Module 9 - Hegemony

Cultural hegemony refers to the power that a specific person or thing holds in social institutions. By having this strong representation in culture, hegemony tends to rule the culture, by first holding a strong spot in culture and then spreading it throughout the culture. An example of cultural hegemony I would like to use is the strong representation that fast food/ franchises hold in the world. Similar to the video “Cultural Hegemony” it is defined as something that has a dominant society, with something made up of that society such as people and places, with something added that may be considered radical/ dangerous. In my example, fast food franchises would be the radical or dangerous aspect of cultural hegemony being added to the dominant society, weakening it. The changes that fast food can have an effect on would be making people reliant on quick service fast food options, often not being the healthiest of options to consume but rather the more convenient option. Rather than spending time shopping for ingredients and preparing dishes to eat, the convenience of stopping somewhere where you can have food prepared for you in a quick way and delivered to your finger tips makes it easier for the consumer, often times adding to the laziness of the average American. Similar to the effect that having a smartphone (computer) attached to your hand at all times while you’re awake, it makes the consumer reliant on something which would cause mass confusion if it were to be pulled from the consumers. 

Jordan Mania

The mass production of Jordan sneakers has been a on going conversation within the community of "Sneaker heads".  With Jordan sneakers you have the originals that were released while Michael Jordan was still in the NBA and the rereleases, which are a reproduction of the original. The most sought after Jordans are numbers 1-23, each design that originally released were given a number and then a name identified with, by a color (i.e Jordan 12 Playoffs or Jordan 7 Bordeaux) pictured below. Over the years the releases have included new colors that would not be considered original and more numbers to continue on with Michael Jordans legacy.

Jordan 12 Playoff via Flightclub.com




Picture via Flightclub.com

Over the past 7 years the demand for a pair of Jordans has risen, that has not gone un noticed by the Jordan Brand. Since the rise, they have started to release more pairs within a set release date. Prior to this, there would have been a set number on how many would be released in total, making them more valuable. You would not have found a pair on the shelves more than an hour after a Saturday 8 am release. People were willing to pair almost 5 times the amount paid for them at one point. Now you  can find pairs still on shelves weeks later because of the over producing and higher costs of a pair of Jordans.

This week a gesture that I'm going to talk about is winking. This gesture has been around for many years and some people take it in many ways. The wink is the facial expression made by briefly closing one eye and it is an informal mode of nonverbal communication usually signaling a shared hidden knowledge or intent. But if we look more into it winking can be flirty or friendly, but most commonly an inside joke between two people.

To break things down here, the Signification regarding the ‘wink’ is that it is called a wink as simple as that. As for the signifier for the wink it is a facial expression as I said earlier, made by briefly closing one eye and opening it. Going on, lastly as for what is signified are several things. Focusing on one, the main meaning/definition of the verb typically to indicate that something is a joke or secret. The wink is being used as a signal for this.

This week I'm going to talk about hand motion paper towel dispensers. The reason I'm going to talk about this is because many places have them. Going from hotels to restaurants pretty much any place that has a bathroom there is a hand motion paper towel dispenser. These dispensers are continually producing new versions of itself, there are many different brands regarding this. I guess we could say that distracts us from real world change because now we're just kind of used to things doing simple actions for us. Like simply getting your own paper towel rather than just waving your hand in front of it, automatic doors that open and close for us When entering and exiting stores. Not to mention the motion toilet flushing that is also in many places with a bathroom. 

This does socially cement people to the popular culture because I'm sure most of us know and have used a hand motion paper towel dispenser. Of course, this is a good invention, considering I could keep us from a lot of germs with the old-fashioned handle that you push up and down to get your paper towel. Although we could just take some paper towel with our hands but that just wouldn't seem normal in modern day.

