As we all know, "Black Lives Matter", "Blue Lives Matter" and "All Lives Matter" have been extremely popular topics in recent months. There's a lot going on in the world right now and racism is one of the biggest issues our country is dealing with. Some people claim that racism doesn't exist, but in my opinion that's just their way of not dealing with it. Racism is definitely still an issue. I have a four year old nephew that's mixed, and before he was born there was a lot of criticism towards our family. I have also had several interracial relationships and I can honestly say it is a hard position for both people. I think that the topic of cops against blacks is a hard one for me. There are some extremely crooked cops out there, but there are also many that put their life on the line to protect everyone else, no matter the color of their skin. On the other hand there are black people that do deserve what they get, but there are also a numerous amount that get targeted for the color of their skin. With that being said, people have showed their thoughts in countless ways: blogs, articles, protest, etc. One the most recent is the Atlanta rapper TI's new music video for his song "War Zone". The video shows events that have happened with cops and blacks, only with the roles reversed. The cops are now black and the victims are white. He talks about Alton Sterling, Trayvon Martin and several other innocent blacks that were killed. He also brings up Dylann Roof in the song. TI expresses his feelings about Micheal George Smith Jr, the 22 year old African American male that they found hanging in Piedmont Park, "Witness said suicide, I said genocide".At the end of the video the words "The new racism, is to deny that racism exists." TI is known for being one of the more intelligent and mature rappers, and he always speaks his mind. In a recent interview he was asked about the video and he stated that although some of the images are disturbing, they are very much real. It's reality for the families that have lost a loved one. One major question that is always asked is; "if rappers claim to want justice, then why is hip hop all about guns, killings and police brutality"? In the interview on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, TI has a very insightful reply. He pretty much explains that the artists talk about the environment that they grew up in before they made it big and the things they have been through. He says if the environment around them changes, then the content of their music will change. I've attached the link and if you start the interview at 6:30 then you can hear his full answer. I think that this is a topic that will carry on for years to come, but it is very much an issue that needs some positive change.
What do you mean when you say "there are black people that deserve what they get"? i disagree with that. I don't think any crime can justify death by police. No matter what they did, it is not the responsibility of a police officer to take justice into their own hands and take someone's life. that decision is the responsibility of our governments judicial system and should be left to them. In my opinion the only time it is acceptable for a cop to take someone's life is when the suspect puts the cops or others in legitimate danger however this is almost never the case.
I got to, "on the other hand there are black people who deserve what they get" and was done. I want to give you the opportunity the explain what you mean but lets get one thing clear, more often than not have absolutely NO right to kill anyone. The reason they're trained before becoming an officer is because they need to learn the other avenues they can take instead of being trigger happy
Yall missed the point of this whole post. I didn't say anyone deserves to be killed. But there are instances when a cop is put in danger and they have no other choice. So yes if you are shooting at a cop or trying to kill them, then yeah i do feel the cop has the right to defend their own life if that is the absolute last choice. My whole point in this post is taking the side of black lives matter. with all of the information I put, I think i made myself pretty clear of that. You can't just say it's always the cops fault, because that too makes you racist saying its never the black persons fault.
I think that key sentence is probably throwing each reader off. Numerous reasons, you could honestly just take out the word black and you're good, it's not just African Americans that're getting shot. Also too using words like "blacks," should be altered.
Now there have been numerous shootings (duh) where people are following instructions and re still getting shot. There are good cops and bad cops. First off, there have always been bad cops, it's just now we are taking up the opportunity to expose their shit. Second, there are videos of people not showing any kind of violent or aggressive signs, but the cop will still unholster his (mainly all the time a white male) weapon. Third, It may or may not be the cops fault that someone is shot, but most of the time, sure, it is blamed on the victim. "He looked like he had a gun." And i understand, totally, i watch cops. They do they're job and they don't risk anything. They simply don't fu*k around, but I just want to know how they train. Like nurses in a hospital have done video tutorials to show how to subdue someone on PCP, Meth, bath salts, all without killing them.
I think music has a much bigger influence on pop culture than many people give it credit for. It can be used to tell a story, convey a message, and empower people. Many artist have taken to their music to try and stand up for things that they believe in. A popular thing that people have talked about in their music is police brutality. Rappers and singers such as Beyonce, Chance the Rapper and Kanye west have all talked about it in their music. But police brutality isn't the only thing musicians are talking about. I have heard songs that empower women such as, Beyonce's “Run the World”, and songs that empower plus sized women like, “All about that bass” by Meghan Trainor. I have even recently heard a song called “Girls like Girls” by Hayley Kiyoko that shows that its okay to be a girl and like girls. I think all of these songs are very important, especially for women. I think that as women, we go through a lot to try and fit in with what society says is beautiful or right for us. It is very satisfying and empowering to hear musicians make music for those of us who are different and don't fit in as well. These songs show us that it is okay to be different and that its important to love ourselves no matter what makes us different from others. Music that conveys a message is so important to me and to society. I think music itself gives a lot of people something to relate to and something to make themselves feel better. Girls Like Girls, Hayley Kiyoko https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0MT8SwNa_U
#BlackLivesMatter, the hashtag that's basically broken the Internet, and whether you are for or against it you've used it or done a search with it. After July the hype of it all died down some, but after the murder of Terrence Crutcher the hashtag was grant and center on all social media outlets. I really don't wanna speak on this much because it really just brings me down, but for the sake of discussion I will. Now we've seen for the past few months different athletes- Gabby Douglas and Colin Kaepernick- amongst others, use their platform to express how they feel about what's going on. Gabby didn't put her hand on her heart during the anthem in Brazil and Collin kneels when it's played at games; everyone went into a frenzy on both occasions, but when Terrence Crutcher was shot the silence on the issue was almost deafening. It's amazing to me that people are more concerned about about posture for a song than an innocent man's life, but what posses me off about this entire issue is that none of the police officers have faced any real consequences for their actions. When things like this happen, the officers are sent home on paid leave. My question is why are you paying a murderer? If this was a civilian facing these accusations they'd be in jail awaiting trial! So why does a badge give you immunity? It honestly baffles me every time.
