As per usual I was being kept company by CNN at the start of my workday this morning and there was an interesting “filler” story about how the content of TV programming has changed over the years since, well, TV was invented and  the role it plays as a reflection of our culture.  The question posed was the degree to which exporting content like Honey Boo Boo to foreign markets reflects badly on our culture or otherwise inaccurately portrays who we are and what we value as a society.

It’s an age-old question about art imitating life or life imitating art. Further, I suppose that there is a lot of content, like the aforementioned exploited six-year old or The Real Housewives of (pick your boughie social city) that isn’t really art at all but rather produced documentation of various cultural train wrecks.  I would argue, from an objective sociocultural perspective that what we put out there on TV, even if it is representative of certain outliers of our culture in some cases, absolutely does reflect our cultural values, for better or worse.  But, is that such a bad thing?

Back when TV was in its infancy, there was not an abundance of space or choice.  Some of what was put on television  reflected ideal images of American life that the corporate sponsors of those programs wanted us to aspire to – and ultimately purchase their products to help us get there. Think shows like Leave it to Beaver or Donna Reed.  Others lovingly depicted lifestyles of the working class, affirming our daily grind, like The Honeymooners.  Then there were the uplifting variety shows like Lawrence Welk that entertained us with non-boundry pushing music and otherwise served to placate our sensibilities and keep us calm.

But, as media evolved and cable gave us more and more bandwidth, there became room to strategically target audiences who fit different niches and tailor programming to capture there eyeballs and ultimately more advertising dollars.  So we reached out with programming that began tackling social issues (through commentary and comedy and everything in between), capturing more of the realities of modern life and ultimately teaching us a lot about what we can do, how we can live and how we really do live.  We fed our celebrity fetishes, peeked into the lives of subcultures and demographics that were outside of our own familiar circles and created content designed to provoke thought.

Shows like the Simpsons and Family guy and South Park put provocative content into the characteristically unthreatening medium of cartoons:  lest seeing live people acting out atrocities of social conscience hit too close to home.  We watch documentation of different types of families, from celebrities, to “little people” to families with octuplets and both marvel at and relate to their day-to-day challenges and triumphs.  We dig deep into subcultures like the “Amish Mafia” or fictional Mormon societies and laugh at other fictional and non-fiction depictions of those who trespass against social norms like the show Shameless on Showtime or Toddlers in Tiaras.  We even call into question or glamorize government conspiracy, organized crime and serial murder on shows like Homeland, Boardwalk Empire or Dexter.  I could go on and on with how different niche programming reflects our context, but I think the point has been made.

So I say we are what we watch: an American culture defined by a proud commitment to diversity, exploration, curiosity, following our passions and making ourselves think harder about our place in the world and role in human society.  Sometimes we need to react to the worst of it in order to think about how we make ourselves better. The fact is there are some heinous parts of our culture that, if gone unchecked, will simply continue to grow.  So don’t ignore it…watch the stuff and talk about it and let a counter-culture of progress prevail.  If  you ignore the atrocities of frivolity that we all pretend not to pay attention to but secretly watch in the privacy of our dimly lit living rooms then we are doomed to see it become mainstream.

I also say the reality TV set is a hero in that regard – a rogue movement of anthropological documentarians putting it all in our faces and letting us decide how we feel about it and what we are going to do about it.   We are a wacky culture.  You can’t make this sh&t up.  But by allowing ourselves to actively the direction of culture we can have a hand in changing the path.  And there is great value in showing the world that it’s okay to take a hard look at yourself.  There’s a lot to be said for this freedom of speech thing.  So go forth and turn on Bravo (etc.)  with no shame.  Take a hard look and decide if what you see is who you want to be and proudly decide how you will have a part in changing the channel…

Related articles

• What We Should Be Thinking About Pop-Culture Violence, and What We Will Probably Do Instead (entertainment.time.com)
• Just Because We Don’t Like It Doesn’t Mean We Won’t Remember It (johnwegnerblog.wordpress.com)
• The fifties (slideshare.net)
• How Women Are Changing TV (dish.andrewsullivan.com)
• Despite Media Companies’ Best Efforts, ‘TV Everywhere’ Is Nowhere (blogs.wsj.com)
• The “Culture of Reading” (richamohan.wordpress.com)
• Too much TV could damage sperm production (wtkr.com)
• Boycott Honey BooBoo! (rillarants.wordpress.com)
• Binge-watching makes TV better (cnn.com)

For the most part in American culture, intellectual struggle in school children is seen as an indicator of weakness, while in Eastern cultures it is not only tolerated, it is often used to measure emotional strength.

See on www.npr.org

Related articles

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As a women (girl?, gal?) who reads Cosmo and Glamour, I read a lot of articles about how to improve upon our sexually liberated selves. Yet there is still and underlying image in society that a ‘good’ girl or women is one who is pure,  modest, and delicate. I think of this every time a mechanic talks to me like a ten-year old (is there a way to modestly punch someone in the face?).

Betty Friedan refers to this as infantalizing women (I may have made that word up). Society doesn’t let girls grow up into women. Instead there are people who expect them to remain delicate and innocent little girls.

