1st Degree Celebrity

As discussed in class, there are a number of different varieties and degrees of "celebrity". In today's society, the word "celebrity" covers a scale much larger than it did 20 years ago. In my opinion, we can thank the great and mighty Internet for that. With the enormous boom of popularity and prominence over the last few decades, the Internet has created new forms of stardom and celebrity-esque status. Viral videos allow people to put their "fame fate" in their own hands. "YouTube Sensation" has become a well-known term in our society. YouTube allows you to upload a video of yourself doing almost anything, and if America likes it, a few million hits later you're on the Ellen Show. We even have TV shows that are directly based on viral videos, like Ridiculousness and Tosh.0. It's clear that we as Americans surely enjoy our 15 minutes of fame. So without the Internet and all of its capabilities, I don't think there would be so many variations of "celebrity". I think it would take more effort to become noticed, and much harder work to achieve global "celebrity status". I think that over the years the general idea of being a celebrity has weakened, and that is why so many different categories exist today. If we put Denzel Washington, Paris Hilton and William Hung all in the general category of "celebrity", someone is bound to be insulted...

Fabricating Fandom

The whole "Inspector Spacetime" TV show concept created from the 15 second clip aired on Community was extrememly funny and interesting to me. The fact that Community fans have joined forces to create a TV show (equipped with a 50 year past) that technically doesn't exist is fascinating and it goes to show how far fans will go to show their "fandom". I realized shortly after class that I too have partaken in "fandom" that technically doesn't exist. It's not as intense as the Inspector Spacetime example, but I was still engaged in it nonetheless. Summer Heights High a.k.a one of the greatest TV shows to ever air was a 1 season hit on HBO. I was addicted to it shortly after I watched the pilot episode. For Halloween a few years ago, I dressed up as Annabelle Dickson, a "character" from Summer Heights High. I say "character" because she is never actually on the show. Annabelle is a dead girl who overdosed on ecstacy and they ultimately make a musical about her life/death, but she is never on the show. She is simply the girl who died from ecstacy. The vast majority of people who saw me out that Halloween had absolutely NO idea who I was. But anyone who watched Summer Heights High knew exactly why I was wearing a teal school uniform and a large white styrofoam tablet around my neck with a massive letter "E" on the front. Creating concrete things from abstract ideas from your favorite shows turns out to be pretty fun! If I were a Community fan I'm sure I would appreciate Inspector Spacetime even more than I do now!

Hoodies for Justice

Up until last month, a hooded sweatshirt was merely an article of clothing worn by many different people from all walks of life. Hoodies did not discriminate; they were not worn by one specific gender, race, class or ethnicity. The hooded sweatshirt was a universal clothing choice for comfort. In the wake of the death of 17 year old Trayvon Martin, the hoodie has become much more than what it was merely a month ago. The hoodie now represents support for Trayvon Martin during the search for his justice. Several protests and peaceful marches have been organized across the county in support of Trayvon Martin and his family, and a vast majority of these supporters are donning hoodies in memory of him. From NBA players to church congregants to state elected officials in New York, the hoodie is catching recognition and gaining power in the media. With so much support also comes a good deal of negativity. Geraldo Rivera's comments about Trayvon Martin's hoodie and its role in his untimely death sparked a lot of controversy in the media. Besides Rivera, many people also believe that the hoodie is a sign of menace or gang affiliation. Ultimately, the hoodie and what it stands for is entirely subjective. Interpret it as a socially constructed symbol for justice for Trayvon Martin, or view it as an article of clothing that both generates and triggers stereotypes of minorities. Either way, a hoodie did not kill an unarmed 17 year old boy, a man with a gun did.

TMZ: 2Pac Spotted @ A Baby Shower!!

We've all been in that awkward position while watching a movie with a parent and all of a sudden, a steamy sex scene springs up right in front of your eyes. You're not sure if you should uncomfortably laugh, fast forward until clothes are added to the equation or just close your eyes and wait it out. We all know what it's like when our friends see our "recently watched" Netflix movies and we are immediately inundated with embarrassment-- cheesy romantic comedies and sappy love stories galore! While in the comforts of my own own, and in the company of me, myself, and I, those types of movies are ok. It's all about context. For me, this idea also applies to music.

There's a time and place for everything, including certain music choices. If I were hosting my cousin's baby shower, I probably wouldn't blare 2Pac over the garden sound system. At a country-western bar, I wouldn't request that the band play Marilyn Manson. We all know that throwing Marvin Gaye on the jukebox at a crowded bar will be an instant crowd pleaser. We know that most Journey songs are crowd pleasers amongst happy drunk people. Certain media types are appropriate for certain situations. For TV shows, movies and music alike, the audience tends to enforce "unspoken rules" about what is appropriate and what isn't. These unwritten rules of society govern how we interact with and produce different media types.