After watching the damsel in distress part:1 tropes versus women in video games, The video speaks, for the most part on the way women are portrayed in video games, of course. She starts on speaking about a woman character by the name of Crystal who was a hero but unfortunately, we were never able to play the game because it wasn't the final draft we could say. The game is at its final draft and has been played but they have been some major changes. One being that Crystal, the female character is now no longer the main hero, but she is now the damsel in distress stuck in an ice crystal who needs to be saved by the new hero whom which is a man.

Crystal is in a different outfit which is much skimpier than when she was the main hero. 

This video has influenced my thinking on the particular area she was discussing in many different ways. One being that, woman and cultures I seem to be as weak physically, weak emotionally, although not so much weak mentally. These traits can Portray woman to be helpless, which plays a big part in the damsel in distress. And it is now known in my eyes, that women are in fact being 'robbed' at the chance to be heroes.

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990-96) is an American sitcom that targets themes of race and class. I chose Carlton, a character the comes from a wealthy black family, because he represents a different perspective of the world then Will who is shown more uprooted from the 'hood'. Carlton comes from a privileged family and is seen to be preppy and at times pretentious but still carries .  The show represents innovative ways of portraying each character not as the traditional black stereotype television sitcoms such as The Cosby Show.  The show tackles social constructs that at the time wasn't being addressed, the show was a huge influence in diversity writing for characters and moral orientated sitcoms. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5D2RvIQwQE

In this clip in particular Carlton is subjected to being 'different' and is denied from becoming part of the fraternity. Will chooses to approach the situation by walking away and playing that it was his but when Carlton finds out he chooses to confront the heads. Carlton is proud of his heritage, he doesn't shy from what he is just because of his privileged background. I find this scene in particular important because of the two different approaches the main characters take. Will decision was to protect Carlton, the more sheltered character, but Carlton understands why he is seen as a sell out and understands that the real sell out is him for attacking his character.  

Music

Music "is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound and silence, which exist in time"  This what you will find if you were to Google "what is music". Music means something different to everybody that comes in contact with it. Music to one person is healing and therapeutic, while another uses it a conversation piece.

Music has stood the test of time. Always being created, duplicated and manipulated. With all of the different genres of music, the way that music is talked about varies. For instance if you were to talk about classical, you would begin to talk about the different instruments that are heard, where the composer draws inspiration from and maybe even what key they are playing in. A broader conversation can be about rap and hiphop music. The lyrics will reach different audiences because not every talks about the same thing. As much as people think you will only hear about the struggle, there are also artists that talk about art and culture. What the culture is varies because you have something like trap music, where you will here more about what happens in more urbanized areas and what they go through and how they "flipped a quarter brick". There will be the mainstream rap that will toned down with talks of love and other relatable topics.

My connection to music has always been that of a coping mechanism. I find myself turning to music when I need to find comfort. There are songs that bring me joy, and pain. Music is used in so many ways, it is easy to connect a certain song with a memory that is either bad or good. A good memory would be from a time that I hung out with friends and we could not stop singing "Glamorous by Fergie" at the top our lungs. I see us all sitting in the car on our way to a party, just in our own little bubble creating a memory from a song we knew from our child hood.When I hear the song now, I am instantly brought back to that moment.

How Netflix is Changing Mass Culture

This week I found an interesting video called "Netflix's War on Mass Culture" and I immediately thought, "Oh no, they're not going to tell me that Netflix is bad! Are they?" The reality is both yes, and no. As I watched the video, despite its daunting title, I found that the narrative was somewhat open for interpretation and I will answer to that later on.

The video basically outlined how the normal practice of watching television had gone on in previous generations and how Netflix is different from that. At first the video accuses Netflix of trying to replace the foundations of television with a new system based on the current values of the internet generation and also of trying to change viewer behavior. Of course in my mind I say, "That's great that such things can evolve as we do!" However, this video takes the opposite approach and claims that Netflix has a hidden agenda.

Even the Netflix logos have a cool history! (source)

The origin story of Netflix is generally known by the average American; it was at first a DVD mail order service that after a while began to offer some of its most popular shows and films via online streaming. Its also infamously known as the company that eventually brought down Blockbuster Video, a VHS movie rental store that refused to "get with the times." Therefore proving that evolution of entertainment is imperative.

