...Popular American Culture Paper Marie Loggia-Kee SOC/105 July 18, 2011 University of Phoenix Popular American Culture Paper When we talk about American Pop Culture, we are talking about society today, and how it has made a difference from the past. Culture is defined appreciating good music, food, and art. We see culture in our everyday lives; we eat, breathe, and speak culture in our homes. People become used to what is consider the new style. In our modern world, others refuse to participate. American Pop Culture is defined as culture that refers to the knowledge and customs of a specific group during a specific period of time, and simultaneously reflects and influences behaviors (Petracca & Sorapure, 2007). With the media changing through the years, our social habits have changed drastically for some, and not for others. For example I used to write letters to my family overseas, and now we email each other or use Facebook to keep in touch with all the updates within our family. Technology has gotten better throughout the years. With new technologies, everyone wants to be involved with in. Another great example of new technology is researching. We used to go to libraries to research on a book, product, or person. Now we are able to do it online in the comfort of our own homes. We also get to shop online which is another great example of pop culture. American pop culture has influenced our lives in many ways, like fashion for instance. Some of us like the new trend...
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...Popular American Culture Paper By. Jackie Thompson Soc. 105 June 7, 2012 Professor Susan Kessler American Pop Culture Culture is something that is learned from birth, it affects the way a person looks at themselves, and their surroundings. Someone’s culture influences their preference in music, food, clothing, hair styles, parenting skills, social skills, and the way someone reacts to their environment. Pop culture is everywhere we look from television, radio, magazines, billboards, newspapers, family, friends, co-workers, professors, and classmates all of these things influences our lives in one way or another. It influences the way we behave in public, what we say, and the way we react to our giving surroundings in a specific time period, which is forever changing depending on what society finds acceptable at that point in time. Three trends in today’s American culture, starting with the biggest is reality TV, such as “Keeping up with the Kardashians”, “Jersey Shore”, “The Bachelor”, and “Teen Mom”. These reality shows have became a huge hit here in America, being able to watch these peoples personal issues play out right before your eyes is fascinating to some and boring to other. The second major trend would be the body modification, such as tattoos and or piercings. I believe that people are enjoying decorating their bodies not only to make themselves even more unique, but to express their own personality. Thirdly there is the large variety of music in today’s...
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...From what I find funny to the clothing I wear to what I watch, American Pop Culture has played a major role in shaping who I am and what I think about various aspects of society. I took this course as a way to gain an understanding for why Pop Culture was (and still is) impactful in my life and to figure out what makes something popular enough to have significant in American society. While my interest in the topic is vast, my exploration into American Pop Culture is very slim — or just non existent. My experience in thinking and writing about aspects of Pop Culture mainly comes from in-depth conversations with friends about a movie and its meaning or being assigned to write a book review. Typically, a conversation I have about American Pop Culture turns into a conversation about American society as a whole, so I’m not sure if I’ve truly thought “critically” about Pop Culture in specific — which I’m excited to learn and discuss about in this course....
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...It is important to understand the existence and culture of Native people prior to European arrival because life was drastically different before they arrived. Natives continually based their culture on ensuring that everyone was taken care of. The bow, arrow, and spear were their weapons for hunting and for battle. The arrival of Europeans greatly impacted the lives and culture of Native Americans. Europeans had no problem taking over Native land because if conflict were to arise, they knew they had the weapons and men to overpower them and defeat them all. They wanted to take over their land because European settlers viewed owning land as being very important. Land to them meant wealth. Upon European arrival, Natives were introduced to more...
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...Culture has been developed over time, molded by generations, and shared in the growth of life. Art, clothing, language, religion, literature, and customs all play a fatal part in people’s diverse cultural values, from all corners of the earth. Sharing culture usually inhabits the same area of the world. By doing so most values and beliefs carry on for generations. It provides a sense of unity with the groups creating traditions values and beliefs. Experience is what carries culture through generations. Adopting old traditions and customs propagate culture. Culture is earned throughout a life time nobody is simply born with it. Gradually changing over time, some traditions, beliefs, and rituals are pushed to the wayside....
