The first page I looked at was, How to get an autograph at a baseball game. This one struck me very hard because this is something that really relates to me. The author of this shows the obvious dominant message is that getting autographs is good but also showing smaller messages with it. The author did this when he/she said “Don't shove things in their face. Be polite and act how you would want someone to treat you. Avoid getting into a feeding frenzy for an autograph… Some players will prefer to address autographs to you personally. "To John, Thanks for being a fan..." The personalized autographs don't sell for as much but are more sentimental to the diehard fans.” This shows that when trying to get an autograph it’s not all about being aggressive or an asshole to the player or the people around you. It shows the lesson that if you be nice and treat people with respect you will have a higher chance of getting what you want. People who practically throw things in the player’s faces are the ones who get rejected. But this also teaches how to cope with not getting what you want. The way it does is that even if you follow all the steps mentioned, doesn’t mean you are assured an autograph. Lots of players may stay they can’t or due to it being in the middle of a game they don’t want to be disturbed. So by doing this people are able to learn valuable lessons just by trying to get autographs. This folk message of trying to get an autograph is a key component to having a good and meaningful life because it shows a balance. A balance of a corporate message in trying to get a little bit of profit through maybe selling the merchandise but also folk message by going after something someone who is 12 years old who probably want.
The other one I read was, How to be a good Yankees fan? This one connected to me stronger than any other one I read due to the fact that I’m a diehard Yankees Fan. The author shows the dominant message which is, how to be a Yankees fan, but I also am able to see through that to see the corporate and folk messages. This is by knowing that what the author is trying to do is give the outline on what to do, but being a Yankee fan myself I also see he is saying you have to have money to go to games(corporate message), but also be passionate to something greater then you(folk). Lines that tell me the corporate message are “When you go to a Yankees game try and sit in Section 39 with the Bleacher Creatures, if you’re not from New York, and have never been to a Yankee's game in New York. You are a bandwagon fan, try getting to a game when they have Old Timer's Day.” These quotes mean that in order to be a part of the Yankees community, you are required to have money and spend it to go to certain games and sit in certain parts of the ballpark. Otherwise you are a fake fan or not even a fan at all. This is how corporate messages play into being a Yankees fan. But there are also folk messages that play a role in this too. Lines that show me this are “Watch the game with a friend or family member who is a baseball fan. That way, you will learn more about the sport itself and the team and the players, Stay strong. Red Sox fans will try to break you down. Don't ever turn against the team though. Just remember the Yankees and their glory!” These lines show folk messages through saying that you don’t want to be a lonely person. That watching the games with friends can be more educational and plus more enjoyable. So you don’t have to be a rich guy who goes to all the games by him/herself but instead watch the games with friends who care about you. Also being a Yankees fan shows you how to cope with people who are assholes (Mets or Red Sox fans). The way it does is because they will try to bad mouth you about your team even when your team is actually winning. So by being a Yankees fan you are able to practice how to let things go in one ear and out the other.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Big Paper Revised
Intro
Don’t you ever sit in class during a random discussion/ lecture and think to yourself, is my life meaningful? And the answer to that question is based on the person who is answering the question because there are a various amount of answers. Some people will give you the answer “well of course my life is meaningful just because I’m me,” there are those others who will give you the answer “I think my life is actually kind of average and that it isn’t nothing special,” and then there are those who are just like “my life don’t mean shit.” These answers come from inside and deep down where u can honestly and rationally think about life. And the answer to this has to do with a person’s situation in life. Most of the time if a person has a very rich family they feel that their life means everything, usually the middle class can go both ways, and lower class feel like shit because they have no money so they feel like they mean nothing. The reason this is, is because those with good grades and a lot of money feel that their life is going somewhere but poor people with their life in turmoil feel their lives are meaningless because they feel they are so far down the shitter and can’t get out. In my situation I feel like I’m in between the middle class perspective and the lower class perspective. The reason I think so is because my life is kind of messed up now because of my grades and that my parents keep taking things away from me. But this doesn’t mean that my life is meaningless in my eyes. To me it says my life can be more meaningful if I just do something about it. To have the most meaningful life you possibly can is by having an equal balance between dominant, folk, and forbidden messages by determining, what is most important? Dominant corporate After watching the music video, All You Need is Love; by The Beatles it gave me an entire different view of having a meaningful life. On the contrast of Kanye with being pimped out with cars, money, and ladies. The Beatles demonstrate an entirely different point of view of a meaningful life by saying to have meaning is to love. So like if you don’t love something, it doesn’t mean anything. By saying this it practically pushes aside everything that Kanye stated in his video that you need money and ladies. But The Beatles think that love makes life meaningful. That money can’t buy you happiness. It’s only that if you find something in life that’s close to you and you can live by and then you will be happy. Also in the video it was not as hyped and crazy as Kanye’s was. Kanye’s was more flashy, new, and louder. While The Beatles was a lot mellower, the music was more like a melody then a tear up the club song, and it was sending message in more harmonic way. So all together, The Beatles had a way different view on a meaningful life then Kanye did. After watching the music video, The Good Life by Kanye West I feel that this pop culture message was faced more towards the messages of corporate culture. The reason I bring this up is due to the fact the video is practically what the title of the song is “Good Life.” And Kanye West is portraying this message of a “Good Life,” to mean that you are crazy rich, have all the new technology, be pimpin’/ have lots of ladies that want you, etc. This supports corporate culture messages because in lots of magazines/ newsstands/ newspapers, the people with a “Good Life,” are the rich and powerful ones like Kanye is showing in his video. In the verse in his video where Kanye says “Y'all pop the trunk, I pop the hood, Ferrari. And she got the goods. And she got that ass, I got to look, sorry,” says that while most people will be needing help with their car and needing to pop the trunk, Kanye is showing off his hot ride by popping the hood of it to show off his nice fast engine. Then he starts talking about the ladies by stating “she got the goods. And she got that ass; I got to look, sorry.” Which is saying that a woman has a lot to show off like a big ass and other things
and if you living the “Good Life,” you have women like these. So all together, Kanye is saying the “Good Life,” is to pimped out with money, cars, and ladies.
