Saturday, June 29, 2013

Assignment 1-2-2

HULK SMASHED
            In Hulk Smashed! The Rhetoric of Alcoholism in Television’s Incredible Hulk, Joseph F. Brown compares the Incredible Hulk series’ to the struggles of recovery from alcoholism and addiction. The basis for the comparison is that the Hulk’s enraged state is the drunken state of the alcoholic and the alcoholism itself, which is self-destructive. Bruce Banner, the normal human form of the Hulk, is constantly in search of a gamma-radiation cure for the Hulk. Brown relates that endless search to the alcoholic or addict’s search for the elusive path of sobriety. Brown also relates the people that the Hulk helps along his journey to self-reflections of an alcoholic because the Hulk, like an alcoholic, can see other issues and help others with those issues but cannot help himself (Brown, 2011).
ANALYSIS
            Joseph Brown’s article is a very informative piece that outlines the general stages of addiction and details the changes of how alcoholism has been perceived by the public and political scene over time. The article successfully gives the audience an easy to understand analogy between The Incredible Hulk series’ and the stages of alcoholism. Brown does a good job of relating separate stages of alcoholism to the stages of the Hulk’s rage and his search for a cure. However, after taking a psychology course and studying about addiction a bit on my own, I feel that the analogy could have gone deeper and Brown could have done a better job of comparing David Banner’s search for the cure to an addict’s stage of regret after they come down from whatever high they were on. Also, Brown strayed from analogy for a significant portion of the article to discuss changes in the treatment perception of alcoholism as a disease opposed to blaming alcohol itself for the problem. Perhaps, Brown could have related those issues to the Hulk series in some way so as not to abandon the analogy completely and return later in the article.
DO I AGREE?
            I feel that Brown and many other scholar and journalists discussing alcoholism and addiction is very meaningful. Addiction plays a large role in many lives and in popular culture as well. However, if Joseph Brown was implying that any part of The Incredible Hulk series’ had undertones of alcoholism and addiction, then I do not agree with his analysis. Some of the comparisons were thin and obviously a far stretch from the original intent of the creators of the Hulk. I understand that part of my agreement segment of this paper is finding the author’s intent but I guess I just felt that the author should have been more clear and concise in his article instead of relying on me, the reader, to find the meaning.
IMPORTANCE
            According to alcoholismstatistics.com, 15 million people are affected by alcohol dependency in the U.S. alone (Alcoholism, 2013). Therefore, any article devoting time to the subject is of importance. Joseph Brown chose to use a very prevalent piece of modern culture, which is superhero movies/shows, and use it to draw reader attention to a topic that is often times overlooked or wrote off as a normal social standard. Brown was also able to relay the importance of treating addiction as a disease opposed to just blaming the substances being abused themselves.



REFERENCES
Alcoholism statistics. (2013). Retrieved from http://alcoholismstatistics.net/

Brown, J. F., & BROWN, J. F. (2011). Hulk Smashed! The Rhetoric of Alcoholism in Television's Incredible Hulk. Journal Of Popular Culture44(6), 1171-1190. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5931.2011.00894.x. Retrieved from EbscoHost

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Assignment 1-3-6

METAL THEORIES
            Many of the theories discussed in the HUMN240 Popular Culture class apply directly to the metal music industry. Two of the most obvious and significant theories that apply to metal are the ritual and stereotype/myth theories. The stereotypes that surround the metal scene are so blatant and basically are the common belief of everyone outside of the metal music scene. The most common (and dangerous) stereotype of the metal genre is that the music itself and evokes acts of violence or criminal behavior from the fan base. The myth that metal music is only for male audiences is also pertinent and as equally ludicrous as the violence stereotype. Also very widespread in the metal scene is the ritual of mosh pits. The mosh pit began in the the early 1980s heavy metal scene and the phrase “mash”, pronounced as mash, was coined by the band Bad Brains when they used the term to incite the behavior known as moshing as live performances in the early 1980s (Riches, 2011).
One of the most interesting things that I found in my research of metal music and popular culture theories related to the theory of rituals. The most common ritual of metal music are the “horns” that the fans and musicians make with their pinky and forefinger and hold in the air during the playing of the metal music. This tradition started in 1979 when Ronnie James Dio of Black Sabbath began using the symbol that he had seen his Italian grandmother use to ward off evil (Appleford, 2004). Ronnie did this because the former lead singer of Black sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, always ended shows by displaying the peace sign with his fingers and Ronnie wanted to do something similar to identify with their audience.
            I will think slightly different of the metal genre and the way it relates to my life after the research I have conducted for this class. Mostly, I will think differently because of the formula assignment and me figuring out the formula for success in the metal industry. By applying the formula to my life, I can create a successful business in the metal industry, an industry in which I love and have many important connections. I can develop a business plan to create a metal bar that “breaks all the rules” and attract the local fans of the industry.