Before you start to think, ‘gosh, this person is just a man-hating fem-Nazi’–Men and women are both guilty of it. We all know how critical women can be of each other. I’d say a good half of the issue is women on women (not that kind, don’t get too excited fellas). If you’re a woman, tell another woman (or group depending on how many jaws you want to drop) that you don’t want to get married and have kids. Seriously, the reactions are pretty funny. It’s as if you’ve offended every vagina within a 20 mile radius. Because as women, that is what we do, we have children. Forget about saving the world, or being president–you have to get to soccer practice. As far as we think we’ve come on this, we still identify as wives and mothers. And suggesting otherwise is well, unwise. I’ve even come across articles recently stating that only having one child is selfish. So…keep pumping them out ladies!

The diametric ways we view women has began to confuse me.  Otherwise we couldn’t have our mother/wife mentality and also have articles like  ’20 New Ways to Give a Blowjob’ that are so damn popular (popular? or are they just unavoidable, thus making us feel like we should be giving better blowjobs–or giving blowjobs at all).  Women are supposed to be soft-spoken and delicate in public, yet body confident tigers in the bedroom–yeah, don’t worry I’ll have the perfect roast cooked as well. But as soon as we bring any of that body confidence into our wardrobe or attitude we become sluts that are OK to use and abuse. But that’s why we dress like that right? Because we want to be ogled, harassed, and/or talked to like we’re not a real person.

I’m all for liberated women who have sex whenever they want. But it’s not that easy. There is a whole lot of pressure to have sex from one side, and pressure to not have sex from the other side. At the end of a day full of subliminal messaging it’s hard to tell my right from my left!

Here are two great articles that cover this topic beautifully:

Do Christians idolize virginity?

Winter in Hollywood: Tis the season for slut-shaming

Gosh, am I really no more than my reproductive unit? 

I remember getting the sex talk from my mother who said something around the lines of, ‘I know this might seem surprising, but men prefer women who wait.’ Then why are they putting on the pressure to ‘take the relationship to the next level’? All of a sudden it becomes the girls job to regulate, because guys are just wild animals who can’t control themselves. The only hormones women are allowed to have are premenstrual or menopausal. Yeah sure, unload the burden of repressing sexual hormones to the ladies…did you get the hint of sarcasm…cause it should be the responsibility of both. And then at the end of the day, we shouldn’t go around shaming women who choose to say yes or no.

Want to make this even more confusing? Link all that with advice articles with tips on how to use sex and sexuality to get what you want. Seriously WTF!

Now, have I ever used my gender to get things I want? Hell yes! If I find a man stupid enough to fall for it, then I say he probably deserves watching me walk away laughing with a free drink. (Before you think, “I’m never buying a drink for Emily, anymore” know that I do try to limit it to those real jackasses I meet. You know who I’m talking about, that dude at the bar who keeps pestering you while you’re hanging out with your friends. If you seem like a nice dude, I’ll politely turn you down if I’m not interested). Does it make it right to use my feminine wiles to get what I want? To be honest, I’m not sure. I’m on the fence about this one. It feels like one of the perks that come with the equipment, but it also feels like I’m adding to the problem.

It’s hard for women to navigate sexuality these days. Well, who knows maybe I’m the only one who feels this way. But there is a lot of unnecessary guilt built up around sex whether you’re having it or not.

A friend of mine and I were joking around about the guilt women feel when your long-term love wants to have sex, but you don’t– you all of a sudden start counting back to the last time you did it. Has it been a week already? Gosh I kind of owe it to them… OWE IT TO THEM?! What is that about? Is that healthy? Of course relationships require compromise and everyone should be sexually satisfied. But feeling obligated? I don’t know about that one.

Let’s conclude this before I spiral further into snarky nonsense

I’ve probably alienated or offended half the people who started reading this, so kudos to you for making this far. And let’s see if I can’t succeed in pushing you off the edge…
I’m on the fence of whether sex is really as important to our identity as we’ve made it out to be, or if we are have just convinced ourselves it is because it’s easier to chase skirts or shirt-tails than it is to try to cure cancer or read a book. I mean we all know sex is great, but at what point is it just a distraction from reaching our full potential? And I wonder that in regards to all topics touched upon above.

Sex does play a big role in our psyche but on some level I think there are social issues and mental hindrances that we aren’t addressing because we’re so wrapped up the nonsense that we have created as being ‘important’.

I personally look forward to the day that people will not treat me like a women, but will instead treat me like a human being. Maybe I’ll start dressing more androgynously to throw people off the scent. If only those damn pheromones didn’t give it away.

Related articles

• Femininity as performance, or, why women have it so hard. (hernamewascassandra.wordpress.com)
• ‘Slut-Shaming Fatigue’: Because This Crap Has Got to Stop (jezebel.com)
• Our children’s enemy is sexism, not sexualisation | Zoe Williams (guardian.co.uk)

Many people claim that the “kids are different today” or that “the Internet is ruining our kids” or that “kids don’t know the meaning of hard work today”. But what is true and what is merely the venting of an older generation about the up-and-coming one?

