of different areas. Chuck Jones, I chose him because he had a bright idea of talent. He worked hard and everything that he done by producing certain films, he brought everything to life.

All three icons mean a lot to me because it shows that everyone has a sense of style, and the icons tells a lot about a person, which reminds me of myself. I am fast and helpful person and I have a lot going on in my head that I like to put on paper. These icons tell me to be what I can be and never allow anything to hold me back.

Assignment 1-3

The Sound of Music
Journal Analysis



Carolyn Chairs






HUMN 341, Popular Cultural
Professor Schottenstein
October 15, 2008





Journal Analysis

In reading the article “The Sound of Music (in Movies)” by Gary Hoppenstand, people are to remember where making a film has came from and criticize why things have changed from then into now. All persons should know that movies where based of the people that played the part instead of the person that directed the films. The writer would like people to object the case of looking at film making as reading a novel like it was used in prior years, but to look at it as a movie that is being represented by authors, actors, and storey tellers.
The writer, Gary Hoppenstand, doesn’t intend for readers of his journal to acknowledge the directors of filmmaking to take credit for directing the film. He believes that since the actors are the one that are ranking in the money at the post box office, they should be the one who take the credit, as well as the screenwriters, and everyone else that has taken part in making films a hit. If it was not for the actors and every person that play a part in the film, it would never made it to the box office and know person would have made a dime off of the film, so where would the money go when it could go directly to novels because more people would get their monies worth out of reading the novel then watching the movie because novels tells it all, but you have to break down what you read into a movie, therefore a lot is being left unheard.
Gary states, “Film theory and auteur studies are fun to read at times, but one needs to

understand that these are as much a fiction as the source matter they analyze.” This means that

novels should have stayed the first source to studying. A person shouldn’t have to watch a film

unless its for enjoyment. In college when studying for a novel some professor would like for students to watch a film instead of reading a book and that isn’t good all the time because a lot of information may is being left out.
“Do we really need another book published about how great Alfred Hitchcock is?” states Gary Hoppenstand. Meaning that let dead rest and focus more on the background. Persons should look or read more into what is being said instead of what is being watched. Reading is everything and instead of you viewing films that doesn’t tell the whole truth and most of the time is fictional should not be good for the soul.
Reading should tell more about what a person does and how they came up with the theory of doing what they done, instead of filming it and going ahead with only that of what you see. If people look into the background of what they watch they probably would get a lot out of what they may be watching by trying to understand the characters and the background of what the director is thinking. For instance, there’s this movie called, “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” written by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. This movie is about a phenomenal author name Terry McMillan, who told her life through novels; her life of dating and marrying a younger man. A few novels that Terry had written became on film and blew up in the box office, but her film that was at the box office did not tell her true story. Meaning that if people would read the novel, they would have known that all was not perfect for Terry. Yes, she was in love with a man 20 years younger than her, but it all was not perfect. In the end Terry ended up being divorce because her husband was gay.
In all, Gary Hoppenstand, is letting the audience know that that reading is the best way to get more information out of life because you learn a lot more by reading then watching a movie.
Its good to enjoy a movie here and there, but if the people would read more novels instead of watching them on film a person would get more out of the novel then a person would at the movies. He believes that movies are more fictional then novels because you have to break things down for the audience, when reading a novel is right in your face and you could read it over to get the concept of what is being said in the story. With novels the truth mainly is told and in movies you have to come up with your own theory. Gary likes the audience to know that he likes to watch movies, but he also would like it more if they would publish more about why the film is being made. Gary would like the audience to focus more on the how the film is being made instead of who made the film.


































Reference

Editorial: The Sound of Music (in Movies), Gary Hoppenstand. The Journal of Popular Culture,

2008. Volume 41, Issue 5, Pages745 – 746

Popular Culture

Pop culture is the social context of what is popular in America today. It also, means to me whatever I’m thinking about at the time. What I was taught to believe as a child and what I teach my children. Pop culture affects my attitude and my behavior and it’s the culture elements in today’s society. An understanding of pop culture is relevant to me in a business environment because it tells what is important in my life. For Instance, when you have a job and its business related I know to dress professional. I dress up and I continue to have a positive attitude about my surroundings. In making changes in my life I consider pop culture to be a part of this by creating different diversions of what I would do, and which I could use now or in the future. I consider pop culture being an artifact is icons as in phones, computers, cartoon character’s, or whatever you use to build your entertainment and other things. I consider my artifact to be a good example of popular culture because it plays music, videos, record, download music, and customize a lot of things for your entertainment.