REFERENCES
Appleford, Steve (September 9, 2004). "Odyssey of the Devil Horns". Los Angeles City Beat. Retrieved from http://web.archive.org/web/20071122030548/http:// www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=1216&IssueNum=66

Riches, G. (2011). Embracing the Chaos: Mosh Pits, Extreme Metal Music and Liminality. Journal For Cultural Research15(3), 315-332. doi:10.1080/14797585.2011.594588. Retrieved from EbscoHost

Friday, June 21, 2013

Assignment 5-1 Formula Analysis

COMEDY
             Two very popular artifacts of culture in past decade of the comedy genre are the movies Step Brothers and The Other Guys. Both movies star Will Ferrell alongside one accompanying male co-star. In The Other Guys, the co-star is Mark Wahlberg and in Step Brothers, the co-star is John C. Reilly. Step Bothers is a movie about two middle-aged brothers who still live at home with their parents and are forced to become roommates when their parents get married (IMDb: Step Brothers, 2013). The Other Guys forcedly teams up Ferrell with Wahlberg as partners on the NYPD, as they experience an adventurous series of mishaps on the road to becoming the city’s next top detectives (IMDb: The Other, 2013). Each duo provide the audience with a team of mismatched men that are each funny in their own way but have troubles getting along with each other, which proves to be a significant part of the formula for comedy spoofs/satires.
FORMULAS
            The combination of Step Brothers and The Other Guys provides a very successful formula for a hilarious spoof or satire comedy movie. The following paragraph outlines that formula for a successful comedy and the steps that both movies follow to fit the formula. First, the movies supply not one but two comedic talents, which according to popular culture guidelines are all heroes. The comedy comes in the fact the characters are paired together unwillingly and are in constant disagreement through the setting of the plot. Then, the team of heroes band together to work toward accomplishing one goal. However, the formula provides drama in disagreements between the pair of heroes along the journey as well as more twists and turns in the plot. Ultimately, the pair put aside their differences and/or are rejoined through some extraordinary set of circumstances and triumph over the evil they are facing.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
            The general formula named above is the extent of the commonalities as far as myths and beliefs are concerned. The primary beliefs demonstrated in Step Brothers are closely related to the American Dream myth that the movie illustrates. The movie shows the beliefs that one must move out of the parent’s household (and maintain active employment) in adulthood and that if a person’s parent is successful, then that person should follow in the parent’s footstep with a similar career. However, the beliefs demonstrated in The Other Guys follow the good vs. evil myth. The belief that some type of police force should be a hero and protector of all citizens and that those heroes are necessary in all large metropolitan areas is strongly portrayed in The Other Guys. The film also touched on another belief of the general American public, which is that all banks, financial institutions, and the people associated with them are evil. There are some further commonalities between the two movies in the rituals category. Both movies show a pair of men presented with a ritualistic rite of passage opportunity, in which both pairs of men have a chance to transition to a progressed state of life. In The Other Guys, Detectives Hoitz and Gamble have the opportunity to become the city’s leading detectives and in Step Brothers, Dale and Brennan have an opportunity to begin the “adult” stages of independency from their parents.
CONCLUSION AND PERSONAL REFLECTION
            In my opinion, both movies follow a timeless formula that has been around for ages but has not been overused to the point that audiences are growing tired of it. The same formula was successfully used in 1968, in the movie The Odd Couple, starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau (IMDb: The Odd, 2013). If I could be the director of either of the films discussed in the paper, I would honestly not make any changes, which is rare for someone as critical and cynical as me to say. The formula, when coupled with a talented cast of writers and comedians, is flawless.