Corporate misery
While our discussions of having a good and meaningful life came the idea of misery. The theory that all lives must follow this line of corporate misery and we just use their products to get happy. Like the company Apple for instance. If you feel bad inside because you can’t listen to your music on the go, Apple will tell you to buy one of our music products such as the I-phone, I-Touch, and IPod Nano in order to get happy so you can listen to music on the go. But then you will feel like crap again when they come out with a new piece of “I,” technology and you say to yourself that you want that instead of what you got and then feel like crap because you can’t get it. So we people in the world follow this line of products as distractions to make us happy. Another theory of misery that I have is the idea that life is meant to be miserable. And people reading this might say to themselves, “Well I’m happy, I feel no misery.” But the fact is that if a person’s life was a “perfect fit,” for them, in my opinion life would just feel like it would have no meaning and just be plain out boring. The reason that in life when we are having fun and don’t want to stop it is because we want to stay distracted from the bad. But if there was no bad, there would be no reason to good and vice versa. It is all the bad times that make the good times feel so much more special. For me it has to do with my want to not be in school and rather being out doing something that I’m interested in more. But I think if life was like that and I was allowed to do what I wanted all the time without do consequence, I would believe it would get boring because I would be doing it so much. All that time of being bored and having that “I can’t wait to do this,” feeling and then actually doing what you wanted to do feel totally awesome. In my case for example, a couple of weeks ago I got tickets to the Cowboys vs. Giants game for a Sunday afternoon. And I knew I was going with someone who is a very special person in my life and that I’ve known since middle school. And the Tuesday I found out she could go made it extra exciting to see my favorite football team for the first time against our NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys knowing that I was going with someone who is special. But the part the spiced up this excitement that led to a great time and a great game was that school misery I had/ still have. That feeling of being totally bored the majority of my week and then being able to have the experience of a lifetime with someone who is special and had a great time too was a great experience. But having these great experiences isn’t always a good thing. The reason is that even though we don’t want it like this but to some, having too many good experiences can be bad things. The reason is that if you get too used to the good, you will forget how to cope with the bad and it can lead to an endless list of consequences depending on the person. To some it might lead to getting down and negative about an issue and took others it might lead to crazy aggression. This isn’t saying that having good is a bad thing, but having too much good and then just losing all or most of it can lead to worse things than if you had a lot of bad and a little bit of good. In my case for instance, I feel that my schooling is being affected due to a lack of balance of the good and bad. I am having too much bad happen in my life and not enough good. So every time I have an opportunity for good I take it even if I know it’s not the right time. This has been affecting my schoolwork because the only time I can look for good is when I’m doing homework because that’s the only time I know I’ll get it. So instead of concentrating on the task at hand, I’m looking for the good at the wrong time due to losing all my good and now facing “the withdraw of good,” or just retaliating because I’m not used to this much bad.
Marginal corporate messages
Marginal corporate messages are those that we see come up but not as frequently as the dominant ones. These messages are things such as woman can be bad ass just like men, “fight the power,” don’t be part of “the system,” just go crazy with life, and many more. In my opinion so of these marginal messages can have more meaning then the dominant messages that people are so accustomed to. The reason being is that these dominant messages have to do with a system. Systems in which we all are suppose to follow as human beings. These things consist of getting money, having a good job, being a good person, going to school, doing work, and not enjoying life for the most part because we are always doing something that’s part of the system. But it’s some of these marginal messages that can make life so worthwhile. It is like being able to fight the power of society is so much fun because it is something we are not required/ expected to do. Marginal messages are the fuel that keep us going because it is that little voice inside us that just says “Fuck the system, I’m doing what I want to do.”These marginal messages are expressed in many places, but I’d say the most are in movies. In the move Pump up the Volume, HHH (Happy Hairy Hard On) is an anonymous radio host that goes on air at 10pm every night. And on this show he shares his true feelings and views about life with his listeners. But in his “real life,” he feels trapped in this suburbia in Arizona. He goes to school, writes papers, does his work, and reads like every other person in a suburbia that goes to school. He is like that outcast geek that nobody wants to talk to. But at night for his radio show, all his views and feelings about life change. It is like silent by day, let it all out by night. On his show he does things like fake masturbating, playing fight the power music, smoking cigarettes, chewing gum, and wearing “bad ass,” clothing. So what he does is show his true self on his show. Telling us to go crazy in life and forget the system/ don’t let the system stop from being who you are. Or how the world is seriously corrupted by the people that run it and how the system take away from who we really are. Because “the system,” says we practically go to school, go to work, be cool, have money, and get various material products. But HHH is saying that this isn’t necessary, that it is still meaningful to do what makes you feel good inside. Even if it isn’t what society wants it to be. But it only matters if it satisfies the individual. In the movie there is quote from a song that states “Everybody knows that the war is over and the good guys lost.” This means that those who are those “good,” people who fought the power lost and those who follow the system won. But even though these people might’ve lost compared to others, as long as they make their life meaningful to them that’s all that matters. That even though they might not live in a huge house, have money, family, and material items doesn’t mean life is meaningless to that person. As long as you can feel proud of what you have done with your life, be able to say “I did what you wanted and it was worth it,” to go against the system, and maybe I might not be the richest man out there. But I think that where I am in life is ok in my eyes. So marginal messages are what can fuel a person’s life to be happier.Another movie that shows us these marginal messages is Fight Club. This movie is about a group of people who start a secret place where people fight. And it isn’t the fights; it’s about the dialogue that the characters use. The characters are all trying to send the viewer a message that aren’t represented by a material object such as money, cars, houses, etc. Not even the kind of job you have. You are represented by your true self and how you act. Just because you have a bad job doesn’t mean you are a bad or stupid person. It just means you didn’t make it up in society. But this movie says that you shouldn’t care about that stuff and that you are who you are and no one can change that. “You aren’t your khakis, you aren’t the contents of your wallet, you aren’t your job.” This quote means that you aren’t anything else but yourself. That you should let the world be and be who you are, not who everyone else is. It’s like the way we look at people. We can see someone who is very rich and just think he’s a good guy because he has a lot of money and a big house, and then turn out to be another asshole. But then again someone who is poor can be a much better quality of person but just not have a lot of money or a big house. So just because you are rich doesn’t mean you are a good person. This supports how you must not judge yourself by the kind of job or amount of money you have. As long as you can feel proud of who you really are that’s all that matters.
