M 2-1 Discovering the Myth

There are many popular myths still in our world today, and just as many people trying to prove or discredit them. Most myths play on peoples’ fears or misconceptions, some just on disillusions. One popular myth we have chased over the years is that of Bigfoot. Many people have tried to prove this myth with little success. Last year two men brought forth the proof we all wanted to see.
Big foot, a man-like creature with ape characteristics, supposedly lives in forests of Northern America. It is described as a tall, hairy, two-legged creature covered in dark hair. A mix between bear, man, and ape, we have never seen this legend, except through poor quality photos, and through footprints discovered and preserved with plaster casts. Many people have reported their claims to media, written books and journals, yet concrete proof has never been seen.
The most recent claim seemed to give us what we have been seeking. While looking for Bigfoot last fall, Matt Whitton and Rick Dryer found the corpse of a creature in an area that is known for its Bigfoot sightings (McKenzie, 2008). They brought this evidence to the public’s eye at a press conference on August 13, 2008. Within days it was discovered that the men had created the body of evidence with an old costume, a mask, and the body of another animal that was dead and decayed (Gross, 2008).
This is a sad testament to how far people will go to try and deceive others or to become a hero. They want to be the person everyone looks up to in our society, or to garner power, admiration, and a celebrity type of status (Browne, 2008). Society feels that it needs to create new heroes constantly. The heroes then go under major scrutiny by the public, and usually tarnish their image forever if found to be a fraud, such as this Bigfoot case.
The fact is, when it comes to myths, we want badly to believe in them. We want to see something never seen before, something that we have thought about or imagined. We want all the mysteries solved. We have disproved many hoaxes over the years, but does that mean there is no such Bigfoot? Or is that the whole reason behind the myth? To bring fame to those looking for “the material superiority that brings happiness” that proving a myth would bring (Browne, 2008)?

References

Browne, R. (2008). Profiles of Popular Culture. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press.
Gross, D. (2008). Body Proves Bigfoot No Myth, Hunters Say. CNN. Retrieved on May 28,

2009 from http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/14/bigfoot.body/index.html.

McKenzie, B. (2008). Has Bigfoot Been Living In A Georgia Swamp? KTVU. Retrieved on May

29, 2009 from http://www.ktvu.com/news/17174989/detail.html.

Picture. (2009).Bigfoot. Picsearch . Retrieved May 29, 2009
http://www.picsearch.com/info.cgi?q=bigfoot%20picture

Assignment M 2-2 My Icons

The icons I chose for my paper would be Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana, and Britney Spears. Marilyn Monroe was an actress in America who also sang and modeled in the 1950’s. With 33 films, and over 20 songs, and hundreds of famous modeling photos, she because very famous very fast. She represented everything men and women seemed to value (Browne, 2008).We idolized her as one of the first sex symbols of our society. Before her icon stature, she was orphaned by her divorced mother- herself divorced three times- and had scandals over published nude pictures throughout her career. Marylyn was believed to have committed suicide with a barbiturates overdose on August 5, 1962 (Shaw & Rosten, 1987.).
Princess Diana won our hearts on July 29, 1981 when she married Prince Charles of Wales (Wharfe, 2002). She endured a loveless marriage to a husband who had a publicly known affair with another woman, but she kept her dignity by not acknowledging this and tending to her two sons. After her children were older, she used her time to be an advocate for the victims of illnesses and disease. She used her money and fame to help these different charities become more recognized and became a hero in our hearts. She was a fairy tale come true to us, and we were obsessed with her every move. Princess Diana divorced Prince Charles in 1996 (2002) and found love with Dodi Al-Fayed. They both died in a car crash August 31, 1997, while being chased by paparazzi (2002). The world mourned it’s lose.
Britney Spears debuted her first hit song “Hit Me baby One More Time” in 1999 (Cedenheim, 2008), and became an overnight sensation. Starting out in the public eye in 1993 on the New Mickey Mouse show, she was no stranger to the spotlite. Today she has 6 albums under her belt, as well as two failed marriages. All the quick fame, a failed reality show, two children, and issues with her body image, all helped lead to her mental breakdown. In February of 2007 Britney publicly shaved her head bald (Marikar, 2007). A fallout with her mother, rumors of drug abuse, and possible bipolar disease lead to being hospitalized for psychiatric evaluations in January, 2008 (Cedenhiem, 2008.). Her rise to fame was just as fast as her descent. However since her breakdown, she has been on a comeback, and is again adored by the public.
I choose these three icons because they are all blonde, beautiful, successful, and fallible. They showed us that it is possible to have beauty, success, and money, and still be miserable. Our happiness comes from inside, and this is a hard life lesson to learn. Marilyn reportedly killed herself, Diana was killed in a tragic accident, and Britney has been driven mentally unstable by her inability to cope with her life and success.
These three represent to me that even if you have it all, you don’t have anything if you are not happy. Succeess is not distinguished by the amount of money you have or the objects you own, but of a satisfaction with the life you live. Without inner happiness, a person has nothing at all. The icons that have had the most rapid rise and fall are those within the entertainment industry (Browne, R. 2008.)
All three of these women were so easy to identify with because they were real. Marilyn, three times divorced, moved onto an alleged affair with President Kennedy, and then ended up dead. Diana was loved by everyone excerpt her husband. She knew of his infidelities but chose not to let it define her, and went on to become more popular than the Prince himself. Britney, after two filed marriages, hit rock-bottom when she had her mental break down, and was hospitalized for depression. These three women will be remembered throughout history as icons. They have all three been exploited through the media, but their image came out mainly unscathed. Although most icons appear untouchable, because of the personal tragedies these women went through, they became relatable to us. They removed the aura of being untouchable and became real people we could identify with and relate to. They had the same problems some us have went through, and we applaud them.