National Geographic: Family Guy Edition

The clip above is just one of many Family Guy excerpts that pushes the "racial stereotype" envelope. Many people argue that stereotypical driven content is funny because it has truth to it. Though this is often times true, it is almost always extremely exaggerated, and it is that extremeness that makes it funny. When it comes to Family Guy, I think it's safe to say that everyone agrees that it's humor is usually over-the-top. When racial stereotypes are addressed in the show, it is often times poking fun at the stereotypes themselves, at just how extreme and often times ridiculous they are. Many of the stereotypes that exist in American society only exist because we continuously allow them to exist. The racial jokes in Family Guy are aimed at almost every single racial and ethnic group in existence, therefore not targeting just one. The jokes seem to all be in "good humor" and usually make light of racial topics which are sometimes uncomfortable to address in a more serious setting. Overall, I don't believe that the racial jokes are meant to be derogatory towards any one group of people. I think they purposefully exaggerate and poke fun at some of the ignorant racial stereotypes that our society fuels, and often times highlight just how ridiculous it is that our society "believes" in these stereotypes.

After taking the Pew Research: News IQ Quiz (and failing miserably) I decided to do some light research on American youth to see if I was alone in the arena of "political struggle". The youth of America is comprised of over 44 million young adults age 18-29. 93% of us have a cell phone, 88% of us are online regularly, 73% of us have a Facebook page and 31% of us use Twitter. 


These statistics suggest that we should be very connected to the world and what goes on in it. The internet is a glorious place that seems to have the answer to everything, and the vast majority of American youth have instant access to it. But for some reason we are also the demographic that seems to be least informed and least interested about politics. Our country was founded on democracy and politics generally rule everything. So why are we so connected to the world via the internet, yet so disconnected from politics? 


I personally find politics utterly boring and pretty foreign to me. Political jargon scrambles and confuses my fresh, young mind. I want to be interested, but I'm too uninformed. Lippman would agree, I'm no expert. So I (as well as 32% of American youth) leave it up to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to make me laugh while attempting to keep me politically informed. I have confidence that one day I will become politically savvy... Slowly but surely. At least for now I can sleep easy knowing I am not alone in the arena of political struggle... Many of you are with me!

The Walking Dead Get LOST.

Karl Marx was my biggest enemy back in 2004. I was just a baby, freshman in high school and Marx’s philosophies on society, class and labor had me all confused and distraught. Over the last 8 years I’ve gained a better grasp of his general ideas, and he is no longer my biggest enemy. But for some reason while talking about Marx the other day, I began to think of ways to challenge his ideas, and I thought up the concept of a classless society.

Even though America does not have a rigid caste system like some other countries of the world, and our class system can be beat, it is still quite obvious that class inequalities are institutionalized in American society. If born into a poor family, the chances of that child remaining poor their entire life are much higher than that child one day becoming a member of the upper class. I’m not saying it’s impossible by any means, but for the most part, class stays somewhat consistent throughout a person’s life. Then the idea of a classless society popped into my head and I instantly thought of AMC’s The Walking Dead, and ABC’s LOST.

In both shows, a tragedy of some sort has occurred that has brought groups of random strangers together to live in a “newly created society” brought on by disaster. In The Walking Dead, an apocalyptic tragedy occurred and very few humans survived the zombie infestation. In LOST a tragic plane crash occurred stranding the plane passengers on a beautiful yet mysterious and dangerous island. In both shows, these groups of strangers live together, trying to survive in the unfamiliar environments they now live in. Class is almost entirely wiped out in both shows. Class is no longer an issue when your main goal each day is to survive. When you’re running from zombies it doesn’t matter what class you were a member of in your “old life”. In both shows, only one class seems to exist, that class being survivors.

Money, Cars, Clothes & Hoes: Breaking Stereotypes

      I’m an amazing mind reader and I would like you to quickly take a second and envision a generic “rapper”…  Do you have a picture in your head? Prepare to be blown away with my mind reading skills… Were you picturing a black male? Told you I’m good.

     American society stereotypically associates certain music with certain types of people. Though there are definitely exceptions, typically each genre both targets and attracts people of specific demographics. Here are some musical stereotypes that I guarantee most Americans believe to be true: Country music is often associated with a white audience; Pop Music is associated with young listeners; Heavy Metal is often associated with male listeners; Christian Rock is associated with (you guessed it)… Christian listeners; and Rap/Hip-Hop is often associated with a black audience.