Dominant folk messages
Folk messages are also impacts on how to live a good and meaningful life. Folk messages are the ones that pop up occasionally but not everywhere. These are messages we get from our family, books, or even our teachers who try to tell us things that other dominant corporate places such as movies won’t tell us. These folk messages consist of topics such as love, attitude, insight, family, religion, work, death, and even aging. These are those smaller messages that aren’t looked at as much as the dominant ones but are just important to leading a good and meaningful life. I feel that these are actually more important/ significant then the dominant ones because these are the ones that are closer to the heart and soul of a person. A way this is true is because something like an iPod or a Ferrari won’t make a person happier long term, but something as close as a friend can make you happy for a lifetime.
A folk message that has a major part of how to live a good and meaningful life is friendship. The reason that this folk message stands out to me is because it is something that contradicts dominant corporate messages. The reason it does is because these dominant messages tell us that a meaningful life is having a lot of material objects, money, big house, etc. But this folk message of having friends contradicts that because there can be someone in middle class with a lot of friends and less money, can be happier than a man in upper class with a lot of money with no friends. A person with no friends even with a lot of money is actually less happy then they got no one to share any good times or joy with. It would be like watching your favorite team win a championship and then want to give someone a celebratory hug or high five but there would be no one there. And it is times like these that make even a rich person very lonely and unhappy. Because money can’t buy true friendship, people who are your friends because you are rich aren’t true friends. They won’t stick with them through the good and bad. Real friends stay with you regardless of the circumstances. This is a way that folk messages can be more important than dominant corporate messages.
Another folk message that contradicts the dominant corporate messages is the message of religion. The way that this does is because this can be used by any person in the world, upper, middle, and lower class people. But in my opinion I feel that those in the lower to middle classes have more connection to their religion then those in the upper classes. The reason I think this is because these people with less money are more connected because they actually have to hope and pray for dreams to come true and become reality. For a poorer person to prey to get an Xbox 360 it seems more spiritual and connecting because they got to work one hundred times harder because they can’t get things to come as automatic like rich person could. A rich person can make an Xbox 360 appear in two seconds if they want to. But it’s not even just material objects to prey/ hope for. It’s even things like happiness. Rich people always think they can buy happiness. Buying cars, houses, big screen TV’s, and various high priced objects. But the middle—lower class people prey for it and hope it comes true. They can’t just buy it and instantly make a material object appear like a rich person could. So therefore, the folk message Religion contradicts dominant messages because believing in a religion is the ability to believe in a higher power to help life change for the better. People in middle – lower class use this ability more and a lot stronger because they have to believe and prey for better things to come. Rich and upper class people don’t really have to because they usually take the attitude, “ill donate a little of my money and I’ll be doing a good thing.” But a poorer people would consider a good thing being like “I was able to make sure my kid had a happy birthday.” The way these things differ is because rich people consider giving money to be a real special deed. But it isn’t. A special deed is something like making sure a kid has a happy birthday. And by doing this, you are crea
ting opportunities and happiness by not using the dominant message of money, but the folk message of religion.
When I asked other people on the street, I was getting mixed answers. And the variety of these answers had to do with the person’s situation in life. I remember I asked this guy who was sitting on a bench on 22nd street and he told me that his life wasn’t really meaningful. He said that on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most meaningful that his life was a 4/10. And the reason he gave me was that he was having problems and he didn’t know where his life was going. In my opinion he wasn’t rich and he was struggling to find his way in the world. On the contrary the dean of SOF Mr. Marks actually feels very confident about the meaning of his life. He felt that on the scale of 1-10 that his life was an 8. This tells me that because of his occupation he feels that his life really means something. That it is meaningful to make sure that kids are safe, a school system is running smoothly, and that he has the good feeling that he is sending America’s youth into college. So different people have different views on their importance in life based on their current situation in life. Another place where Folk messages are used on holidays. For my “Christmas,” celebration, I was one of those people who stayed with family, ate good tasting food and chilled. On Christmas day all I did was watch all the basketball games and eat. Some friends of my dad came over to add to the occasion. It was fun considering what we were doing. This year it my first time looking at Christmas and somewhat observing it. Due to my dad’s friend, she persuaded us to have this little Christmas dinner in our apartment. The food was good, but the presents or I should say, present was better. For Christmas all I got from my dad was 50 bucks. And it wasn’t even supposed to give it to me for a Christmas present. He gave it to me or as a, “here is 50 bucks, now get the hell away from me,” sort of thing. So all I did was take it and took as “merry Christmas.” So in other words, my family didn’t have a traditional Christmas. We had the necessities such as a fake tree, food, people over, and somewhat presents. But it wasn’t even close to what other families do. Going all out to get the best looking tree, decorating the entire house with stockings and ordainments, getting that Christmas mood, presents under the tree, and having a bunch of people. Mine was very small and more chilled out. My family kind of followed the Christmas way but in a very cheap way. This in its ways goes for and against the so called “American way of life,” that pertains to Christmas. The reason is that even if you don’t have a whole “parade,” for Christmas doesn’t mean you are bad but just mean you just don’t have enough money to afford it. But on the other hand people might think you are low in society because you can’t afford a banquet Christmas.To add on to the idea that I ended on in the previous paragraph, I think that this connects to the dominant and marginal messages of corporate culture. I would believe that the dominant messages are to have a huge festival with food, decorations, people, presents, huge tree, and just have it be a whole big expensive thing. This connects back to the American message of being super rich and having money to get all these material possessions. Because if you look at Christmas through a different lens, all it is is spending money for other people and yourself. So in other words having lots of money, buy gifts for you and others that you are close to, and this results in more material possessions. A marginal message is for those people who are in middle—lower class. The people in these classes don’t have a lot of money to spend so they follow the message that “even though we aren’t rich, we can still make due with what we have.” Which mean that you don’t have to be rich to celebrate Christmas. That even though you will consume it won’t be on such a large scale, it will be like the small things such as family and love means more than an Xbox 360. This is a marginal message because it is something you hear people say in most places but not all which is you should celebrate Christmas but if you don’t have a lot of money to spend it isn’t a bad thing.