References

Browne, R. (2008). Profiles of Popular Culture. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press.
Cedenheim, P. (2008). Britney Spears hospitalized for an evaluation. People. Retrieved May 24.2009 from http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20169330,00.html
Marikar, S (2007). Bald and Broken: Inside Britney’s Shaved Head. ABC News. Retrieved May 24, 2009, from http://abcnews.go.com/entertainment/health/Story?id=2885048&page=1

Picsearch. (n.d.). Pictures. Retrieved on May 26,2009 from http://www.picsearch.com/.
Shaw, S., & Rosten, N. (1987). Marilyn Among friends. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
Wharfe, K (2002). Diana: Closely Guarded Secret. Martinsburg, WV: Quebecor World.

Assignment M 1- 3 ArticleAnalysis

This article, “The Performance of Nonconformity On The Muppet Show-Or, How Kermit made Me Queer”, by Jordan Schildcrout, was aimed to an audience familiar to The Muppets Show, which ran its first episode in 1976 and remained on the air until 1981(2008). The Muppets appealed to both young and old, with more sophisticated shows than that of Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock, which had a similar concept. This was supposed to be a show without a point, and was not trying to educate our children; although it failed in that sense, because it taught us valuable lessons on ignoring the norms of our society. The Muppets taught us it’s okay to look past the labels and stereotypes we are given, to be what we want and whom we want to be, regardless of whether anyone is doing the same: don’t be a follower, be your own leader.
The Muppets lifted the boundaries of male and female typecasting, plus the boundaries of color discrimination, mostly by putting the characters in all sorts of bodies, colors, and objects which we could not regularly label as we normally would. “In television everyone feels their racial or ethnic group is underrepresented, or should be portrayed as they want the world to perceive them” says Gene Mater, senior vice president of CBS (Petrracca, Socapure, 2008.). The Muppets were able to do this with a variety of races, ethnicities, and characters that could not be categorized. That being said, Mater also states “…no popular entertainment form, can or should be an accurate reflection on society (2008.)” Sometimes the show would put a typical male in a female role, or vice versa; but it was done innocently, not to draw attention that would shock or upset the viewer, like we see today on television. This was rarely questioned because the Muppets did it in a very non-confrontational, sort of accidental way.
The Muppet Show was to be a program that brought the finer things in life to its viewers. Ballet, the arts, cooking demonstration, science fiction, medical dramas, it was a variety show at its finest. The guests of the show were always the minority, because they were the only humans on the show, the only ones who were not puppets. This show broke many barriers: that women should not be aggressors; that men had to be manly; that everything had to have a definite sex label; and that men could sing and dance and not be weak for doing it. The Muppets embraced not conforming to the normal expectations of everyday. This nonconformity, always wondering what was next, was the basis for its popularity.
The biggest celebrities of The Muppets were both male and female: Kermit and Miss Piggy. Sexuality was shown from every angle, in Miss Piggy’s love for Kermit, groups adoring the music stars that came on the show, and Gonzo’s love for anything male or female. This taught the viewers there are different people in the world, and we should accept them for who they are, no matter what they are. This is a life lesson on diversity and acceptance that leads to a happy and healthy society in whole. Society without acceptance of others who are different will have issues with discrimination, racism, and hate crimes of all sorts. Everyone is different, and this was the foundation for this show. Learning this lesson is an important part for us to be adaptable as adults in our society.
In this article, Miss Piggy was defined as a sort of drag queen male. I disagree with this viewpoint. I believe Miss Piggy was a strong-willed, pushy woman who knew what she wanted and did everything possible to get it. I don’t think that the general audience would have ever perceived her as a drag queen. If being an aggressive woman makes a female a drag queen, then the author of this article misinterprets the idea of a strong female. Kermit was sensitive and liked to sing and dance, and did not love miss Piggy back; did this make him gay? I don’t think so. Gonzo was neither male nor female as far as we knew. He loved women and men, but what does questioning his or her sexuality say about us? Do we have to label everything, to make it more or less in comparison to ourselves? This broke the norms in society, because we assign a sex to everything.
The Muppet Show was one of the first to invite controversial guest stars, and it helped boost ratings for the show. We wanted to see, would they do something obnoxious? Is that person just like us and normal in everyday life? Bringing Elton John on the show did not turn any viewer gay, the thought of that is laughable. Yes, he was admittedly a gay man, but first was a performer. He preformed and acted, and that was all.
I don’t believe that any show ever made, including the Muppets, can turn a person queer, gay, or alter their sexual preferences in anyway. Sexual orientation is much more complicated than that. It is hardwired into our being, not just a random change of mind for people. Nothing can change the things that makeup the personal preferences we have regarding what we like or don’t like sexually, least of all television.
This show proved that it is possible for people to be true to what they are, and what they like. We are not all the same. The Muppets taught us to be true to ourselves, and this is why we loved them. We can do what we want with our lives and others should not judge for it. The Muppets helped us to be better people for this. It lifted the labels and lost the traditional stereotypes. Every different person and thing on the show was treated equally and accepted just the same. We could all learn that lesson, and it would make for healthy relationships, friendships, and environments in general.
The Muppets crossed generations with its popularity. Young and old could sit down together to enjoy watching this show. All of these things added up to what made this show so special to us when we were young, and is why many of us bought the tapes or DVDs of the show for our own children today. For a show that was not trying to teach us anything, it did a pretty good job of teaching us acceptance.


