Popular Culture

5-1 Rascal Flatts

2008-04-29T16:18:00.001-07:00

Rascal Flatts

Rascal Flatts is 3-person country band. They are one of the most successful country bands today. Two of the members, Gary LeVox, and Jay DeMarcus, are from Columbus, Ohio. They moved to Nashville in 1992 in search of work as musicians (www.iamfam.com). While in Nashville, they met the third band member, Joe Don Rooney.

They released their first album in 2000 and rose to the top 10. They have many hit songs including “Skin”, “Fast Cars and Freedom”, “Me and My Gang” and “I wish.” All in all, they have released nine number 1 songs and 17 top ten songs (www.rascalflatts.com, 2008).

They have surpassed their own expectations and are very happy with their success. They have released three albums in their short, yet successful career. They play many concerts all over the world and stay true to their roots by playing at the Ohio State Fair each year!

Rascal Flatts are huge supporters of the American Red Cross. Their music video “Every Day” shows pictures of the Red Cross providing support to those in need. See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFKa_vlHMrQ. The Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet has been happy to have Rascal Flatts as members. They support the work of the Red Cross and endorse giving to the charity.

Rascal Flatts have come from the urban city of Columbus, Ohio and rose to top of the charts in the country music world. They are successful, yet humble. They believe in helping others and take great joy in singing for their fans.

References

Retrieved April 29, 2008, Web site: http://www.iamfan.com/~rascal_flatts/rascal-flatts-history.htm

Retrieved April 29, 2008, Web site: http://www.rascalflatts.com/site.php?content=biography

Saunders, Tim (2008, April 18). Rascal flatts include red cross in new music video. Retrieved April 29, 2008, from Look to the stars Web site: http://www.rascalflatts.com/site.php?content=biography

Online Dating (4-1)

2008-04-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

Online dating has become a very popular way to meet a mate! There are many different sites to meet people. If you type in “online dating” on Google, you will get 44,800,000 results! The sites are everywhere and sometimes the choices can be overwhelming.

Whether you are looking for a same sex relationship, something casual, something long term, or just a one night stand, there is a site for you. The sites that are for more serious long term relationships now claim to match you based on your personality. Before the advancement of all the sites, you would simply put in the age range you wanted, the location, and possibly some physical characteristics you are attracted to. Now, you take a “personality” test and the computer determines your own personality traits. You are then matched with others who you should be compatible with.

Online dating has its pros and cons. The pros are that many people have met and had successful relationships from internet dating sites. Someone you could fall in love with may never have crossed your path with out the internet. The dangers are also very real. You have no idea who you’re REALLY talking to, and no idea who you will really be meeting.

One of the more famous sites, www.match.com, has commercial advertisements that when you sign up for 6 months worth of service, you will receive 6 months free if you don’t find a match. For someone looking for love, that can be a very inviting message.

Online dating is great for some people, but not for all. Safety is the biggest concern as far as I’m concerned.

Journal Article Analysis

2008-04-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

The article I read was titled "Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre." The article itself was a bit hard to follow. There were many quotes in the article, but they were not full quotes. Considering it was a brief summary of the original book, the author touched on many different topics of the book. There were a few points where Greene was able to grab my attention. In the end, the summary of the book did make me curious to read about the evolution of fairy tales!

Greene, Carlnita P. (2008, April). Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre. 41, Retrieved April 18, 2008, from http://journals.ohiolink.edu/ejc/pdf.cgi/EJC_Article.pdf?issn=00223840&issue=v41i0002&article=347_wftstearoag

Go Green!

2008-04-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

Al Gore started a growing trend by explaining to the world that we need to “Go Green” to help stop global warming. Some of his tips were things like using solar lighting, programmable thermostats and using an electric water heater blanket in order to lower the CO2 that is emitted into the air.

The “Go Green” slogan has sky rocketed in the last few years. They have “green” cars, “green” light bulbs, and now, they even have “green” cleaning products! These natural cleaning products are not only good for the environment, but also for people that use them. They have no harsh fumes and are all natural, which is much better for children and pets.

People are sincerely concerned with the environment and are constantly looking for ways to help save the environment. With gas prices rising each week, the hybrid cars that get 50+ mpg are becoming more and more popular. You can even catch a break on your taxes for “going green!” Purchasing a hybrid car or adding energy efficient windows to your home will save you some serious money at tax time!