Don’t you ever sit in class during a random discussion/ lecture and think to yourself, is my life meaningful? And the answer to that question is based on the person who is answering the question because there are a various amount of answers. Some people will give you the answer “well of course my life is meaningful just because I’m me,” there are those others who will give you the answer “I think my life is actually kind of average and that it isn’t nothing special,” and then there are those who are just like “my life don’t mean shit.” These answers come from inside and deep down where u can honestly and rationally think about life. And the answer to this has to do with a person’s situation in life. Most of the time if a person has a very rich family they feel that their life means everything, usually the middle class can go both ways, and lower class feel like shit because they have no money so they feel like they mean nothing. The reason this is, is because those with good grades and a lot of money feel that their life is going somewhere but poor people with their life in turmoil feel their lives are meaningless because they feel they are so far down the shitter and can’t get out. In my situation I feel like I’m in between the middle class perspective and the lower class perspective. The reason I think so is because my life is kind of messed up now because of my grades and that my parents keep taking things away from me. But this doesn’t mean that my life is meaningless in my eyes. To me it says my life can be more meaningful if I just do something about it. To have the most meaningful life you possibly can is by having an equal balance between dominant, folk, and forbidden messages by determining, what is most important? Dominant corporate After watching the music video, All You Need is Love; by The Beatles it gave me an entire different view of having a meaningful life. On the contrast of Kanye with being pimped out with cars, money, and ladies. The Beatles demonstrate an entirely different point of view of a meaningful life by saying to have meaning is to love. So like if you don’t love something, it doesn’t mean anything. By saying this it practically pushes aside everything that Kanye stated in his video that you need money and ladies. But The Beatles think that love makes life meaningful. That money can’t buy you happiness. It’s only that if you find something in life that’s close to you and you can live by and then you will be happy. Also in the video it was not as hyped and crazy as Kanye’s was. Kanye’s was more flashy, new, and louder. While The Beatles was a lot mellower, the music was more like a melody then a tear up the club song, and it was sending message in more harmonic way. So all together, The Beatles had a way different view on a meaningful life then Kanye did. After watching the music video, The Good Life by Kanye West I feel that this pop culture message was faced more towards the messages of corporate culture. The reason I bring this up is due to the fact the video is practically what the title of the song is “Good Life.” And Kanye West is portraying this message of a “Good Life,” to mean that you are crazy rich, have all the new technology, be pimpin’/ have lots of ladies that want you, etc. This supports corporate culture messages because in lots of magazines/ newsstands/ newspapers, the people with a “Good Life,” are the rich and powerful ones like Kanye is showing in his video. In the verse in his video where Kanye says “Y'all pop the trunk, I pop the hood, Ferrari. And she got the goods. And she got that ass, I got to look, sorry,” says that while most people will be needing help with their car and needing to pop the trunk, Kanye is showing off his hot ride by popping the hood of it to show off his nice fast engine. Then he starts talking about the ladies by stating “she got the goods. And she got that ass; I got to look, sorry.” Which is saying that a woman has a lot to show off like a big ass and other things
and if you living the “Good Life,” you have women like these. So all together, Kanye is saying the “Good Life,” is to pimped out with money, cars, and ladies.
Corporate misery
While our discussions of having a good and meaningful life came the idea of misery. The theory that all lives must follow this line of corporate misery and we just use their products to get happy. Like the company Apple for instance. If you feel bad inside because you can’t listen to your music on the go, Apple will tell you to buy one of our music products such as the I-phone, I-Touch, and IPod Nano in order to get happy so you can listen to music on the go. But then you will feel like crap again when they come out with a new piece of “I,” technology and you say to yourself that you want that instead of what you got and then feel like crap because you can’t get it. So we people in the world follow this line of products as distractions to make us happy. Another theory of misery that I have is the idea that life is meant to be miserable. And people reading this might say to themselves, “Well I’m happy, I feel no misery.” But the fact is that if a person’s life was a “perfect fit,” for them, in my opinion life would just feel like it would have no meaning and just be plain out boring. The reason that in life when we are having fun and don’t want to stop it is because we want to stay distracted from the bad. But if there was no bad, there would be no reason to good and vice versa. It is all the bad times that make the good times feel so much more special. For me it has to do with my want to not be in school and rather being out doing something that I’m interested in more. But I think if life was like that and I was allowed to do what I wanted all the time without do consequence, I would believe it would get boring because I would be doing it so much. All that time of being bored and having that “I can’t wait to do this,” feeling and then actually doing what you wanted to do feel totally awesome. In my case for example, a couple of weeks ago I got tickets to the Cowboys vs. Giants game for a Sunday afternoon. And I knew I was going with someone who is a very special person in my life and that I’ve known since middle school. And the Tuesday I found out she could go made it extra exciting to see my favorite football team for the first time against our NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys knowing that I was going with someone who is special. But the part the spiced up this excitement that led to a great time and a great game was that school misery I had/ still have. That feeling of being totally bored the majority of my week and then being able to have the experience of a lifetime with someone who is special and had a great time too was a great experience. But having these great experiences isn’t always a good thing. The reason is that even though we don’t want it like this but to some, having too many good experiences can be bad things. The reason is that if you get too used to the good, you will forget how to cope with the bad and it can lead to an endless list of consequences depending on the person. To some it might lead to getting down and negative about an issue and took others it might lead to crazy aggression. This isn’t saying that having good is a bad thing, but having too much good and then just losing all or most of it can lead to worse things than if you had a lot of bad and a little bit of good. In my case for instance, I feel that my schooling is being affected due to a lack of balance of the good and bad. I am having too much bad happen in my life and not enough good. So every time I have an opportunity for good I take it even if I know it’s not the right time. This has been affecting my schoolwork because the only time I can look for good is when I’m doing homework because that’s the only time I know I’ll get it. So instead of concentrating on the task at hand, I’m looking for the good at the wrong time due to losing all my good and now facing “the withdraw of good,” or just retaliating because I’m not used to this much bad.