Movie
Beliefs
Myth
Hero
Setting
Ritual
Stereotype
Formulas
Step-Brothers
1. One must move out of the parent’s household (and maintain active employment) in adulthood
2.  Children should follow in the footsteps of their parents if the parents are successful



The American Dream myth
Brennan Huff and Dale Dobak-


A stereotypical middle class household in a suburban area
The typical American ritual of moving out of the household after schooling is complete
The “failure to launch” loser boy that lives with parents

The President of a company jerk

The too-soft, middle class parents

Comedy- Spoof
The formula is showing a pair of mismatched and different men who are both comical in their own way but get paired together by a situation beyond their control.
Then, the men are shown coming together as a team, working towards one goal.
But wait, something happens that drives them apart and makes them feud.
Then they come back together and triumph.
The Other Guys
1. That some type of police force should be the protector of all
2. Heroes are necessary in large metropolitan areas
3. Banks and financial institutions are evil
Good vs. Evil
Detectives Hoitz and Gamble-
Hoitz is the typical lively detective role of the hero that wants to be the hero. Saving the day is what he has wanted his whole life.
Alan Gamble is a less likely hero that performs heroically when put into a situation to do so
In the action and crime-packed New York City
Rites of Passage-
Danson and Highsmith died and left a place for the next heroes to step in

The over-zealous macho-head cop

The boring accountant

The Catholic Hispanic house-wife

Comedy- Spoof
The formula is showing a pair of mismatched and different men who are both comical in their own way but get paired together by a situation beyond their control.
Then, the men are shown coming together as a team, working towards one goal.
But wait, something happens that drives them apart and makes them feud.
Then they come back together and triumph.

REFERENCES
Imdb: Step Brothers. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0838283/?ref_=sr_1
Imdb: The Odd Couple. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063374/?ref_=sr_1
Imdb: The Other Guys. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386588/?ref_=sr_1

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Assignment 1-3-5

METAL FORMULA
            Metal music, like any other popular culture topic and every other genre of music, has formulas for success. These formulas are not quite as apparent as they may be in romantic comedies or really any other genre of music, movie, or media. This is because metal music is known for breaking the rules and frequently reinventing itself through subgenres. Not only are there subgenres of metal constantly emerging, but even the subgenres have subgenres of their own. For example, a type of extreme metal called metalcore gave life to an extremely popular subgenre labeled deathcore, which is a combination of the death metal and metalcore subgenres. But perhaps, it is the constant “nothing is off limits” changing and avoidance of formulas that actually creates the formula for success.
            Many of the most popular metal bands throughout time were bands that produced a sound that was considered to be completely new and break any previous molds of rock genres (Daly, 2011). For example, Black Sabbath and AC/DC were both heavier than anything else out when they first came on the scene and they were loved for it, with Black Sabbath reaching #12 on the US charts and #1 on the UK charts and AC/DC reaching #4 on the US charts and #1 on the UK charts (2011). Therefore, a strong case can be made that the greatest formula for success in the world of metal music is creating a new sound or combining two existing sounds in a way that has not previously been done.
PERSONAL APPLICATION
            By applying this formula to my life, I can create a successful business in the metal industry, an industry in which I love and have many important connections. I can develop a business plan to create a metal bar that “breaks all the rules” and attract the local fans of the industry.
REFERENCES

Daly, J. (2011, August 14). The hidden formula of the heavy metal masterpiece. Retrieved from http://joedaly.net/2011/08/14/the-hidden-formula-of-the-heavy-metal-masterpiece/