     When I introduce myself to someone, I can guarantee that the first thing to come out of that someone’s mouth is “you’re Irish right?” I can also guarantee that the second thing out of that person’s mouth isn’t “you’re a huge rap fan right?” Though surprising to many, I could talk all day about 2pac, Kendrick Lamar, KRS-One, The Wu-Tang Clan (even Ol’ Dirty Bastard), A$AP Rocky, Cam’ron, Dilated Peoples, Curren$y, Nas, N.E.R.D., Big L, Outkast and my guys The Cool Kids. Despite the fact that I am a white female (a.k.a. not your stereotypical rap fan), I still have spent close to a decade listening to, interpreting, and appreciating the sounds, lyrics and ideologies found within rap music.

     Music has the ability to act as a universal language among people of all differences. Music, as a communication tool, can reach out and touch the masses. Different ideologies, which help us to define and make sense of the world around us, are illustrated and can be recognized in every genre of music regardless of the gender, age, race, socioeconomic status, religious background or sexual orientation of the listener. Music is interpretive.

Realty TV Bites: The Bad Girls Club Chronicles

Reality TV has been a growing phenomenon since its explosion in the late 1990's/early 2000's. Reality shows have ranged from Big Brother to The Bachelor and Survivor. The Real World is one of the longest-running reality series in history with 26 seasons to date. The list of reality shows could go on forever, but what exactly do reality shows have to offer? Why is America so fascinated with the daily lives of "reality stars"? In an attempt to answer said questions, I began to reflect on my own reality TV vices...

I am not proud to admit this, but The Bad Girls Club is a "reality" show that I have been a ridiculously avid fan of since season 1. Over the years and various seasons, I have seen the chosen girls evolve from "bad" to "worse" to absolute train wreck. The season 8 premier aired this Monday night, and I found myself swaddled on my couch at 8:59 p.m. giddy with anticipation for the 9:00 introduction of this season's "bad girls". Embarrassing I know, but I'm addicted. Soon after the premier, I began to reflect on the past 7 seasons in an attempt to find out why the hell I even watch this show. I get so much flak from my friends, family and peers for watching The Bad Girls Club so I decided to look inside myself for some answers. And guess what? I really didn't find any convincing arguements...

I have come to the conclusion that I do not have one valid arguement as to why I watch this show besides the entertainment factor. I do not look up to these girls, nor do I envy them, nor do I ever want to be included in their "club". I guess I just get a kick out of the outrageously amazing things that happen within the walls of The Bad Girls house, knowing that the things I see on the show will in all actuality, never happen in my life. It's ironic to say that I watch "reality" shows as an escape from my reality. Not that my life is boring in the least bit, but on a Monday night I typically don't get belligerently drunk and pull my roommates hair extensions out because she was a "skanky betch" and destroyed my favorite pair of Jimmy Choo's when she was prancing around in the club wearing them last Saturday.

My inner reflection revealed this about Americans: we like crazy. We want to watch trashy reality TV because we can. We're American damnit. We enjoy watching physically attractive people with heinous personalities destroy other physically attractive people's belongings. We want to know just how many shots it takes to get to the center of someones drinking problem. We want to watch "bad girls" act like they're all that and a bag of chips because it's entertaining and we don't really act like that when we go out in public. So as long as we are continually entertained by reality stars and their antics, whether "real" or not, reality TV will continue to reign supreme in the American arena of pop culture awesomeness!!

The Price of Fame

        Like many of the previous blog posts mentioned, as well as our class discussions, I think it is safe to say that people will do just about anything to become "noticed" or to achieve their 15 minutes of fame. But how far is too far? As many have heard or seen on the news, last Sunday a young boy was attacked, beaten and robbed in an alley in our own Chi-City, in the Bridgeport neighborhood. To add to the heinous details of this incident, the whole event was videotaped and uploaded to YouTube. I cannot think of any reason that someone would post this video online other than to get noticed, or achieve "fame".

        Today, 7 kids were arrested for the beating, all aged 17 or under. This is not the first incident of its kind, nor do I think it will be the last. Before the advent of the internet, people couldn't gain "fame" or recognition off of viral videos. It is upsetting and disheartening to see the reality of just how far people will go to achieve "fame" and global recognition. But at what price do these "fame seekers" pay? In the case of the 7 adolescents that were charged today, the answer is: a lot! Bail was set this morning at $100,000. So go ahead and ask yourself: what are you wiling to do to become famous, and at what cost?