I agree with you, I think it is SO important for people that are in the spotlight to show their support for social movements like the Black Lives Matter movement. I hate that some people try to make it into something it's not and say that people are being "disrespectful to America" when in reality they are simply standing up for their rights. I hope more people will understand the reason that they are doing this and that more celebrities will support this movement.
Totally agree with your post. Officers are given too much slack when they themselves commit a crime. It gives off the image that they are above the law!
I feel this completely. People choose to see what they want to see, and many Americans choose to see something as harmless as kneeling during the National Anthem. This country is supposed to protect us; these officer are supposed to protect us, all of us. That's what most people forget.
I couldn't agree more with you. Also, it doesn't make it better that every time someone tries to stand up for the BLM movement it is shot down and dehumanizes for reasons that shouldn't even be relevant to pressing issue which is the lack of justice between citizens and the actions of certain police officers.
In today’s day and age, social media is the center of anything and everything. There are countless amounts of conspiracies that go around the internet every day about social media. One of these theories is that we create and focus on irrelevant stories to cover up or distract from the things that actually matter. For example, as many of you know, the split of Brangelina has been the story of the week and has been plastered all over social media. While some may think that this is the most important thing to be discussing right now, it most definitely is the least of our worries. As mentioned in some of this week’s posts from other classmates, there was yet another shooting of an unarmed black male named Terence Crutcher. I’ve included a link to an article explaining the situation more clearly but to sum it up, he was shot by a police officer as he was walking towards his vehicle with his hands raised in the air. Unfortunately, these situations where unarmed black men are being shot by police officers have been so persistent that people are somehow becoming accustomed to it. I personally think it’s disgusting that we find the killing of innocent human beings to be normal now. I won’t go into too much detail about this because it is so controversial, but the point of me mentioning this is the fact that people somehow care more about a celebrity couple divorcing than the murder of a fellow and innocent American. It baffles me how we prioritize what’s important these days; I will never understand why people are so interested in something as irrelevant as what Kim Kardashian wore to a wedding vs. actual news stories that actually matter. We as a society need to reevaluate what we consider “news” and stop focusing on irrelevant things that do not matter to us as individuals. Link to the article: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/terence-crutcher-shooting-tulsa-county-district-attorney-charges-officer-shelby-n652856
I totally agree that the media is in control of what we see or hear and they influence our priorities. Not only do they control what we see but they also how we perceive it. Essentially, the one who tells the story is the one who defines the culture. The media is a big part of society and has huge impacts on how we view things such as politics, body image, health, and racism in our society.
Every generation somehow comes up with a set of words or phrases known as slang that become a large part of the popular culture at the time. Where do these terms come from? Who decides that they are cool and should be used frequently? These questions have a variety of possible answers and explanations. Sometimes it is difficult to determine really where slang comes from. But in most instances it originates from teens, college students, and young adults who look to make their generation or group unique. These terms usually change from generation to generation. When was the last time you heard someone say “this is the bee’s knee,” without it sounding sarcastic or not serious. But I bet you can’t count on both hands the number of times you’ve recently heard someone say “It’s lit, fam!” or “bae.” This shows how slang has changed between the 1920’s and today. This slang can come from rap songs, such as the no longer popular acronym “YOLO,” from the rapper Drake’s song “The Motto.” Or this slang can just be coined from a group of individuals and become commonly used. The widespread use of these terms across social media and among friend groups helps to show that they are “cool” to use, have become a part of pop culture, and are something people should partake in. Another thing that contributes to these words or phrases becoming popular are celebrities or rappers using them in their songs, interviews with the media, or social media posts as well. People want to be like these artists and celebrities so they incorporate the way the celebrities talk into their personal speech.
If you didn’t already know: http://www.refinery29.com/2016/05/107772/cool-words-slang-dictionary-popular-sayings#slide-17
I agree that slang is a huge part of pop culture. It's heard that we as a society determine what slang term is included in the dictionary based mostly on popularity.
I agree that the slang we use makes up a large part of pop culture. We see this in numerous parts of our country and slang may be different in other parts. Slang has transformed our language and many of the traditional english words would now sound weird to us because we have replaced them with slang for so long. Also, you see how the cultures differ by the slang change when visiting the far north, the far west, or even the far south. Slang has changed many cultures languages like Mexican spanish differs from Uruguayan spanish. It just creates an image of who we are.
As fall approaches, it's funny to reflect on it's impact to pop culture. whether it means going to get an apple cider or wearing goofy flannels, fall makes us all feel something. Crunching of leaves, a chill on our cheeks, the changing seasons usher in yearly pop-cultural celebrations such as leftover Thanksgiving turkey and tossing the old pigskin. And perhaps the king of them all, reigns the Pumpkin Spice Latte. Essentially the Kanye West of the Siren's arsenal of caffeinated beverages, people love to hate the drink, but they can't deny their enjoyment of the artificially sweetened "pumpkin" flavor in a cup. But are Pumpkin Spice Latte's even a big deal? I guess they're pretty good. and so is fall, you get to go to go to corn mazes or apple orchards and that's a lot of fun. it'd just be funny to see people wearing uggs and getting a pumpkin spice latte in june.