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Assignment 1-3-4

METAL HEROES
            According to Merriam-Webster, a hero is a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with a great strength or ability (Merriam-Webster, 2013). In this paper, I will relate that definition of a hero to metal music. The mythological aspect of the definition will not apply, but the heroes of metal are legendary figures that are definitely seen as having great ability. A more modern definition of hero, without the Greek-originated divine descent and mythological dimensions, applies more to the metal music genre than the traditional definition of hero.
            Some of the original founders of metal music, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Slayer and Metallica, have become the heroes of the metal popular culture environment. Many people still recognize these bands as the reason a metal scene exists today and I personally have heard one of the above-mentioned bands recognized at nearly every metal concert to which I have been (that is a lot of concerts). Ozzy Osbourne, of Black Sabbath, has gone on to have a very successful solo career in metal and appeared in many films, such as Little Nicky, The Jerky Boys and Moulin Rouge (Imdb:Ozzy Osbourne, 2013). Ozzy has also had his own reality television show and all of this comes due to his position as a hero in the metal popular culture.
            The type of wild fame that both Ozzy and his family still enjoy also ties into the cult of celebrity in modern popular culture. Though Ozzy, or his family, cannot produce the great music that he once could, they are now famous simply for being famous. The nation will continue to follow the family only because they are celebrities, which is the pure definition of cult of celebrity. Metal has also produced a huge cult of celebrity among other artists such as Marilyn Manson, who have brought on changes in fashion amongst metal listeners, especially in the younger populations of the fan base. Also, certain bands in metal music in general can be credited with changing sexual behavior and trends in both the metal and general community (Donze, 2010).
REFERENCES
Donze, P. (2010). Heterosexuality Is Totally Metal: Ritualized Community and Separation at a Local Music Club. Journal Of Popular Music Studies, 22(3), 259-282. doi:10.1111/j.1533-1598.2010.01241.x
Imdb: Ozzy Osbourne. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005285/?ref_=sr_1
Merriam-Webster. (2013). Celebrity- definition. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/celebrity

Merriam-Webster. (2013). Hero- definition. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hero

Friday, June 14, 2013

Assignment 4-2

INTRODUCTION
            According to Merriam-Webster, a hero is a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with a great strength or ability (Merriam-Webster, 2013). Also according to Merriam-Webster, the definition of a celebrity is a famous or celebrated person (2013). By definition, the difference between a hero and a celebrity is that a hero is, essentially, a celebrity that is mythological or legendary and is also endowed with some sort of strength or ability. This paper will examine the differences and similarities of heroes and celebrities, especially as those terms apply to popular culture, more in depth.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
            Purely from definition, we see that the two primary similarities between heroes and celebrities are that both of them are celebrated by many people and achieve a particular level of pop culture fame. Both heroes and celebrities tend to be widely recognized amongst an entire race, nation, or even the world in today’s society. However, in my opinion and in most popular culture today, a hero is not necessarily famous. A hero can be a term applied on an individual level, meaning that a person that is a hero to you may not be a hero to me and vice versa. Contrary to the separation of heroism and stardom, a celebrity may also be a hero. For example, Warren Buffet achieved fame from his wild success in business, held a celebrity status in the business world, and is also now seen as a hero to many after his decision to donate 90% of his wealth to charity before he dies. Buffet illustrates how one may leverage their celebrity status to become a hero in the eyes of many but the inverse is also often true, as many heroes achieve celebrity status.

IMPORTANCE AND FUNCTION
            Having a hero can be very important to all people but especially to children, who are impressionable and in need of good-morale role models. Heroes often play an important role of mentor in society and popular culture, as they can provide larger scale examples of moral judgments and accomplishments than most parents are able to provide. Perhaps the largest example of a hero playing these roles in the lives of both children and adults is Jesus Christ. With over 6 billion bibles printed and most of their owners turning to Jesus Christ for moral guidance, I would say Christ is one of the most significant heroes of all time, whether he is fiction or non (Bible statistics, 2013).
CULT OF CELEBRITY
            One of my personal favorite topics to bash (and one of the easiest) is the cult of celebrity, which is the religious following of celebrities by masses, and the principle of people being “famous for being famous”. In modern popular culture, it seems that most of the most recognized celebrities are the ones with zero to little talent. Today’s celebrities are either famous for being famous (Kardashian) or a product of the industry that created the fame for the individual simply because the marketing executives knew they could (Bieber). Allow me to explain. Kim Kardashian and many other reality television stars have no real talent or skill sets that have made them famous. They are often launched into the public eye because of an association to someone with real talent or simply due to their inherited wealth. Alternatively, in the case of Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and other child stars, it was a marketable look that a production company knew they could commercialize and push to millions of overzealous fans.
REFERENCES
Bible statistics. In (2013). Gideon. Retrieved from http://www.statisticbrain.com/bibles-printed/
Merriam-Webster. (2013). Celebrity- definition. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/celebrity