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...A culture is created by a group of people who share the same beliefs and values. Whether it is a new group of people or an existing group, a culture is shaped by people uniting and sticking together toward a common objective. Some examples of cultures are Asian, African, Italian, Middle Eastern, and Hawaiian cultures each with its own customs, traditions, and practices that are shaped by historical and social factors. In shaping a culture, history plays a huge role in the traditions and heritage that are passed down for generations. Giving thought to Mexican American culture Zoot Suits, farm workers, and many other movements have helped shape what we know as Mexican American culture today. To fully understand the Mexican-American culture, we...
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...Prominent people, events, and environments emphasise a communities values. In this paper, I will explicate the power of myth in Latin America and the Caribbean and how societal emphasis creates or promotes mythology. There is a duality between cultures and their myths, each gradually moulding its counterpart into the core of the society. I will draw upon the legacy of Saint Anastacia; the mythologies of the Napo Runa, including shapeshifting, shamanism, and creation stories; as well as Chamelco’s folklore surrounding Aj Pop B’atz’. Additionally, I will analyse each myth’s notoriety in its culture and what it illuminates about the myth’s host communities. While some of these myths appear to be fantasized by Western science standards, others correlate with accepted history. Regardless of empirical data, the importance of the myths remains unshaken. This suggests that the cultural value does not originate from the stories themselves,...
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... Well this is my view when it comes to Lebanese Americans and African Americans cultures. I will begin with a short history of Arabs. Beirut, Mount Hermon and Lebanon is where most of the Lebanese settlers in America came from. There are known also as the Armenian population and they speak of variety of language’s including Turkish and Armenian. However, Syriac is spoken by Assyrians, along with French and English. During World War 1, France and England separated the region into English and French territories. Eventually, “England assumed control of what became Palestine and Jordan, and France took over what became Syria and Lebanon” (Every Culture). The very first Arabic speaking Christian Lebanese individuals migrated...
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...It is quite common to hear how the middle and high-income classes of the United States affect their culture and economy. However, the role that poverty and low-income classes play is not discussed as often, especially in a positive light. Usually, poverty and the impoverished are looked down upon from the other classes, causing divides. Poverty and culture affect each other at the same time, intertwining and impacting both. Some of the influences poverty produces in the culture of the United states includes stigma, segregation, and a lack of empathy. First off, poverty is stigmatized. Poverty in itself is its own culture, creating new ways to survive and function in a capitalistic society that depends on money. The large majority that makes up impoverished communities consists of minorities such as African-Americans. Since African-Americans are already being stereotyped and given the short stick, adding poverty into the mix does not produce any benefit. In American society, being low-income is shameful and receiving help from the government is seen as negative. The...
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...Studentereksamen The texts in section A focus on the American Dream. Write a paper (700-1000 words) in which your answer the following questions. Answer the questions separately. Give an outline of how the American Dream is interpreted in texts 2, 3 and 4. Text 2: Arnold Schwarzenegger's view on the American Dream is; that it is something you have to make yourself worthy for. This is characterized by three things. To truly succeed as an American citizen you have to learn the English language. This is a necessity to blend in to the American culture. Another factor that weighs in high according to Schwarzenegger about the American Dream is the right to vote. In Austria, you do not have the right to vote, so he exaggerates the fact that the right to vote should not be taken for granted. He also says that 'democracy is not a spectator’s sport', so you should participate as much as possible. Thirdly, he emphasizes that giving back to your country should be important. According to Schwarzenegger you should give back as much and as possible. He ends the text paying tribute to all the great immigrants who have performed service for The United States. Text 3: The third text epitomizes the opinion that the American Dream is money-oriented. Since the economy was at a downfall in 2008, the American Dream had been, metaphorically speaking, been killed or at least wounded. Beyond that, the text is angled in a much more negative way, but maybe a more realistic way. The writer, Anya...
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...Sak pase? Nou ap boule! I am a proud black Haitian-American. My culture has become a huge part of me and who I've become; I mean it's all about the 509 in the 305, Right? Yeh I may have only been to Haiti once throughout my entire life, but that doesn't mean that I am not Haitian or that I am not considered “zoe” as some Americans would say. Being born and raised in Miami ,Fl and having Haitian descents can get stressful and extremely annoying at times. Throughout my years at Miami Central Senior High School there were students who picked on my culture and tell me different things like they was from there. Kids would say that “you're not American” just because my parents are born and raised in Haiti and because I have the ability to speak...