Kylie has been in the news a lot lately for many different reasons. Her latest “moves” includes her spending a lot of money. For one of her friend’s birthday, she bought her a $14,600 Cartier bracelet. I would be happy if my friends bought me a bag of hot Cheetos puffs for my birthday. She basically bought a Honda for her friend’s wrist. Then she goes off and twins with her sister, Kendall, with brand new Ferraris. Kylie is 19-years-old with her own house, and has cars that could pay for my college tuition for the rest of my life. AS Kylie has grown older, she has seemed to conform to society’s definition of beauty and has obviously become flamboyant with the help of her money. She’s changed her face (one noticeably changed feature is her lips) and she’s continuously changing her hair. She is definitely a beautiful girl, but I think she got pulled into the celebrity life the wrong way. It is her life though, and she basically is a grown woman so she can do whatever she wants. I just am not a fan of the way society makes people, especially girls, feel like they must change into a completely different person in order to be acknowledged. We have set a strict yet diverse standard for beauty and Kylie’s new beauty meets parts of that standard. Social media has added to publicizing this standard and deciding what the standard will consist of. We praise certain people because of how they look and we bash others for their looks. It’s just not right, but that’s society for you.
I think that maybe Kylie is standing up for the opposite. She believes that you should do what you need to do to be happy, and I agree. If she has the money to fill her lips, and they will increase her view of herself, then why not. She clearly inst doing them because people want her to, because she gets so much slack for them. She is doing them, because they make her feel better. I do agree the money thing is ridiculous though haha.
Our previous discussion in class about how the advertising industry is defining our identity and our worth really shed light on our current situation. We are faced with add-ons every day that is supposed to improve our lives by catering to our specific needs as a consumer. However, unbeknownst to some, companies such as Facebook and YouTube are marketing our data to other companies. This data could include what we search, how often we view something or even how long we view certain topics. By filtering through this information, advertisers are coming up with more creative ways to reach their target audience. For example, if you’re watching YouTube video, a commercial may appear dealing with a product that you would be interested in buying. All ads appear different for each individual viewer and are meticulously catered to reach the person that is most likely to buy that product. From the data YouTube has collected on our viewing history, YouTube can create a list of videos that would be recommended for each person. Social media platforms such as Facebook, use your information to allow certain advertisements to appear on a consumer’s screen as they are scrolling down their timeline. While most of the time, we see these marketing ploys as helpful, it should actually be a huge concern for us. Companies act as though they are not selling our information, but in reality, they are giving our information to other companies so that they provide interesting ads in consumer’s faces. We as Americans love to find the easy route and if giving some of our information to companies will help make our lives easier, then we sometimes, are unintentionally willing to pay the price.
We are the era of technology. Everything we do involves a form technology of some sort. It’s become a mode of habit for us. There is always a tablet, a phone, a computer, a mp3 player, or some other gismo or gadget in arms reach which is not necessarily a bad thing. Technology has really advanced the standers by which we live and is always a great resource to have at our command. But, in a nation where we never look back, or take the time to slow down with our technology unless it’s for an update in software, what is that doing to our society? We have become so fixated on these artificial devises that we have almost formed this type of dependency on it. Is the rate of which we readily consume these items setting us up for potential failure? Are we even equipped to maintain life without these devices? Will our future generations be even less equipped then we are right now? In a hypothetical situation, all the power goes out globally and we can no longer use our electronics, would we even be able to maintain life? Considering every facet of our being is revolved around it, I don’t think so. Of course we would eventually adapt because that is human nature, but think about all the chaos that will occur. We live in a society where a potential cyber-attack from an enemy country worries us more than an actual military attack which is sad. What we should take from this is to build our future generations on as foundation where electronics wouldn’t be as crucial to their existence as it is for us now. It is never good to be dependent on one way of life.
This week in pop culture I noticed that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt announced their split. Celebrity divorce has long since been surprising, and in the media it is always blown up to analyze every aspect of their relationship since the day they first met. Brad and Angelina were together for a while as a couple, but just recently married in the past few years. They have a family together with children and jobs and lives; however, no one cares about that. We care about the “why” and the “who’s”. Did Brad cheat on Angelina with Marion Cotillard? Wad Brad abusive and aggressive as a father? Was Angelina a cold woman? What does Jennifer Aniston think? My question is: why do we care? If society respects them as actors, then this will not affect them; however, their relationship has been a huge source of pop culture and the media for years. We watched them meet, and get married, and have kids. So, now we feel the right to look into their personal relationship as it falls apart. In a few days or weeks no one will care anymore, but their family will still be in ruins. This is good representation of a media frenzy. Interest is peaked momentarily, but eventually we go back to living our lives. Think about how much money is made in this short time. The articles, and the interviews, and the magazine covers that are plastered with the story. This shows how much a money machine pop culture is.
Pop culture is infact a money machine and the population doesnt even seem to notice. As the buyers of magazines pass off their gossiping and intrusive habits as a means of harmless entertainment, they unknowingly (or rather they simply dont care) that they are providing incentive to paparazzi and publishers to take advantage of the discourse in a human life.
This week in my religious studies course, a student presented a youtube video that had gone viral after having been recognized by the president. In the video, a six year old boy addressed president Obama asking his to "bring the boy covered in dirt that was taken away by the ambulance" to his house. He was speaking of a Syrian refugee who fell victim to a bomb. He proceeded to describe the ways he would treat the boy, hoping to befriend and teach him all about american life, hoping to share his toys, educate him (as much as another six year old could), and love him. He mentioned having another Syrian friend named Omar who he would introduce him to, showing the innocence and unconditional love of a child who knows not to see differences in religious or cultural views. Directly speaking to the president, he requested that he park in the driveway when he arrives with the boy, showing a misunderstanding of the controversial situation and present impossibility of his own request. President Obama commended the child with reverence in a speech of his, drawing further attention to the problem of Syrian refugees being allowed in the country. While this topic is completely political, I also feel that it fits into pop culture, seeing as to how quickly the video had gone viral, reaching audiences of all ages and influencing the thought process of the population through links on social media, youtube suggestions, news broadcasts, and the like. There will be another presidential debate soon and it is very likely that this topic will come into discussion, and therefore will be presented once again in mass media, hopefully changing the views of the population to a more compassionate standpoint.