Going green is a great example of positive pop culture. Companies are advertising everything as “green” and it is something people are very interested in. It is all about keeping the world safe and clean, and people like that.

3 Pop Icons

2008-04-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

The three pop icons that I chose are the Ipod, Spongebob Square Pants, and Flavor Flave. These three icons have exploded in popularity in the last few years. They are all very different from one another and target different types of people.

I chose the Ipod because it is a very popular item among teenagers, and some adults. The Ipod is not important to me. I suppose that my life is so busy already, I do not have the time to download music and carry the Ipod with me to listen to it. I am not as up to date on technology as I would like, but nonetheless, the Ipod is extremely popular.

Spongebob Square Pants is a great cartoon! My 5-year-old son absolutely loves this show and he is the reason that I started to watch it. Spongebob is very goofy, but very kind hearted. His shows are colorful and do keep the attention of young children. Just seeing his picture makes me smile!

Flavor Flave…what can I say about him? YUCK! He has had now two or 3 seasons on VH1 trying to find love. His shows are distasteful and outright nasty. I am baffled as to why he has become an icon to so many. Although I personally do not like him, he seems to get the votes from somebody somewhere.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

2008-04-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

The Real Housewives of Orange County is a show on Bravo TV. It began in March of 2006 and features five families that live in an upscale, gated community in Southern California. Orange County is one of the wealthiest places to live in the United States.

Although the families featured on the show may have more money than God, they all seem to be down to earth; well for the most part! They all work hard for their money, except Lauri, who struggled and was lucky to find a rich man! Nevertheless, showing that people work for their money is a great aspect of the show.

None of the families on the show have inherited money or won the lottery. They all work hard for their money. In a couple of the families, the women are the breadwinners. It is refreshing and encouraging to know that women can make more money then men and support their families. It shows real life in the 21^st century.

It is a reality show, which automatically turns some people off. However, if people would give the show a chance, they may enjoy the families lives and learning from them. The children of these families are attending college, not just living off their parents. The reality show also shows the difficulties couples can have. They do not portray them as “happy rich people.”

The show became popular because of the reality TV show boom in the past few years. Although the show seemed to be a hit, they have now transitioned into the Real Housewives of New York.

(2006). The internet movie database. Retrieved April 9, 2008, from The real housewives of orange county Web site: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497079/

2008-04-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

When turning on the television, or opening up a magazine, it is not uncommon to see beautiful healthy people smoking a cigarette. There has been much debate that the tobacco companies are aiming cigarette ads at young people. In order to stop this, an organization targets young people with all the myths of cigarette smoking; it is called “Debunkify.”

Most have seen the commercials on television. They point out alarming facts such as “second hand smoke is deadly. Every ten minutes it kills a non-smoker” (2006, Debunkify). It does a great job at getting your attention. It does it in ways that appeal to young people such as using bright colors and using teenagers or young adults as the spokes person.

They use real life stories on their site and they are very moving. If you have a situation regarding cigarette smoking and would like to add it to the compilation of stories, you can do so at www.debunkify.com. It really does open your eyes to the dangers of smoking.

While there is nothing that will compare to peer pressure or curiosity, hopefully the new and hip way to point out the dangers of smoking will prevent at least one child from picking up a cigarette. It will be all worth it if just one person is saved from emphysema, lung cancer or COPD.

Pop Culture Artifact

2008-04-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

Popular Culture

Popular culture is the things we see each day on television or the internet, or hear on the radio. The newest fads of today and the current issues of celebrities and other icons are popular culture. It includes the music of the most popular singers and the newest fads for people of all ages. To me, pop culture is something that is very entertaining. You can learn from pop culture, but it is more or less for entertainment.

Having a clear understanding of popular culture in my current business environment is not necessarily too important, but can be helpful. I currently work in insurance and deal directly with the public. Some people simply like to talk when they call. If you have an idea of the things they are talking about, it will help the conversation flow well, which in turn makes them enjoy your conversation, which could possibly lead to them closing a sale with me versus another company due to them feeling as though we click better.

In my future position, pop culture may or may not play a role in my career. If I choose to be in a marketing position, it could be of the utmost importance. If I choose to do human resources, if may stay the same as it is now; just a conversation starter.

The biggest example of pop culture to me is American Idol. It was this show that everyone was curious about a few years ago, and now it is something people look forward to all year long. You learn about not only the contestants, but about the judges. You hear things in the news about Paula Abdul all the time. This is one of the biggest pop culture shows ever.