Marginal corporate messages
Marginal corporate messages are those that we see come up but not as frequently as the dominant ones. These messages are things such as woman can be bad ass just like men, “fight the power,” don’t be part of “the system,” just go crazy with life, and many more. In my opinion so of these marginal messages can have more meaning then the dominant messages that people are so accustomed to. The reason being is that these dominant messages have to do with a system. Systems in which we all are suppose to follow as human beings. These things consist of getting money, having a good job, being a good person, going to school, doing work, and not enjoying life for the most part because we are always doing something that’s part of the system. But it’s some of these marginal messages that can make life so worthwhile. It is like being able to fight the power of society is so much fun because it is something we are not required/ expected to do. Marginal messages are the fuel that keep us going because it is that little voice inside us that just says “Fuck the system, I’m doing what I want to do.”These marginal messages are expressed in many places, but I’d say the most are in movies. In the move Pump up the Volume, HHH (Happy Hairy Hard On) is an anonymous radio host that goes on air at 10pm every night. And on this show he shares his true feelings and views about life with his listeners. But in his “real life,” he feels trapped in this suburbia in Arizona. He goes to school, writes papers, does his work, and reads like every other person in a suburbia that goes to school. He is like that outcast geek that nobody wants to talk to. But at night for his radio show, all his views and feelings about life change. It is like silent by day, let it all out by night. On his show he does things like fake masturbating, playing fight the power music, smoking cigarettes, chewing gum, and wearing “bad ass,” clothing. So what he does is show his true self on his show. Telling us to go crazy in life and forget the system/ don’t let the system stop from being who you are. Or how the world is seriously corrupted by the people that run it and how the system take away from who we really are. Because “the system,” says we practically go to school, go to work, be cool, have money, and get various material products. But HHH is saying that this isn’t necessary, that it is still meaningful to do what makes you feel good inside. Even if it isn’t what society wants it to be. But it only matters if it satisfies the individual. In the movie there is quote from a song that states “Everybody knows that the war is over and the good guys lost.” This means that those who are those “good,” people who fought the power lost and those who follow the system won. But even though these people might’ve lost compared to others, as long as they make their life meaningful to them that’s all that matters. That even though they might not live in a huge house, have money, family, and material items doesn’t mean life is meaningless to that person. As long as you can feel proud of what you have done with your life, be able to say “I did what you wanted and it was worth it,” to go against the system, and maybe I might not be the richest man out there. But I think that where I am in life is ok in my eyes. So marginal messages are what can fuel a person’s life to be happier.Another movie that shows us these marginal messages is Fight Club. This movie is about a group of people who start a secret place where people fight. And it isn’t the fights; it’s about the dialogue that the characters use. The characters are all trying to send the viewer a message that aren’t represented by a material object such as money, cars, houses, etc. Not even the kind of job you have. You are represented by your true self and how you act. Just because you have a bad job doesn’t mean you are a bad or stupid person. It just means you didn’t make it up in society. But this movie says that you shouldn’t care about that stuff and that you are who you are and no one can change that. “You aren’t your khakis, you aren’t the contents of your wallet, you aren’t your job.” This quote means that you aren’t anything else but yourself. That you should let the world be and be who you are, not who everyone else is. It’s like the way we look at people. We can see someone who is very rich and just think he’s a good guy because he has a lot of money and a big house, and then turn out to be another asshole. But then again someone who is poor can be a much better quality of person but just not have a lot of money or a big house. So just because you are rich doesn’t mean you are a good person. This supports how you must not judge yourself by the kind of job or amount of money you have. As long as you can feel proud of who you really are that’s all that matters.
Dominant folk messages
Folk messages are also impacts on how to live a good and meaningful life. Folk messages are the ones that pop up occasionally but not everywhere. These are messages we get from our family, books, or even our teachers who try to tell us things that other dominant corporate places such as movies won’t tell us. These folk messages consist of topics such as love, attitude, insight, family, religion, work, death, and even aging. These are those smaller messages that aren’t looked at as much as the dominant ones but are just important to leading a good and meaningful life. I feel that these are actually more important/ significant then the dominant ones because these are the ones that are closer to the heart and soul of a person. A way this is true is because something like an iPod or a Ferrari won’t make a person happier long term, but something as close as a friend can make you happy for a lifetime.
A folk message that has a major part of how to live a good and meaningful life is friendship. The reason that this folk message stands out to me is because it is something that contradicts dominant corporate messages. The reason it does is because these dominant messages tell us that a meaningful life is having a lot of material objects, money, big house, etc. But this folk message of having friends contradicts that because there can be someone in middle class with a lot of friends and less money, can be happier than a man in upper class with a lot of money with no friends. A person with no friends even with a lot of money is actually less happy then they got no one to share any good times or joy with. It would be like watching your favorite team win a championship and then want to give someone a celebratory hug or high five but there would be no one there. And it is times like these that make even a rich person very lonely and unhappy. Because money can’t buy true friendship, people who are your friends because you are rich aren’t true friends. They won’t stick with them through the good and bad. Real friends stay with you regardless of the circumstances. This is a way that folk messages can be more important than dominant corporate messages.
Another folk message that contradicts the dominant corporate messages is the message of religion. The way that this does is because this can be used by any person in the world, upper, middle, and lower class people. But in my opinion I feel that those in the lower to middle classes have more connection to their religion then those in the upper classes. The reason I think this is because these people with less money are more connected because they actually have to hope and pray for dreams to come true and become reality. For a poorer person to prey to get an Xbox 360 it seems more spiritual and connecting because they got to work one hundred times harder because they can’t get things to come as automatic like rich person could. A rich person can make an Xbox 360 appear in two seconds if they want to. But it’s not even just material objects to prey/ hope for. It’s even things like happiness. Rich people always think they can buy happiness. Buying cars, houses, big screen TV’s, and various high priced objects. But the middle—lower class people prey for it and hope it comes true. They can’t just buy it and instantly make a material object appear like a rich person could. So therefore, the folk message Religion contradicts dominant messages because believing in a religion is the ability to believe in a higher power to help life change for the better. People in middle – lower class use this ability more and a lot stronger because they have to believe and prey for better things to come. Rich and upper class people don’t really have to because they usually take the attitude, “ill donate a little of my money and I’ll be doing a good thing.” But a poorer people would consider a good thing being like “I was able to make sure my kid had a happy birthday.” The way these things differ is because rich people consider giving money to be a real special deed. But it isn’t. A special deed is something like making sure a kid has a happy birthday. And by doing this, you are crea
ting opportunities and happiness by not using the dominant message of money, but the folk message of religion.