There have been so many political cartoons out and without how the presidential campaign having the big debate tonight, I kinda wonder, who isn't undecided? I understand it's each party's side that has to prepare and make people go out and vote I saw this one cartoon that had Trump on the left side and he was surrounded by military and the whole background was red white and black which you can totally see the nazi Germany resemblance, and above his head it said, "Destruction." Then there was a line down the middle with the word " Or" at the top center of the cartoon. Then it had Hillary on the other side also shouting out around what reminded me of wall street. Her background color was blue and she had more of a sinister smile on her face, but above her head said, "Corruption." Now this cartoon really just spoke to me not because of how it was drawn but for how simple it was. There were three total words on the cartoon and that's all it took to show Trump's idea of how to run our country, (which to me is described as my definition of apocalyptic anarchy, among patriarchy, among racism, sexism, etc.) or Hillary's idea whom of which no one really trusts. She's the kind of person that would kinda rub you the wrong way and she wouldn't think anything of it other than her good. I see plenty of propaganda fighting each sides and with how Trump's reason to vote for him, what do you have to lose? Well what do you have to gain as well. Nothing at all, because we all know, or should know that Trump isn't going to help anyone. Also though, it kind of starts making me think about the concept of ignorance. I mean have you seen videos of trump supporters where they're asked simple questions and it's so hard to listen to them talk, it's completely cringe worthy. It's also sad too, no matter how much or how hard you try to convince them, they're mind is already made up.
Something that has been all over social media for the last couple of days is the death of the famous rapper Shawty Lo. This is something I normally wouldn’t really take the time to read about or look in to, but one of my employees is one of his 11 kids. She has really given me all my info about this and also I started to research it and started seeing it on Facebook. Shawty Lo was in the group D4L. The group D4L is what made him famous. He then ventured off in to making his own songs. It is crazy to me how one persons death can bring so many people together from all walks of life. He had 11 children from 10 different women. He was suppose to start a reality TV show called “All My Babies’ Mamas” but it was cut due to numerous complains about it before it even aired. He was throw from his Audi A8 in a one car accident, he was not wearing a seatbelt. The officials have still not determined what caused the accident. All they have determined is he was leaving a club late at night with two women in the car with him that both had their seatbelts on and only had minor scratches. The family still has a lot to figure out due to the fact that he did not have a Will. The funeral arrangements are set for this Saturday at Jackson Memorial Baptist Church in Atlanta.
I've always struggled in English class and apart of me feel like I am improving in my writing as time progressed. Sometimes, I don't know how to start my essays and I need guidance to steer me in the right direction. For my first paper, I was able to figure out my thesis statement with ease but found it difficult to connect it with my body paragraphs. I also am having trouble with trying to figure out what to write in my conclusion. Another problem that I constantly have a problem with is run on sentences and my grammar. I don't know why I struggle so much with this either. I just know I just try my best to fix it when I notice but most of the time I dont because it makes sense to me in my mind. But in other times I just simply don't know how to rephrase the sentence. I'm hoping that in today's class my peer reviewers can help me at least with that much. I'm hoping that my first paper shows some improvement that way I know where I stand in my writing. I feel really confident that it may be grade of eight or nine when I turned my final draft in.I actually like that in this class we actually break up the essays into parts. It helps me to focus on each section with the right amount of ime needed for each section. I hope that I can also be of great assistance as I'm hoping someone can be for me.
I've always struggled in English class and apart of me feel like I am improving in my writing as time progressed. Sometimes, I don't know how to start my essays and I need guidance to steer me in the right direction. For my first paper, I was able to figure out my thesis statement with ease but found it difficult to connect it with my body paragraphs. I also am having trouble with trying to figure out what to write in my conclusion. Another problem that I constantly have a problem with is run on sentences and my grammar. I don't know why I struggle so much with this either. I just know I just try my best to fix it when I notice but most of the time I dont because it makes sense to me in my mind. But in other times I just simply don't know how to rephrase the sentence. I'm hoping that in today's class my peer reviewers can help me at least with that much. I'm hoping that my first paper shows some improvement that way I know where I stand in my writing. I feel really confident that it may be grade of eight or nine when I turned my final draft in.I actually like that in this class we actually break up the essays into parts. It helps me to focus on each section with the right amount of ime needed for each section. I hope that I can also be of great assistance as I'm hoping someone can be for me.
In the editing of the Soccer essay Professor Emilio showed us, it really got me thinking how big sports really are in pop culture. Sports are a part of pop culture that brings people together. We have seen that sports, like football, are the root for a lot of things like commercials, ads, and sponsorships. These types of things are seen by millions of people, especially during the super bowl. This creates a whole new market because it allows people to see multiple new parts of culture that are being advertised. There are places like Apple, T-Mobile, and many other companies and restaurants that use these ads and it creates a big positive consumption due to the views. Also, sports are the center for bringing people together. They bring multiple demographics together to play whatever sport it may be. I personally play soccer and I see the effect it has on our culture. I see almost every race or demographic tuned into this sport. No one gets left out and that creates this new melting pot in the sports entertainment field. It is just amazing that through these sports people pay so much money just to go to their favorite game. These games bring in hundreds of thousands of people just to one game at one place for the same cause. People forget about all of their differences for these events and come together. This is a part of the American pop culture that creates our description of being a melting pot. Overall, sports are a huge part of the American culture and it spurs many more parts of it all on its own.
