Is the internet a posionous apple or sweet treat?

The internet has affected me both good and bad just like it probably affects others. I started using the internet when I was about ten or twelve but that was really only for games and msn messenger. I only found it entertaining for a half hour or an hour. I had other things going on like playing outside or not around a computer. Since I lived in the middle of nowhere in Iowa then moved to the middle of nowhere in Minnesota, we had dial up…for those who haven’t used it…you’re lucky! Anyways, the internet exploded by time I was in high school. Just like any teenager I jumped on the bandwagon of facebook. It was nice to be able to share pictures and keep in touch with a bunch of people. Now there is too many social networks and no more direct contact of talking. Even if you do talk to someone they are always on their phone not giving you their full attention. The internet is good for certain things like new ideas, recipes, sharing photos and information with family, and education. I also think internet and education is not so good because there is inaccurate information and some people don’t have access to internet. And internet on cell phones….Don’t get me started. It’s a nice pleasure to have at first but now it’s a pain in the ass. I have it on my phone, it comes in handy for google or maps and pinterest J but texting, tweeting, and facebooking does not need to be at your fingertips everyday. Some things are meant for you to know only not the world.

ABC News

An important news clip is about hospital bills being out of control. People are paying more than they should or what it is worth in medical bills in the United States. According the lady in the news clip, for being in the hospital for 3 nights and getting her gallbladder out, her hospital bill was $40,000. Her insurance is only willing to pay half. A single blood pressure pill cost her $15 while the hospital buys it for 3 cents. She says she wants to pay her bill but does not want to overpay. The reason why medical bills in hospitals like Northside have high bills is because they lose millions of dollars from patients who don’t pay. So they have to raise the price for the patients that do pay to gain that money back. Medical bills account for 60% of bankruptcies. This clip is important to us people in the real world because it has to do with our health and money. It also is showing how hospitals are turning healthcare into a business for profit not just there to actually help the sick and injured.

            The news story that I would consider meaningless was the tour of Air Force One that carried JFK before and after he passed away. Since the anniversary of his death has approached, the news reporters went for a tour and was told about the plane ride back to Washington, D.C. with JFK’s casket. Not that this isn’t important because JFK was an important person, but it was not irrelevant to what is going on now in the country. There were more important issues brought up in the news story that this clip was on the memorable side. Chuck Klosterman would qualify this story as meaningless because it doesn’t affect us with money, health, or our livelihood. It would also qualify for this category of meaningless to Chuck because it take time to know a person or an event and then it only shows 5 minutes of highlights which only talked about a memory.

The Mellennials

In class this week we discussed different generations. The generations of the Millennials are people born from the 1980’s to 2000. I was born in 1992 so that makes me a “Millennial”. I believe that the rise in technology of the Internet and cell phones during those years define the generation of the Millennials. I think this rise in technology has a positive and negative aspect. The Internet is good for valuable information and for social networking. On the other hand, it has become an obsession when we could be doing other things. The rise in cell phones during this time made life easier to contact people when they were not home. Cell phones like the internet are becoming an obsession as well. The name Millennials is very fitting because it makes me think of the future and that generation is the future in technology and life.

Reality TV

Klosterman says that real people start to act like the archetypes they see on TV. The point of this is to be identifiable. Being interesting has been replaced with being identifiable. An example is there is always a jock, a jokster, a nerd, a black guy, a gay, and a pretty girl. I think this is a strong idea because it is happening everywhere not just on TV. Take social media for an example. People act how they think they should instead of how they really do just to either put on a show or make people like them. People are constantly categorizing themselves according to what pop culture tells them.  It controls how they talk, dress, and behave around others.

Accidental Racist

People are making a big deal out of the song, “Accidental Racist” by Brad Paisley featuring LL Cool J. In the song, Brad is a country artists who sings that his shirt and his ways are not racist that his generation has nothing to do with the Civil War. LL Cool J is a rapper that sings in response that they are both judging and that they shouldn’t do it anymore. In our readings from class, we learned that country music has a story that relates to your life. This could be love, death, or in this case…conflict. Country music loves to bring up issues and sing about them. Because this music is popular in culture it’s a good way to get the message across. We learned that Hip Hop music is about the lifestyle of power, money, and the lifestyle of gangs and ghettos. This relates to the Accidental Racist because all of these songs judge people by their cover. The controversy is that one side doesn’t want slavery and racism brought up and others think it’s a good idea to talk about it now after all these years. It bothers people because they don’t want conflict. Others like to talk about it because they want their world to be peaceful. My view on this is that it is a good message to get across but I don’t like how it was a song. The lyrics are somewhat meaningful but the beat and word choice was weird. I believe there is other ways to get this across besides a song. I believe that this song still won’t change things between people

Intertextuality in Pop Culture

Intertextuality is everywhere in pop culture these days. Every time there is a best selling book, a movie is made. If the movie gets popular then comes clothing, posters, and other miscellaneous items. One example is Duck Dynasty. It is reality TV show of the family that created duck calls. This show is very popular among my family and friends. After a good first season, it became popular all over the United States and around the world. You can buy Duck Dynasty koozies, t-shirts, rugs, blankets, posters, anything. Another example of this kind of intertextuallity is the Fifty Shades of Grey Fad. Fifty Shades of Grey is a book trilogy of a dominant man and his submissive that fall in love. It is a kinky, yet classy book. This book became popular in the last year or two. Now you can buy all the sex toys online and they are going to make a movie.

Popular Culture

I have learned that popular culture defines our country. It brings our country together because of a common interest. Whether it be about sports like football, celebrities, brand names, advertising, porn, and so on. I have learned that people of all different colors, religions, and backgrounds can all associate with popular culture. There is no written rules to popular culture because it is the opinion of a large group of people. Once something or someone becomes popular, sometimes for no apparent reason, then everyone wants to have the same feeling. This feeling makes people feel like they are not alone. I have also learned that popular culture is a negative aspect of our culture. It is negative because people don’t want to be themselves because they want to fit in with the crowd. Mass media on popular culture is also negative. Advertising pictures of skinny, flawless woman effect average women causing them to be depressed and have eating disorders.