When I asked other people on the street, I was getting mixed answers. And the variety of these answers had to do with the person’s situation in life. I remember I asked this guy who was sitting on a bench on 22nd street and he told me that his life wasn’t really meaningful. He said that on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most meaningful that his life was a 4/10. And the reason he gave me was that he was having problems and he didn’t know where his life was going. In my opinion he wasn’t rich and he was struggling to find his way in the world. On the contrary the dean of SOF Mr. Marks actually feels very confident about the meaning of his life. He felt that on the scale of 1-10 that his life was an 8. This tells me that because of his occupation he feels that his life really means something. That it is meaningful to make sure that kids are safe, a school system is running smoothly, and that he has the good feeling that he is sending America’s youth into college. So different people have different views on their importance in life based on their current situation in life. Another place where Folk messages are used on holidays. For my “Christmas,” celebration, I was one of those people who stayed with family, ate good tasting food and chilled. On Christmas day all I did was watch all the basketball games and eat. Some friends of my dad came over to add to the occasion. It was fun considering what we were doing. This year it my first time looking at Christmas and somewhat observing it. Due to my dad’s friend, she persuaded us to have this little Christmas dinner in our apartment. The food was good, but the presents or I should say, present was better. For Christmas all I got from my dad was 50 bucks. And it wasn’t even supposed to give it to me for a Christmas present. He gave it to me or as a, “here is 50 bucks, now get the hell away from me,” sort of thing. So all I did was take it and took as “merry Christmas.” So in other words, my family didn’t have a traditional Christmas. We had the necessities such as a fake tree, food, people over, and somewhat presents. But it wasn’t even close to what other families do. Going all out to get the best looking tree, decorating the entire house with stockings and ordainments, getting that Christmas mood, presents under the tree, and having a bunch of people. Mine was very small and more chilled out. My family kind of followed the Christmas way but in a very cheap way. This in its ways goes for and against the so called “American way of life,” that pertains to Christmas. The reason is that even if you don’t have a whole “parade,” for Christmas doesn’t mean you are bad but just mean you just don’t have enough money to afford it. But on the other hand people might think you are low in society because you can’t afford a banquet Christmas.To add on to the idea that I ended on in the previous paragraph, I think that this connects to the dominant and marginal messages of corporate culture. I would believe that the dominant messages are to have a huge festival with food, decorations, people, presents, huge tree, and just have it be a whole big expensive thing. This connects back to the American message of being super rich and having money to get all these material possessions. Because if you look at Christmas through a different lens, all it is is spending money for other people and yourself. So in other words having lots of money, buy gifts for you and others that you are close to, and this results in more material possessions. A marginal message is for those people who are in middle—lower class. The people in these classes don’t have a lot of money to spend so they follow the message that “even though we aren’t rich, we can still make due with what we have.” Which mean that you don’t have to be rich to celebrate Christmas. That even though you will consume it won’t be on such a large scale, it will be like the small things such as family and love means more than an Xbox 360. This is a marginal message because it is something you hear people say in most places but not all which is you should celebrate Christmas but if you don’t have a lot of money to spend it isn’t a bad thing.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
MLK Day- belatedly posted
This weekend is a weekend that is celebrated by everyone in the U.S. the reason it is celebrated is because on Monday it is MLK (Martian Luther King) day. This day is observed by many because MLK was a very powerful figure due to his leadership in the tough civil rights movements. The civil rights movement was when the blacks in our community were fighting to get equal rights and benefits as the white people did. During this time the whites treated the blacks like shit through brutal ways such as rioting/ beating them, making them sit in the back of the bus, separate water fountains and eating sections, and even a diverse school system. So what the whites were doing was making the blacks look like garbage by treating them with disrespect and hate. Then MLK came into the picture. MLK was a man who moved the blacks to revolt and rebel against the whites in order to get the rights they deserve. He organized marches, meetings, and speeches to help him and other blacks to get their message out there that they won’t take what the whites are giving them. Especially the famous rally where he gave his “I Have a Dream,” speech. And eventually the civil rights movement was a success and MLK was a big face of it that many gave thanks to for helping do what must be done.So on this holiday I ask myself, how is this holiday relate back to how to have a meaningful life and what it really shows? And in my opinion it can be viewed in three different ways. The first way is for those who don’t even care about the holiday. These are the people who will say “Thank you MLK for giving us a day off from work/ school.” The second way is trying to perform characteristics of MLK. Meaning trying to get out into a community and being a leader, team player, determined, and focused to make a change in society like MLK did. And the final way is for those who want to observe the actual change. Those who thank MLK for giving their people freedom and changing what could’ve been their future. The way this connects back to having a meaningful life is because some people feel that observing this holiday in different ways is meaningful. I feel that for most the most meaningful is observing the change that this man made. I think this because I wouldn’t think that people would want to hassle to leave their homes and make a scene for one day and that would be it. It would be very meaningless to try to make change for one day because if making change actually meant something to the person, it would be a mission to make that change every day. Not just one day out of the year.
But on the other hand I feel that this holiday gives us some sort of a distorted perception of Dr King. The reason I say this is because what I have noticed from these assigned readings is that back in Dr King’s day, he wasn’t close to being someone who should’ve been appreciated or even having a day to celebrate him. One of the things people thought he was was a communist. This is not the kind of person the people of the U.S should want to be celebrating considering we live in a capitalist society and communists are our enemies. This is one of the ways how we get a distorted image of Dr King and not a complete truthful view. This is due to him only being remembered for his actions in the civil rights movement and the good he did for our society. This holiday also in a way messes up our view on how to live a good and meaningful life. Our definition of a good and meaningful life is being able to follow what you believe is meaningful and meaningful to others. But this holiday says you can be somewhat juvenile and still be a good person. And usually it is the bad juvenile people go to jail and not get celebrated. At the same time though it actually goes with the idea of having a meaningful life. The way I see this is because the idea of a good and meaningful life is doing what means most to you and others. So maybe doing what you want even if it is bad for others can be meaningful in a sense to. Because in the big picture, no one will be nice 100% of the time so maybe it is ok to be a little juvenile and still get appreciated.