As we all know, "Black Lives Matter", "Blue Lives Matter" and "All Lives Matter" have been extremely popular topics in recent months. There's a lot going on in the world right now and racism is one of the biggest issues our country is dealing with. Some people claim that racism doesn't exist, but in my opinion that's just their way of not dealing with it. Racism is definitely still an issue. I have a four year old nephew that's mixed, and before he was born there was a lot of criticism towards our family. I have also had several interracial relationships and I can honestly say it is a hard position for both people. I think that the topic of cops against blacks is a hard one for me. There are some extremely crooked cops out there, but there are also many that put their life on the line to protect everyone else, no matter the color of their skin. On the other hand there are black people that do deserve what they get, but there are also a numerous amount that get targeted for the color of their skin. With that being said, people have showed their thoughts in countless ways: blogs, articles, protest, etc. One the most recent is the Atlanta rapper TI's new music video for his song "War Zone". The video shows events that have happened with cops and blacks, only with the roles reversed. The cops are now black and the victims are white. He talks about Alton Sterling, Trayvon Martin and several other innocent blacks that were killed. He also brings up Dylann Roof in the song. TI expresses his feelings about Micheal George Smith Jr, the 22 year old African American male that they found hanging in Piedmont Park, "Witness said suicide, I said genocide".At the end of the video the words "The new racism, is to deny that racism exists." TI is known for being one of the more intelligent and mature rappers, and he always speaks his mind.
ReplyDeleteIn a recent interview he was asked about the video and he stated that although some of the images are disturbing, they are very much real. It's reality for the families that have lost a loved one. One major question that is always asked is; "if rappers claim to want justice, then why is hip hop all about guns, killings and police brutality"? In the interview on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, TI has a very insightful reply. He pretty much explains that the artists talk about the environment that they grew up in before they made it big and the things they have been through. He says if the environment around them changes, then the content of their music will change. I've attached the link and if you start the interview at 6:30 then you can hear his full answer. I think that this is a topic that will carry on for years to come, but it is very much an issue that needs some positive change.
http://www.cc.com/video-clips/yf2os5/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-exclusive---t-i--extended-interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKcw35_saLY
What do you mean when you say "there are black people that deserve what they get"? i disagree with that. I don't think any crime can justify death by police. No matter what they did, it is not the responsibility of a police officer to take justice into their own hands and take someone's life. that decision is the responsibility of our governments judicial system and should be left to them. In my opinion the only time it is acceptable for a cop to take someone's life is when the suspect puts the cops or others in legitimate danger however this is almost never the case.
DeleteI got to, "on the other hand there are black people who deserve what they get" and was done. I want to give you the opportunity the explain what you mean but lets get one thing clear, more often than not have absolutely NO right to kill anyone. The reason they're trained before becoming an officer is because they need to learn the other avenues they can take instead of being trigger happy
DeleteYall missed the point of this whole post. I didn't say anyone deserves to be killed. But there are instances when a cop is put in danger and they have no other choice. So yes if you are shooting at a cop or trying to kill them, then yeah i do feel the cop has the right to defend their own life if that is the absolute last choice. My whole point in this post is taking the side of black lives matter. with all of the information I put, I think i made myself pretty clear of that. You can't just say it's always the cops fault, because that too makes you racist saying its never the black persons fault.
DeleteI think that key sentence is probably throwing each reader off. Numerous reasons, you could honestly just take out the word black and you're good, it's not just African Americans that're getting shot. Also too using words like "blacks," should be altered.
DeleteNow there have been numerous shootings (duh) where people are following instructions and re still getting shot. There are good cops and bad cops. First off, there have always been bad cops, it's just now we are taking up the opportunity to expose their shit. Second, there are videos of people not showing any kind of violent or aggressive signs, but the cop will still unholster his (mainly all the time a white male) weapon. Third, It may or may not be the cops fault that someone is shot, but most of the time, sure, it is blamed on the victim. "He looked like he had a gun." And i understand, totally, i watch cops. They do they're job and they don't risk anything. They simply don't fu*k around, but I just want to know how they train. Like nurses in a hospital have done video tutorials to show how to subdue someone on PCP, Meth, bath salts, all without killing them.
That's all i have to say about that.
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ReplyDeleteI think music has a much bigger influence on pop culture than many people give it credit for. It can be used to tell a story, convey a message, and empower people. Many artist have taken to their music to try and stand up for things that they believe in. A popular thing that people have talked about in their music is police brutality. Rappers and singers such as Beyonce, Chance the Rapper and Kanye west have all talked about it in their music. But police brutality isn't the only thing musicians are talking about. I have heard songs that empower women such as, Beyonce's “Run the World”, and songs that empower plus sized women like, “All about that bass” by Meghan Trainor. I have even recently heard a song called “Girls like Girls” by Hayley Kiyoko that shows that its okay to be a girl and like girls. I think all of these songs are very important, especially for women. I think that as women, we go through a lot to try and fit in with what society says is beautiful or right for us. It is very satisfying and empowering to hear musicians make music for those of us who are different and don't fit in as well. These songs show us that it is okay to be different and that its important to love ourselves no matter what makes us different from others. Music that conveys a message is so important to me and to society. I think music itself gives a lot of people something to relate to and something to make themselves feel better.
ReplyDeleteGirls Like Girls, Hayley Kiyoko https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0MT8SwNa_U
#BlackLivesMatter, the hashtag that's basically broken the Internet, and whether you are for or against it you've used it or done a search with it. After July the hype of it all died down some, but after the murder of Terrence Crutcher the hashtag was grant and center on all social media outlets. I really don't wanna speak on this much because it really just brings me down, but for the sake of discussion I will. Now we've seen for the past few months different athletes- Gabby Douglas and Colin Kaepernick- amongst others, use their platform to express how they feel about what's going on. Gabby didn't put her hand on her heart during the anthem in Brazil and Collin kneels when it's played at games; everyone went into a frenzy on both occasions, but when Terrence Crutcher was shot the silence on the issue was almost deafening. It's amazing to me that people are more concerned about about posture for a song than an innocent man's life, but what posses me off about this entire issue is that none of the police officers have faced any real consequences for their actions. When things like this happen, the officers are sent home on paid leave. My question is why are you paying a murderer? If this was a civilian facing these accusations they'd be in jail awaiting trial! So why does a badge give you immunity? It honestly baffles me every time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I think it is SO important for people that are in the spotlight to show their support for social movements like the Black Lives Matter movement. I hate that some people try to make it into something it's not and say that people are being "disrespectful to America" when in reality they are simply standing up for their rights. I hope more people will understand the reason that they are doing this and that more celebrities will support this movement.