References

Petracca, M. & Sorapure, M. (2008.) Common Culture. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Schildcrout, J. (2008). The Performance of Nonconformity On The Muppet Show-Or, How Kermit made Me Queer. The Journal of Popular Culture. 41(5), 823-835.
Picture.

The Muppet Show.(2008). Photo Gallery. Retrieved May 27,2009 from
http://www.starpulse.com/Television/Muppet_Show,_The/ .

Assignment M 1-4 Scare Tactics

Have you heard the news? Our country is on the verge of a pandemic; a disease is running prevalent throughout the whole world. We are hearing talk of the closing of borders, business, and schools. Flights are being cancelled and we are locking people in quarantine. In other countries and here in the United States, the death count is rising. The media is hyping it as the next “plague” of sorts, and we have bought it hook, line and sinker.
Were you worried you would get swine flu? Perhaps your concern was for your family or friends getting the H1N1 virus? Maybe this influenza would show up at your place of employment? Have you taken the appropriate precautions to protect yourself? You should have went out already and purchased surgical masks and antibacterial soap, or if you were really lucky, you may have found the immunization shot for sale online. We think we are facing the catastrophe of our lifetime, a devastation of our population soon to come; and that is just what the media wants us to think. They did their job well, inciting panic, fear, and foreboding in most of the United States. They made the television ratings rise, newspapers sell, and the internet highway ring with people trying to get the latest information on this problem.
The swine flu, or H1N1 virus, is a strain of influenza. Influenza first devastated the United States around 1920, and was named the Spanish Flu. It quickly infected one third of the population in the world and killed over 30 million people worldwide (Boyer, 2001). The next big flu epidemic to hit was the Asian flu of 1957. The global death toll for this virus was around 2 million people (Pandemics, 2009). The Hong Kong flu of the late sixties killed over thirty thousand people in the United States, and over one million people throughout the world (2009.). It seems that the flu just won’t go away, with these influenza epidemics coming back about every twenty years.
With those statistics, it is no wonder we fear a major outbreak of H1N1 flu. We have made many medical advances since the last outbreak, as well as learned many valuable lessons on how to deal with the flu. We can mass produce the vaccines and get them to the most vulnerable people quickly. We would first vaccinate our elderly, our young, and our sick. We now have specific protocol in place for the manufacturing and distribution of the vaccines, because of the issues of past vaccine availability. In 1976 (Warner, 1999) after the immunization program started to prevent widespread influenza, it was said that faulty vaccines were given, resulting in the deaths of vaccine victims. It was later proven that the vaccines did not in fact kill the people, but the media attention did much harm to this immunization program. There were also predictions of the manufactures making millions of the wrong vaccine in which to spread the virus more (1999).
The media has exaggerated in the past, and are doing it today in regards to the deaths that are caused by the influenza virus. Yes, we could very well see another pandemic happen with influenza. Is nine deaths in the United States (as of May 21, 2009) considered to be a pandemic (Park, 2009)? I do not think so. The media today needs to help us get accurate information pertaining to this health risk. They do not need to propagate fear, distrust, and panic. The media outlets use of this information in the face of an influenza outbreak is careless and unproductive, but they are getting their ratings or selling their newspapers.
It is said that on the average year, in the United States, there are 36,000 people who die from flu-related symptoms (H1N1 Flu, 2009.) We will have deaths from virus outbreaks; it is not uncommon. The President has even tried his hand at calming our citizens by saying we should be concerned, and stay alert, but we should not be alarmed. With smart precautions we can get through this ordeal just like all the other epidemics before. We might be talked into buying the mask to cover half of our face, or get vaccinated soon, but that too is to be expected.