But on the other hand I feel that this holiday gives us some sort of a distorted perception of Dr King. The reason I say this is because what I have noticed from these assigned readings is that back in Dr King’s day, he wasn’t close to being someone who should’ve been appreciated or even having a day to celebrate him. One of the things people thought he was was a communist. This is not the kind of person the people of the U.S should want to be celebrating considering we live in a capitalist society and communists are our enemies. This is one of the ways how we get a distorted image of Dr King and not a complete truthful view. This is due to him only being remembered for his actions in the civil rights movement and the good he did for our society. This holiday also in a way messes up our view on how to live a good and meaningful life. Our definition of a good and meaningful life is being able to follow what you believe is meaningful and meaningful to others. But this holiday says you can be somewhat juvenile and still be a good person. And usually it is the bad juvenile people go to jail and not get celebrated. At the same time though it actually goes with the idea of having a meaningful life. The way I see this is because the idea of a good and meaningful life is doing what means most to you and others. So maybe doing what you want even if it is bad for others can be meaningful in a sense to. Because in the big picture, no one will be nice 100% of the time so maybe it is ok to be a little juvenile and still get appreciated.
Inaugeration Day
During the inauguration day ceremonies there were aspects of life that were shown discreetly. These are aspects such as wealth, power, money, and popularity. These are things that most Americans would concider major factors on how to live a good and meaningful life. Being able to be adored and looked up to by everyone, having the power to make major changes to your favor and the ones around you, having a family and kids, and be pretty well taken care of when it comes down to the money. Aspects like these are the ones the majority of America goes after. Feeling/ being at the top of the hill instead of being that middle—lower class person who nobody thinks or cares about. In an American view we always see and hear about the upper class celebrities and people who are just rich because people see them as the “American Dream.”
During the speech and ceremonies these things were being portrayed in small ways. The way something like power, wealth, and being rich was portrayed in small separate ways. Power was being shown though him swearing himself to his presidency. He had to swear that he would serve, protect, and defend the United States and make sure the country is living peacefully. Being wealth and rich was shown though something you had to notice which was what the important people where wearing. All of them were wearing their best clothes and jackets for this historic occasion. But during Obama’s speech he was also cristising the lower- middle classes. The way he did this was saying that due to the stock market and the economy going to shit, the lower—middle class people are really suffering and was therefore critiqued by saying that he will higher taxes for the upper class in order to help out the lower—middle class. He is critiquing this because these people can’t afford to live on their normal budgets with this economy so therefore he was critiquing it by giving his people a plan of action to make our living situation better.
During the speech and ceremonies these things were being portrayed in small ways. The way something like power, wealth, and being rich was portrayed in small separate ways. Power was being shown though him swearing himself to his presidency. He had to swear that he would serve, protect, and defend the United States and make sure the country is living peacefully. Being wealth and rich was shown though something you had to notice which was what the important people where wearing. All of them were wearing their best clothes and jackets for this historic occasion. But during Obama’s speech he was also cristising the lower- middle classes. The way he did this was saying that due to the stock market and the economy going to shit, the lower—middle class people are really suffering and was therefore critiqued by saying that he will higher taxes for the upper class in order to help out the lower—middle class. He is critiquing this because these people can’t afford to live on their normal budgets with this economy so therefore he was critiquing it by giving his people a plan of action to make our living situation better.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
MLK Day
This weekend is a weekend that is celebrated by everyone in the U.S. the reason it is celebrated is because on Monday it is MLK (Martian Luther King) day. This day is observed by many because MLK was a very powerful figure due to his leadership in the tough civil rights movements. The civil rights movement was when the blacks in our community were fighting to get equal rights and benefits as the white people did. During this time the whites treated the blacks like shit through brutal ways such as rioting/ beating them, making them sit in the back of the bus, separate water fountains and eating sections, and even a diverse school system. So what the whites were doing was making the blacks look like garbage by treating them with disrespect and hate. Then MLK came into the picture. MLK was a man who moved the blacks to revolt and rebel against the whites in order to get the rights they deserve. He organized marches, meetings, and speeches to help him and other blacks to get their message out there that they won’t take what the whites are giving them. Especially the famous rally where he gave his “I Have a Dream,” speech. And eventually the civil rights movement was a success and MLK was a big face of it that many gave thanks to for helping do what must be done.
So on this holiday I ask myself, how is this holiday relate back to how to have a meaningful life and what it really shows? And in my opinion it can be viewed in three different ways. The first way is for those who don’t even care about the holiday. These are the people who will say “Thank you MLK for giving us a day off from work/ school.” The second way is trying to perform characteristics of MLK. Meaning trying to get out into a community and being a leader, team player, determined, and focused to make a change in society like MLK did. And the final way is for those who want to observe the actual change. Those who thank MLK for giving their people freedom and changing what could’ve been their future. The way this connects back to having a meaningful life is because some people feel that observing this holiday in different ways is meaningful. I feel that for most the most meaningful is observing the change that this man made. I think this because I wouldn’t think that people would want to hassle to leave their homes and make a scene for one day and that would be it. It would be very meaningless to try to make change for one day because if making change actually meant something to the person, it would be a mission to make that change every day. Not just one day out of the year.