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...trees and reducing the amount of carbon in the air digital newspapers and magazines also became a big success for mass media and global news. Today events that take place half way around the world are in local newspapers or on broadcasting stations within minutes of their occurrence. The 20th century gift to mass media is speed and advertisement. Businesses can introduce themselves and their services to a wider scale of consumers instead of only their local based customers. There were also a number of visual improvements to mass media during the 20th century. Movies were made in 3D, green screens were used to insert false backgrounds, and clarity was improved by creating high definition lenses. | How did each development influence American culture? | With all the...
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...psychology of desperation and deep meanings of struggle to many of Arthur Miller’s poems. “The Crucible” deals with extraordinary tragedy in lives of normal people due to the witch-hunts. “All My Sons” probes with the idea of dissatisfaction and unrest within the greater American population, influenced from the desperation and paternal responsibility put on people. Lastly, “Death of a Salesman” a work based on the American dream and national values, was influenced greatly by his hatred relationship with his uncle. The historical and personal events that occurred during Arthur Miller’s early life greatly influenced his writings of “The Crucible”, “Death of a Salesman”, and “All My Sons”. “The Crucible” was historically influenced by those trying to cleanse American culture of anyone who persisted in seeing the Soviet Union as a source of good in the world. This disgusted Miller so much that he based “The Crucible” on the anti-communist hysteria that pervaded the 1950s America, and the witch-hunts of the late 17th century He hated the idea of tragedy in ordinary lives and had much concern for the physical wellbeing of the working class. The outburst of these ideas caused him to be called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, and was convicted of contempt of Congress for not cooperating (this conviction however was later appealed). The unraveling of his troubled and turbulent marriage with Marilyn Monroe was the main personal event that influenced Miller’s writing of this...
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...American Culture of Consumerism Present day American culture is heavily influenced by consumerism. American’s are focused on material possessions, instead of working for their status in society they would rather project a desired status with the use of material possessions. The rest of the world views Americans as a more materialistic society than majority of the other countries. Americans love to eat, work, party, and spend money all in excess. This means that they value and collect more material objects than most people would ever dream of owning. The American people are so focused on maintaining their material possessions to show off their status, that they focus less on building relationships and developing a sense of self and a sense of appreciation. The marketing world only takes this materialism higher, it focuses on this insatiable “hunger” for the newest trends and thus advertises their products to appeal to a wide variety of consumers. Tom Horton, a writer for The Baltimore Sun, helps put it in perspective in his article The Toll of American Materialism stating “For the record, Americans are five percent of Earth's population, consuming about thirty percent of the Earth's nonrenewable natural resources. If global trade actually enabled the other ninety five percent of the world to live the American dream, we'd need another five or so Earths to support it.” For Americans it is more important to obtain, maintain, and protect their material objects than it is to focus...
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...soon realizes that it’s not all she imagined it to be. Hungry Hearts seems to suggest that America can bring success and joy to everyone, including immigrants, but it will come at a cost of integrating into a new world and nation different from their own. Instead of making the easy transition into this new society, the characters come to the realization that there will be some give and take with adjusting to this new world. She implies that cultural traditions and heritages may have to be forfeited or lessened in this new world to make room for what is socially acceptable in America. This is only if one wants to be successful and take full advantage of the American dream and all this country has to offer. For immigrants who seem to be able to merge the various aspects of each culture successfully, they learn that American society doesn’t really view them equally, but instead looks upon them as a lower class citizen compared to naturalized citizens. In “Wings”, Shenah Pessah, the protagonist is on adolescent immigrant who looks forward to making something of herself, brimming with joy and aspiration to improve her life. In the new world her life seemingly becomes better when she meets a young professor, John Barnes, who represents everything she wanted to be in America. Unknown to her are his true motives of his interests in her. When she says she’s from Russia, the first thing he thinks of is: “So he was in their midst, the people he came to study. The girl with her hungry eyes...
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