References
Boyer, P. (2001). Influenza. The Oxford Companion to United States History. Retrieved May 21, 2009 from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-Influenza.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 21, 2009 from http://www.cdc.gov/swineflU/
Pandemics and Pandemic Threats Since 1900. (n.d.) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved May 21, 2009 from http://www.pandemicflu.gov/general/historicaloverview.html
Park, M. (2009). We Are Not Out of the Woods With New Flu, CDC Warns. CNN. Retrieved May 21, 2009 from http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/18/swine.flu.update/index.html
pictures.(2009). Picsearch.retrieved May 21,2009 from http://picsearch.com/image-dir.html
Warner, J. (1999). The Sky is Falling: An Analysis of the Swine Flue Affair of 1976 retrieved May 21, 2009 from http://www.haverford.edu/biology/edwards/disease/viral_essays/warnervirus.htm

HUMN341-EIWW 1-2

*What is popular culture, and what does it mean to you?

Popular culture is the multiple things in our lives that mold our experiences, good or bad. It may be the things we want, don’t want, and think we have to have, or never want to try. Experiences, actions, or opinions, all of popular culture influences everyone, whether they think it is relevant or not. We all have opinions and we love to share our opinions; this is a big part, or extension, of popular culture as well.
For example, if everyone expresses how the XBOX game is the best gaming system available, and we see that in the ads, on the TV, and hear it from people at work, as well as our friends, even if we don’t like video games, that seed is planted in our head that “hmm, maybe it is the best game system”. Weeks later when you are looking for a present for your child who loves video games, you reflect back to what you have heard and think you have the perfect gift, because everyone knows the XBOX is the best gaming system. Popular culture influences our thoughts and our actions. If we were not exposed to all of the input from everyone else, or everything else, then there would not be trends, or fads, or all the other things that make up our unique individual histories.

*Why is an understanding of popular culture relevant to you in a business environment and in your present and future career?

The understanding of popular culture is paramount for business. If a company does not consider it, it will more than likely fail. The likes and dislikes of a product are what will give a company its consumers, and keep them coming back. The popularity is what may keep your consumers from leaving your companies product and trying another company’s product instead. Businesses must always consider what the public wants, and find the best way to get it to them. Always looking for new ways to do things, and improving on current product, is what keeps companies competitive today. Taking product and service to the next level is what the business industry is all about, and keeps companies in business. We, as consumers, always are looking for the “next best thing”; companies need to be prepared to provide that, or suffer the consequences if they don’t. It may be that your company’s next big idea is what makes you a millionaire.

*What would you consider to be an example of a pop culture artifact? And why would you choose it?

The pop culture artifact I would choose would be tattoos. I chose this as my artifact because it seems like we all know someone who has one, or maybe even you the reader are tatooed. This is a very popular trend today. There are tattoo parlors on every other corner in most towns now. It seems most people have at least one tattoo, but in actuality, in today’s society, 60% of Americans between the ages of 18 to 30 years old have at least one tattoo (Lineberry, 2007). This statistic is ever- growing with the popularity of this age-old fad. It seems we all need to feel unique, or want something that is unique to ourselves. We don’t want to be cookie-cutter images of one another any longer, and this gives us the chance to change ourselves with art representing our views, likes, or even memories. Tattooing can customize our bodies the way we choose. We can get one tattoo, or one hundred tattoos, on our arms, or somewhere hidden, or etched in plain sight, right on our faces. Though the choice is up to us, we can be convinced by a friend or peer, and it only takes a moment to make a permanent mark. Although we may fail to realize in the moment that tattoos are permanent, regret of a tattoo is the next thing that is making a lot of money for the doctors who can remove our regrets. Tattoo removal is a booming business, thanks to those who later realize that a tattoo on the neck may not look professional in the workplace.



References

Lineberry, C. (2007). Tattoos: the Ancient and Mysterious History. Smithsonian. Retrieved May 18, 2009 from http://www.designboom.com/history/tattoo_history.html

pictures.(2009). Picsearch.retrieved May 21,2009 from http://picsearch.com/image-dir.html