DeleteTotally agree with your post. Officers are given too much slack when they themselves commit a crime. It gives off the image that they are above the law!
DeleteI feel this completely. People choose to see what they want to see, and many Americans choose to see something as harmless as kneeling during the National Anthem. This country is supposed to protect us; these officer are supposed to protect us, all of us. That's what most people forget.
DeleteI couldn't agree more with you. Also, it doesn't make it better that every time someone tries to stand up for the BLM movement it is shot down and dehumanizes for reasons that shouldn't even be relevant to pressing issue which is the lack of justice between citizens and the actions of certain police officers.
DeleteIn today’s day and age, social media is the center of anything and everything. There are countless amounts of conspiracies that go around the internet every day about social media. One of these theories is that we create and focus on irrelevant stories to cover up or distract from the things that actually matter. For example, as many of you know, the split of Brangelina has been the story of the week and has been plastered all over social media. While some may think that this is the most important thing to be discussing right now, it most definitely is the least of our worries. As mentioned in some of this week’s posts from other classmates, there was yet another shooting of an unarmed black male named Terence Crutcher. I’ve included a link to an article explaining the situation more clearly but to sum it up, he was shot by a police officer as he was walking towards his vehicle with his hands raised in the air. Unfortunately, these situations where unarmed black men are being shot by police officers have been so persistent that people are somehow becoming accustomed to it. I personally think it’s disgusting that we find the killing of innocent human beings to be normal now. I won’t go into too much detail about this because it is so controversial, but the point of me mentioning this is the fact that people somehow care more about a celebrity couple divorcing than the murder of a fellow and innocent American. It baffles me how we prioritize what’s important these days; I will never understand why people are so interested in something as irrelevant as what Kim Kardashian wore to a wedding vs. actual news stories that actually matter. We as a society need to reevaluate what we consider “news” and stop focusing on irrelevant things that do not matter to us as individuals.
ReplyDeleteLink to the article: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/terence-crutcher-shooting-tulsa-county-district-attorney-charges-officer-shelby-n652856
I totally agree that the media is in control of what we see or hear and they influence our priorities. Not only do they control what we see but they also how we perceive it. Essentially, the one who tells the story is the one who defines the culture. The media is a big part of society and has huge impacts on how we view things such as politics, body image, health, and racism in our society.
DeleteWell thought out and I agree. The world thrives off of social media. The way the media depicts the news they put out is what the world will believe.
DeleteEvery generation somehow comes up with a set of words or phrases known as slang that become a large part of the popular culture at the time. Where do these terms come from? Who decides that they are cool and should be used frequently? These questions have a variety of possible answers and explanations. Sometimes it is difficult to determine really where slang comes from. But in most instances it originates from teens, college students, and young adults who look to make their generation or group unique. These terms usually change from generation to generation. When was the last time you heard someone say “this is the bee’s knee,” without it sounding sarcastic or not serious. But I bet you can’t count on both hands the number of times you’ve recently heard someone say “It’s lit, fam!” or “bae.” This shows how slang has changed between the 1920’s and today. This slang can come from rap songs, such as the no longer popular acronym “YOLO,” from the rapper Drake’s song “The Motto.” Or this slang can just be coined from a group of individuals and become commonly used. The widespread use of these terms across social media and among friend groups helps to show that they are “cool” to use, have become a part of pop culture, and are something people should partake in. Another thing that contributes to these words or phrases becoming popular are celebrities or rappers using them in their songs, interviews with the media, or social media posts as well. People want to be like these artists and celebrities so they incorporate the way the celebrities talk into their personal speech.
ReplyDeleteIf you didn’t already know:
http://www.refinery29.com/2016/05/107772/cool-words-slang-dictionary-popular-sayings#slide-17
Slang is definitely a big part of pop culture, I can't go a day or a second without using incorrect grammar and language when around my friends.
DeleteI agree that slang is a huge part of pop culture. It's heard that we as a society determine what slang term is included in the dictionary based mostly on popularity.
DeleteI agree that it is a big part of our culture. In my opinion these sayings are annoying because they get so overused.
DeleteI agree that the slang we use makes up a large part of pop culture. We see this in numerous parts of our country and slang may be different in other parts. Slang has transformed our language and many of the traditional english words would now sound weird to us because we have replaced them with slang for so long. Also, you see how the cultures differ by the slang change when visiting the far north, the far west, or even the far south. Slang has changed many cultures languages like Mexican spanish differs from Uruguayan spanish. It just creates an image of who we are.
DeleteAs fall approaches, it's funny to reflect on it's impact to pop culture. whether it means going to get an apple cider or wearing goofy flannels, fall makes us all feel something. Crunching of leaves, a chill on our cheeks, the changing seasons usher in yearly pop-cultural celebrations such as leftover Thanksgiving turkey and tossing the old pigskin. And perhaps the king of them all, reigns the Pumpkin Spice Latte. Essentially the Kanye West of the Siren's arsenal of caffeinated beverages, people love to hate the drink, but they can't deny their enjoyment of the artificially sweetened "pumpkin" flavor in a cup.
ReplyDeleteBut are Pumpkin Spice Latte's even a big deal? I guess they're pretty good. and so is fall, you get to go to go to corn mazes or apple orchards and that's a lot of fun. it'd just be funny to see people wearing uggs and getting a pumpkin spice latte in june.