Merriam-Webster. (2013). Hero- definition. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hero

Friday, June 7, 2013

Assignment 3-2: My Favorite

THE OFFICE
The Office is a popular American television show that started in 2005 and has aired 187 episodes through present day (Imdb: The Office, 2013). The Office is based on a 2001 show of the same title from the BBC network. Both The Office and its British counterpart were created and are produced by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, adding Greg Daniels to that combination for the American series (2013). The series chronicles a cast of office co-workers from the northeastern Pennsylvania paper company, Dunder-Mifflin, led by the caring yet ignorantly insensitive office manager, Michael Scott. The insensitivities of Michael Scott towards age, sex, race, religion and every other characteristic of human personalities coupled with the antics of other office co-workers, specifically Dwight Schrute’s old-timey views about traditional gender roles, create an atmosphere in which no stereotype is out of bounds.
DIVERSITY DAY
The show set the standard for its loose and edgy portrayal of stereotypes as soon as Season 1: Episode 2, “Diversity Day”. In the episode, Michael Scott drew complaints from members of the staff about his reenactment of a racially insensitive Chris Rock comedy routine, prompting Dunder-Mifflin corporate to send in a counselor. Many stereotypes are unveiled during the various trainings that the office co-workers are put through that day. For one activity, each co-worker is to wear an index card on their forehead displaying a race and the other participants in the activity are directed to treat that person like the stereotypes of the race on the index card. At one point, a participant approached Dwight and says that he would be a bad driver, stereotyping him as an Asian, as his index card describes him. Dwight became irate, ripping the card from his forehead and exclaimed “Oh man, am I a WOMAN??”. The talented writing crew for The Office even found a way to include a gender stereotype in an exercise designed to explore the stereotypes of race, which this episode successfully does many times, calling all Jamaicans lazy and marijuana smokers, all Italians heavy eaters, and all Jewish people greedy. (“Diversity Day”, 2005)
The gender stereotype addressed in “Diversity Day” that men are better navigators than women is a popular stereotype of both current and historical popular culture. Men have always dominated the transit industries, holding the majority of pilot, taxi, trucking, and engineer careers. The development of this stereotype through time may come, not simply because it is true, but because it is true given traffic and navigation systems being configured the way they are. Studies have shown that men have better spatial reasoning and navigate better using geometry or a combination of geometry and landscapes, while women navigate better than men using only landscapes (Rosenthal et al, 2012). However, navigation systems are set up to rely on geometrical coordinates, such as longitude, latitude, street names, and the typical NSEW directions, not “the big oak tree on the corner” or “bear right at the Walgreens”. Therefore, the navigation systems that cater to the strengths of male navigation have created a stereotype that men are just better navigators in general, rather than saying the men are better navigators in given conditions.
Another stereotype displayed in “Diversity Day” was that all Italians are heavy eaters. Italian cuisine can be seen everywhere in America. So it is no surprise that the cuisine and the people behind it (Italians) make their way into mainstream media, which is the way that many stereotypes seem to be spread in modern popular culture. Italians are often depicted as either having ties to the mafia, an Italian eatery, or both in big-hit movies/shows such as Goodfellas, The Godfather, and The Sopranos. Either way, a large mass of viewers across the globe view the work and see close to every Italian male in the movie as being an overweight eater of everything in sight and the women as traditional, homemaker-type women, that offer food to everyone that visits.
FINAL THOUGHT
These examples are just a few of many stereotypes that The Office makes light of every week in all nine seasons of airing. Hopefully, the fact that we have shows like this to humor-ize the stereotypes and allow more conversation about their ridiculousness will open the minds of viewers and allow for more free thought of the subjects, rather than adhering to the absurdities that are stereotypes.


REFERENCES
Diversity day [Television series episode]. (2005). In Lieberstein, P. (Executive Producer), The Office. Los Angeles: Reveille Productions. Retrieved from Netflix.com
Imdb: The Office. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386676/?ref_=sr_1
Rosenthal, H., Norman, L., Smith, S., & McGregor, A. (2012). Gender-Based Navigation Stereotype Improves Men's Search for a Hidden Goal. Sex Roles67(11/12), 682-695. doi:10.1007/s11199-012-0205-8