In the history of entertainment, many shows and events were broadcasted live, as reliable technology for recording video and audio didn't come until much later. Thus live entertainment was, for much of history, seen as commonplace. Even as pre-recorded shows began to air, live television did not disappear, as today we still have live news, sporting events, award shows, reality shows, etc. Though the focus now has shifted to pre-recorded shows being the majority and live television being the minority. Having our choice of scripted shows to watch echos the retail market, just like people could go to Blockbuster and pick out only what they wanted to watch rather than being subjected to "what's on." Also, unlike cable companies, Netflix pays attention to their viewers, what they watch and what they like, and uses algorithms based on the genre or starring actors to predict other shows you might be interested in.

Netflix knows what you like! "OITNB" was their top rated show last June. (image source)

The video states that mainstream entertainment is based on a large pillar of popular culture, flanked by smaller sub-cultures and that Netflix is attempting to change this architecture into a world of “fandom islands” where people rarely interact with others outside of their island. It gives people less exposure to things that they wouldn’t normally watch but I don’t see that the unity of people loving a show will cease because of this. It in fact adds a more profound sense of connection. For someone to find another person who likes the same obscure show that they do, instead of being crowded out by the overall tone of what the majority of people are watching, makes that show and that connection even more special. They argue that entertainment only based on fandom is non-traditional and un-American, but I have so far seen very little change in the unity and passion of people who have made the transition to online streaming.

In the past, network “event television” aimed to get a large group of people watching the same thing at the same time - but what is the harm in a large group of people watching the same thing, but at their own pace? Netflix is viewed by a large amount of people, but that doesn’t make it less valuable, in fact people are watching more hours of television than they did in the 1990s. This makes it even more important that we pay attention to what we are watching and make it more readily available, rather than restricting people to less choice because of tradition

Even cable networks have "On Demand." They have to admit it is part of our modern era of entertainment. (image source)

The anti-Netflix argument in the video uses the viewpoint of Vladimir Nabokov who believes that humanity’s “highest yearning” should be to leave behind all desire to be “current.” I however, argue that modern people have a very high regard for being up-to-date on all parts of culture, especially where they consider it to be a part of their identity. This does contrast to a time, even a hundred years back, when people were wary of new inventions such as television or even electricity - but today a vast number of people take great pride in wearing the latest trend, going to see the newest movies, and sharing the most popular memes. What’s wrong with that? I say nothing!

Im locked up..they won't let me out

Film has always been an outlet for me. My father being a film producer would take me to classes with him at Hampshire and later on at Columbia. I watched him make films with meaning and purpose, to tell stories of those that did not get the recognition that they deserved.  I witnessed first hand the power of film and media. I made my first short film at 7, with one of my closest friends Alexis. There was no script, formal set or even great actors. We just went with what we were feeling at the time. At 7 why were we feeling like convicts? I am not sure, but the opening scene was me behind bars staring into the camera, with tears running down my eyes to show the pain. The bars were the second floor metal banisters and the hand cuffs were socks. Needless to say our creativity was on another level.

Why at 7 years old were we making movies about being in jail? Is it because something we watched that may not have been intended for us? Popular culture in 80's and 90's were to watch shows on crime. You had shows like Cops, and Law & Order that people were loving. But the effects of watching these shows have left more of an impression on us than we think. Did we think that maybe it was cool to creative violence and punishment for entertainment?

I anticipate learning more about the consequences of consuming unhealthy and uncensored media. I want to understand why our beliefs, culture and values are depicted in what we surround ourselves with.

The Culture Industry & Fashion

Each person has their own sense of fashion. But what seems to happen is we have a handful of designers telling us what is "in" and what it "out." Fashion trends seem to be a revolving door, where the same fashion that everyone is wearing yesterday is considered ugly today, and "vintage" and popular the next day. This makes us get rid of our clothes just to have us buy the same but newly invented article of clothing years later.