Kylie has been in the news a lot lately for many different reasons. Her latest “moves” includes her spending a lot of money. For one of her friend’s birthday, she bought her a $14,600 Cartier bracelet. I would be happy if my friends bought me a bag of hot Cheetos puffs for my birthday. She basically bought a Honda for her friend’s wrist. Then she goes off and twins with her sister, Kendall, with brand new Ferraris. Kylie is 19-years-old with her own house, and has cars that could pay for my college tuition for the rest of my life. AS Kylie has grown older, she has seemed to conform to society’s definition of beauty and has obviously become flamboyant with the help of her money. She’s changed her face (one noticeably changed feature is her lips) and she’s continuously changing her hair. She is definitely a beautiful girl, but I think she got pulled into the celebrity life the wrong way. It is her life though, and she basically is a grown woman so she can do whatever she wants. I just am not a fan of the way society makes people, especially girls, feel like they must change into a completely different person in order to be acknowledged. We have set a strict yet diverse standard for beauty and Kylie’s new beauty meets parts of that standard. Social media has added to publicizing this standard and deciding what the standard will consist of. We praise certain people because of how they look and we bash others for their looks. It’s just not right, but that’s society for you.
ReplyDeleteI think that maybe Kylie is standing up for the opposite. She believes that you should do what you need to do to be happy, and I agree. If she has the money to fill her lips, and they will increase her view of herself, then why not. She clearly inst doing them because people want her to, because she gets so much slack for them. She is doing them, because they make her feel better. I do agree the money thing is ridiculous though haha.
DeleteOur previous discussion in class about how the advertising industry is defining our identity and our worth really shed light on our current situation. We are faced with add-ons every day that is supposed to improve our lives by catering to our specific needs as a consumer. However, unbeknownst to some, companies such as Facebook and YouTube are marketing our data to other companies. This data could include what we search, how often we view something or even how long we view certain topics. By filtering through this information, advertisers are coming up with more creative ways to reach their target audience. For example, if you’re watching YouTube video, a commercial may appear dealing with a product that you would be interested in buying. All ads appear different for each individual viewer and are meticulously catered to reach the person that is most likely to buy that product. From the data YouTube has collected on our viewing history, YouTube can create a list of videos that would be recommended for each person. Social media platforms such as Facebook, use your information to allow certain advertisements to appear on a consumer’s screen as they are scrolling down their timeline. While most of the time, we see these marketing ploys as helpful, it should actually be a huge concern for us. Companies act as though they are not selling our information, but in reality, they are giving our information to other companies so that they provide interesting ads in consumer’s faces. We as Americans love to find the easy route and if giving some of our information to companies will help make our lives easier, then we sometimes, are unintentionally willing to pay the price.
ReplyDeleteWe are the era of technology. Everything we do involves a form technology of some sort. It’s become a mode of habit for us. There is always a tablet, a phone, a computer, a mp3 player, or some other gismo or gadget in arms reach which is not necessarily a bad thing. Technology has really advanced the standers by which we live and is always a great resource to have at our command. But, in a nation where we never look back, or take the time to slow down with our technology unless it’s for an update in software, what is that doing to our society? We have become so fixated on these artificial devises that we have almost formed this type of dependency on it. Is the rate of which we readily consume these items setting us up for potential failure? Are we even equipped to maintain life without these devices? Will our future generations be even less equipped then we are right now? In a hypothetical situation, all the power goes out globally and we can no longer use our electronics, would we even be able to maintain life? Considering every facet of our being is revolved around it, I don’t think so. Of course we would eventually adapt because that is human nature, but think about all the chaos that will occur. We live in a society where a potential cyber-attack from an enemy country worries us more than an actual military attack which is sad. What we should take from this is to build our future generations on as foundation where electronics wouldn’t be as crucial to their existence as it is for us now. It is never good to be dependent on one way of life.
ReplyDeleteThis week in pop culture I noticed that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt announced their split. Celebrity divorce has long since been surprising, and in the media it is always blown up to analyze every aspect of their relationship since the day they first met. Brad and Angelina were together for a while as a couple, but just recently married in the past few years. They have a family together with children and jobs and lives; however, no one cares about that. We care about the “why” and the “who’s”. Did Brad cheat on Angelina with Marion Cotillard? Wad Brad abusive and aggressive as a father? Was Angelina a cold woman? What does Jennifer Aniston think? My question is: why do we care? If society respects them as actors, then this will not affect them; however, their relationship has been a huge source of pop culture and the media for years. We watched them meet, and get married, and have kids. So, now we feel the right to look into their personal relationship as it falls apart. In a few days or weeks no one will care anymore, but their family will still be in ruins. This is good representation of a media frenzy. Interest is peaked momentarily, but eventually we go back to living our lives. Think about how much money is made in this short time. The articles, and the interviews, and the magazine covers that are plastered with the story. This shows how much a money machine pop culture is.
ReplyDeletePop culture is infact a money machine and the population doesnt even seem to notice. As the buyers of magazines pass off their gossiping and intrusive habits as a means of harmless entertainment, they unknowingly (or rather they simply dont care) that they are providing incentive to paparazzi and publishers to take advantage of the discourse in a human life.
DeleteThis week in my religious studies course, a student presented a youtube video that had gone viral after having been recognized by the president. In the video, a six year old boy addressed president Obama asking his to "bring the boy covered in dirt that was taken away by the ambulance" to his house. He was speaking of a Syrian refugee who fell victim to a bomb. He proceeded to describe the ways he would treat the boy, hoping to befriend and teach him all about american life, hoping to share his toys, educate him (as much as another six year old could), and love him. He mentioned having another Syrian friend named Omar who he would introduce him to, showing the innocence and unconditional love of a child who knows not to see differences in religious or cultural views. Directly speaking to the president, he requested that he park in the driveway when he arrives with the boy, showing a misunderstanding of the controversial situation and present impossibility of his own request. President Obama commended the child with reverence in a speech of his, drawing further attention to the problem of Syrian refugees being allowed in the country. While this topic is completely political, I also feel that it fits into pop culture, seeing as to how quickly the video had gone viral, reaching audiences of all ages and influencing the thought process of the population through links on social media, youtube suggestions, news broadcasts, and the like. There will be another presidential debate soon and it is very likely that this topic will come into discussion, and therefore will be presented once again in mass media, hopefully changing the views of the population to a more compassionate standpoint.