So on this holiday I ask myself, how is this holiday relate back to how to have a meaningful life and what it really shows? And in my opinion it can be viewed in three different ways. The first way is for those who don’t even care about the holiday. These are the people who will say “Thank you MLK for giving us a day off from work/ school.” The second way is trying to perform characteristics of MLK. Meaning trying to get out into a community and being a leader, team player, determined, and focused to make a change in society like MLK did. And the final way is for those who want to observe the actual change. Those who thank MLK for giving their people freedom and changing what could’ve been their future. The way this connects back to having a meaningful life is because some people feel that observing this holiday in different ways is meaningful. I feel that for most the most meaningful is observing the change that this man made. I think this because I wouldn’t think that people would want to hassle to leave their homes and make a scene for one day and that would be it. It would be very meaningless to try to make change for one day because if making change actually meant something to the person, it would be a mission to make that change every day. Not just one day out of the year.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Holiday Connecting to Meaning Of Life
In our culture different holidays are observed for different reasons. I feel that a unique holiday that isn’t technically considered a dated holiday on a calendar is the Sunday the Super Bowl is played. This is a day in the world that people that isn’t even football fans stop on their televisions to watch a football game. The Super Bowl is considered the biggest football game of the year. The game where the two best teams in the league, one from the NFC(National Football Conference) and the other from the AFC(American Football Conference). And for this game it is when fans of their team bring out their true Fanhood. Fanhood is that special passion a person has inside them, passion that can’t be taken away, the commitment to stay up day and night watching ESPN and reading sports magazines and papers in order to be up to date with your favorite teams. Along with all the drama coming with each week, with the game coming down to a 4th Down or that tying/ go ahead field goal with time running out, shocking injuries, off field issues, and the thoughts of will my team show up to play and are they good enough get answered on the day of the super bowl. Other answers come from the individual players themselves. Some players in the super bowl have to prove themselves to their teammates, organization, and mostly the fans. This process happened to New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning last year. After being shelled in the playoffs every year he started in them, he was able to play his best football and shut all the critics up about his incapability to win the big game. He threw only one interception on his postseason journey on the road from Giants Stadium beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round, division rival Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round, the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship, and finally bringing it all together by beating one of the already Super Bowl greats Tom “Terrific,” Brady and the undefeated Patriots taking their possibly historic 19-0 perfect season and making them fall one game short at 18-1.
Besides just the game this day has a lot to do with the people watching it. This isn’t a day where fans go out to watch the game in dress clothes. This is a more casual day where you dress in your team’s colors/ attire. Meaning wearing a hat, t-shirt, jersey, shoes, pants, whatever it takes for you to be satisfied with how you are representing your team. Some people even enjoy using face and body paint. Watching the game with your faced painted with your team’s colors or being topless and painting your entire chest and back in your team’s colors. On any other day of the week people would think you were out of your mind but on this occasion no one cares.
While enjoying this game you can be with anyone you want. Most people like to spend their times with either their friends, family, both, or if you don’t have friends you can just enjoy it with people around you if you go to a sports bar. Whether you are at the game or not, you and the people around you are going to be feeling the same or opposite ways depending weather your group is all fans of the same team, or you are in a mixed group with fans of both teams. In either case you will end up with one of two pairs of emotion which are, happy and joyful or sad and pissed off. The happiness and joy would come from your team winning and being the year’s champions of the football world. But on the other hand the sad and pissed off would come from a loss and having that entire season of dram just go down the tubes with a pathetic or last second loss.
I feel that food wise this depends on what kind of person you are. This day is more like a feast day where you would eat and drink as much as you want. Food that is served can range from anything such as chips and dip, cheese, Sliced Italian Sausage, pepperoni, and shrimp cocktail to having what the tailgaters have which is things like burgers, hot dogs, sausage, and steaks. Drinks are simpler because all they range from is from water to hard liquor. Usually the big Super Bowl parties have everything but the choices are usually when you are just watching or listening with a smaller group of people. People usually listen to any type of music that they like but at the special Super Bowl Halftime Show there are performances by top/ popular musicians. The most recent have been The Rolling Stones, Justin Timberlake, Prince, and this year Bruce Springsteen.
But this day also has some contradictory messages o our culture. Usually on any day if you ran out into the street and just yelling people would think that you are crazy but if your team wins it is more accepted to go out on the street and be joyful for your team. Also this holiday even somewhat breaks the law. The way it does is that the U.S drinking age is 21 years old. But on this day parents allow their kids (depending on how old) drink beer because it’s the big game. But this day also reveals some of a person’s meaning in life. These are things such as friendship, passion, family, joy, determination, happiness, and the pursuit to that unknown indescribable feeling of your team achieving victory.
Besides just the game this day has a lot to do with the people watching it. This isn’t a day where fans go out to watch the game in dress clothes. This is a more casual day where you dress in your team’s colors/ attire. Meaning wearing a hat, t-shirt, jersey, shoes, pants, whatever it takes for you to be satisfied with how you are representing your team. Some people even enjoy using face and body paint. Watching the game with your faced painted with your team’s colors or being topless and painting your entire chest and back in your team’s colors. On any other day of the week people would think you were out of your mind but on this occasion no one cares.
While enjoying this game you can be with anyone you want. Most people like to spend their times with either their friends, family, both, or if you don’t have friends you can just enjoy it with people around you if you go to a sports bar. Whether you are at the game or not, you and the people around you are going to be feeling the same or opposite ways depending weather your group is all fans of the same team, or you are in a mixed group with fans of both teams. In either case you will end up with one of two pairs of emotion which are, happy and joyful or sad and pissed off. The happiness and joy would come from your team winning and being the year’s champions of the football world. But on the other hand the sad and pissed off would come from a loss and having that entire season of dram just go down the tubes with a pathetic or last second loss.
I feel that food wise this depends on what kind of person you are. This day is more like a feast day where you would eat and drink as much as you want. Food that is served can range from anything such as chips and dip, cheese, Sliced Italian Sausage, pepperoni, and shrimp cocktail to having what the tailgaters have which is things like burgers, hot dogs, sausage, and steaks. Drinks are simpler because all they range from is from water to hard liquor. Usually the big Super Bowl parties have everything but the choices are usually when you are just watching or listening with a smaller group of people. People usually listen to any type of music that they like but at the special Super Bowl Halftime Show there are performances by top/ popular musicians. The most recent have been The Rolling Stones, Justin Timberlake, Prince, and this year Bruce Springsteen.
But this day also has some contradictory messages o our culture. Usually on any day if you ran out into the street and just yelling people would think that you are crazy but if your team wins it is more accepted to go out on the street and be joyful for your team. Also this holiday even somewhat breaks the law. The way it does is that the U.S drinking age is 21 years old. But on this day parents allow their kids (depending on how old) drink beer because it’s the big game. But this day also reveals some of a person’s meaning in life. These are things such as friendship, passion, family, joy, determination, happiness, and the pursuit to that unknown indescribable feeling of your team achieving victory.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)