If you really think about it these fashion trends and changes dictate our lives. Even at award shows where we are supposed to be talking about the artist's music or movies, the red carpet is designed specifically so they can be asked the so important question: "What are you wearing?" For the next week these outfits are plastered all over the covers of magazines and being critiqued on TV for our entertainment. We then see our everyday fashion being ripped off of the "hot list" created by these celebrities.

If you think about today's fashion trends they are really just plays on old fashion that has been tweaked to fit today's needs. The high waist swimwear and shorts all girls like to wear are really just a play back to the 50's style. The short pixie hair cut that was out of fashion for the longest time once again became popular again. Even Levi's has created a new "mom jean" fit - which is just a play off the late 80's - early 90's style of pants. With all these fashion trends going in and out we will never be able to keep up. These magazines and celebrities really dictate what we buy, and when we stop wearing it. As long as we judge people based on their looks then fashion will continue to be an investment that everyone will spend money on.

What have you been Smoking? A Look into Stoner Culture

Unlike alcohol, a drug which has always been praised for its influence in good choices, marijuana has been demonized for its ability to cause individuals to utter stupid phrases, ransack the fridge, forget things and fall asleep.

The chaos and destruction that marijuana has inflicted upon society has flowed through all the faucets of the media, impacting both the economy and politics and leaves us all stricken with red eyes, dry mouths and a craving for nachos.

For years characters of a devious nature have been offering kids the "Good stuff" on street corners and dark alley ways, gangs and cartels have been smuggling hundreds of pounds over the border from Mexico, back forest hicks have been growing hidden fields of "The green" and countless joints have been rolled and burnt. Despite its current illegal status Mary Jane has rocked popular culture since before the sixties. It seems that no matter what the law has to say about it, people just aren't prepared to put that joint out.

Like coffee, marijuana comes from a plant, and also similar to coffee, there are many ways to ingest it. You have quite a few options when it comes to marijuana. You could go the classic route and roll a joint, or you could go the way of the rapper and roll yourself a dope blunt. You could share a bong with your buddies in a smoke circle or go solo with a long wooden pipe like Gandalf, blow some killer smoke circles and proclaim that this dank is yours and you shall not pass. You could go join the vape life, blow obnoxious clouds of smoke and lose all of your friends (either due to the density of the vapor or just because), or you could do some baking and make some brownies then get yourself hella baked. There's lip balms, all sorts of edibles, oils, hash, you name it. If someone hasn't found a way to combine it with marijuana, trust me, they are working on it.

Not only are there different methods to intake the marijuana, but also different variations of the plant. There are numerous creatively named strains of bud, ranging from blue dream to purple kush, and trainwreck to Alaskan thunder.

Federally marijuana is illegal nation wide, though legalization has gained some movement and some states have decriminalized it or have legalized it for medical or recreational use. Marijuana accounts for about fifty percent of the war on drugs and has been widely proclaimed to be a "Gateway drug". Due to the cartel and gang activity which often surrounds marijuana's sale, the plant has gotten a bad rap.  Thanks to its illegality, marijuana seems to have a darker more deviant vibe to its culture than does alcohol. Smoking a joint is seen as more counterculture than does downing a pint, and its effects leave one with less of a hangover.

Marijuana is very popular in the media, between politicians and church leaders condemning it and rappers, comedians and celebrities smoking it, marijuana gets a lot of coverage. A common theme in music, from the Beatles to Tech-Nine, Mary Jane's influence is everywhere. Stoner comedies are also a popular genre of film and television, with such movies as Half-Baked, Up in Smoke, MallRats and shows like Workaholics or Broad City. You can't walk into a Hot Topic, Spencers or a Newberry Comics without seeing the famous leaf on a shirt, hat or sticker.

Where ever it is legal dispensaries and cafes have been popping up, allowing for people to purchase and consume the plant. I have even heard of a driven tour in Colorado that visits different dispensaries to test and savor the different strains.

Marijuana culture is very alive in America.