ReplyDeleteThere have been so many political cartoons out and without how the presidential campaign having the big debate tonight, I kinda wonder, who isn't undecided? I understand it's each party's side that has to prepare and make people go out and vote I saw this one cartoon that had Trump on the left side and he was surrounded by military and the whole background was red white and black which you can totally see the nazi Germany resemblance, and above his head it said, "Destruction." Then there was a line down the middle with the word " Or" at the top center of the cartoon. Then it had Hillary on the other side also shouting out around what reminded me of wall street. Her background color was blue and she had more of a sinister smile on her face, but above her head said, "Corruption." Now this cartoon really just spoke to me not because of how it was drawn but for how simple it was. There were three total words on the cartoon and that's all it took to show Trump's idea of how to run our country, (which to me is described as my definition of apocalyptic anarchy, among patriarchy, among racism, sexism, etc.) or Hillary's idea whom of which no one really trusts. She's the kind of person that would kinda rub you the wrong way and she wouldn't think anything of it other than her good. I see plenty of propaganda fighting each sides and with how Trump's reason to vote for him, what do you have to lose? Well what do you have to gain as well. Nothing at all, because we all know, or should know that Trump isn't going to help anyone.
ReplyDeleteAlso though, it kind of starts making me think about the concept of ignorance. I mean have you seen videos of trump supporters where they're asked simple questions and it's so hard to listen to them talk, it's completely cringe worthy. It's also sad too, no matter how much or how hard you try to convince them, they're mind is already made up.
I agree, how can you decide who to vote for? Either way we are going to be screwed! They both have their faults.
DeleteSomething that has been all over social media for the last couple of days is the death of the famous rapper Shawty Lo. This is something I normally wouldn’t really take the time to read about or look in to, but one of my employees is one of his 11 kids. She has really given me all my info about this and also I started to research it and started seeing it on Facebook. Shawty Lo was in the group D4L. The group D4L is what made him famous. He then ventured off in to making his own songs. It is crazy to me how one persons death can bring so many people together from all walks of life. He had 11 children from 10 different women. He was suppose to start a reality TV show called “All My Babies’ Mamas” but it was cut due to numerous complains about it before it even aired. He was throw from his Audi A8 in a one car accident, he was not wearing a seatbelt. The officials have still not determined what caused the accident. All they have determined is he was leaving a club late at night with two women in the car with him that both had their seatbelts on and only had minor scratches. The family still has a lot to figure out due to the fact that he did not have a Will. The funeral arrangements are set for this Saturday at Jackson Memorial Baptist Church in Atlanta.
ReplyDeleteI've always struggled in English class and apart of me feel like I am improving in my writing as time progressed. Sometimes, I don't know how to start my essays and I need guidance to steer me in the right direction. For my first paper, I was able to figure out my thesis statement with ease but found it difficult to connect it with my body paragraphs. I also am having trouble with trying to figure out what to write in my conclusion. Another problem that I constantly have a problem with is run on sentences and my grammar. I don't know why I struggle so much with this either. I just know I just try my best to fix it when I notice but most of the time I dont because it makes sense to me in my mind. But in other times I just simply don't know how to rephrase the sentence. I'm hoping that in today's class my peer reviewers can help me at least with that much. I'm hoping that my first paper shows some improvement that way I know where I stand in my writing. I feel really confident that it may be grade of eight or nine when I turned my final draft in.I actually like that in this class we actually break up the essays into parts. It helps me to focus on each section with the right amount of ime needed for each section. I hope that I can also be of great assistance as I'm hoping someone can be for me.
ReplyDeleteI've always struggled in English class and apart of me feel like I am improving in my writing as time progressed. Sometimes, I don't know how to start my essays and I need guidance to steer me in the right direction. For my first paper, I was able to figure out my thesis statement with ease but found it difficult to connect it with my body paragraphs. I also am having trouble with trying to figure out what to write in my conclusion. Another problem that I constantly have a problem with is run on sentences and my grammar. I don't know why I struggle so much with this either. I just know I just try my best to fix it when I notice but most of the time I dont because it makes sense to me in my mind. But in other times I just simply don't know how to rephrase the sentence. I'm hoping that in today's class my peer reviewers can help me at least with that much. I'm hoping that my first paper shows some improvement that way I know where I stand in my writing. I feel really confident that it may be grade of eight or nine when I turned my final draft in.I actually like that in this class we actually break up the essays into parts. It helps me to focus on each section with the right amount of ime needed for each section. I hope that I can also be of great assistance as I'm hoping someone can be for me.
ReplyDeleteIn the editing of the Soccer essay Professor Emilio showed us, it really got me thinking how big sports really are in pop culture. Sports are a part of pop culture that brings people together. We have seen that sports, like football, are the root for a lot of things like commercials, ads, and sponsorships. These types of things are seen by millions of people, especially during the super bowl. This creates a whole new market because it allows people to see multiple new parts of culture that are being advertised. There are places like Apple, T-Mobile, and many other companies and restaurants that use these ads and it creates a big positive consumption due to the views. Also, sports are the center for bringing people together. They bring multiple demographics together to play whatever sport it may be. I personally play soccer and I see the effect it has on our culture. I see almost every race or demographic tuned into this sport. No one gets left out and that creates this new melting pot in the sports entertainment field. It is just amazing that through these sports people pay so much money just to go to their favorite game. These games bring in hundreds of thousands of people just to one game at one place for the same cause. People forget about all of their differences for these events and come together. This is a part of the American pop culture that creates our description of being a melting pot. Overall, sports are a huge part of the American culture and it spurs many more parts of it all on its own.
ReplyDelete