While I don’t presume to have all the answers, I’d like to delve into a few aspects of this conversation (conversation being the operative word here: I would love your thoughts).

Before I talk about today’s kids, let’s look back at the kids from the 50′s to the present.

1950′s: Gifted kids were being recognized in education, and as a result, the Advanced Placement program came into being. The average yearly salary was approx. $2992, and the cost of a loaf of bread was 0.14 cents. Bomb shelters were all the rage, Eisenhower was president, and the Federal Highway Act was signed, which changed the way we travel. Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back, and racial segregation was declared unconstitutional.

1960′s: The national debt was approx. $286 Billion, the average salary was around $5000, and minimum wage was $1. (Really? Wow). The Advanced Placement program was growing in popularity, and parents wanted a way to measure their children against everyone else. Thus…Standarized testing. War, the Moon, MLK. What more can you say about the 60′s? It was a time of terrific change and turmoil. There was a “concerted drive…to arrive at an integrated, sequential, articulated, and purposeful curriculum in English” (Albright 16).

Times haven’t changed, have they? At least not in the teaching of English and Composition.

1970′s: This was perhaps the most important decade for me, because I was born in 1971! Science fiction writers have something to say about education, and everyone was calling for a change. Many studies showed the effectiveness of process writing, and yet we continued to become an even more standardized nation.

1980′s: Rubrics, measurement, Culture, Gender Bias, Space and Place, and the beginning of Computers and Writing. the average salary was $15,000 or so – and I remember that in the 80′s, my dad considered himself successful because he’d reached the $20k ceiling.

Neon, Madonna, U2, and Reagan.

1985 Inaugural Ball: President and Mrs. Reagan in National Air and Space Museum (Photo credit: Smithsonian Institution)

Before this time, teachers of composition didn’t have to consider something like the computer. After word processing and the Internet, everything changed. In the 80′s, voice and authentic writing and portfolios start to show up in scholarly discourse.

1990′s: “The 1990s was truly the electronic age. The World Wide Web was born in 1992, changing the way we communicate (email), spend our money (online gambling, stores), and do business (e-commerce). In 1989, 15% of American households had a computer. And by 2000, this figure increased to 51%, with 41.5% online. Internet lingo like plug-ins, BTW (by the way), GOK (God only knows), IMHO (in my humble opinion), FAQS, SPAM, FTP, ISP, and phrases like “See you online” or “The server’s down” or “Bill Gates” became part of our everyday vocabulary.” (http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade90.html)

2000′s: I would assert that the 2000′s gave birth to the greatest technological lifestyle changes since the telephone. I mean, we’ve got the iPod, iPhone, iPad, text messaging, Internet, and Social Media. Our kids are different, and there’s nothing we can do about it. We have to embrace it and adapt with it.

Our students today do not want to give up their smart phones. Do you know how hard that is for them? They do not want to be separated from their source of information! I can relate though. I love having connectivity 100% of the time.

So my question to you is this: How does the “old world” traditional academic community adapt to this new culture of Internet instant info, instant gratification? I would claim that academia is running behind culture and is not in a hurry to catch up. I’d also say that we had better catch up because “times, they are a-changing.”

Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside
And it is ragin’
It’ll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one
If you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin’
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’.

Related articles

• Footnotes: How texting helps us learn to read and write (metronews.ca)
• Why Keep Up with the Technology (terrywhalin.blogspot.com)
• The Books They Are a-Changin’ (urbantimes.co)
• Times, They R A Changin’ (daniwade.wordpress.com)
• Introverts and the Internet (xconomy.com)
• Internet Culture and Intelligence (gautiertalksliving.wordpress.com)
• How To Write Letters: A Vintage Guide to the Lost Art of Epistolary Etiquette, 1876 (brainpickings.org)
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Reblogged from White Mom Blog:

The other day, I came across a tweet about a Wisconsin school being investigated for teaching white privilege. Apparently, a parent at this particular school became very upset after reading the content of a course her son was taking titled "American Diversity." The mother felt the curriculum was being used to teach white students that they are racist and oppressive. She also felt the lesson on white privilege made her son feel unearned guilt for being white.

Read more… 406 more words

via Gulag Bound - The Communist Takeover Of America – 45 Declared Goals.

Below is a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As you read this, 50 years later, you should be shocked by the events that have played themselves out. I first ran across this list 3 years ago, but was unable to attain a copy and it has bothered me ever since. Recently, Jeff Rense posted it on his site and I would like to thank him for doing so.

Communist Goals

[From "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen]

1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev’s promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.  [Democrat Party done, Republican Party coming soon]

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policy-making positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to “eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms.”

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. “Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.”

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a “religious crutch.”

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the “common man.”

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the “big picture.” Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture–education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use ["]united force["] to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike.

Most of these have been achieved.

Train, prepare, the fight is coming.

Resist.

CDP

I’m having a particularly stressful day today.  One of the first of the new year.  Not necessarily an entirely woeful situation but I am definitely feeling it and actively figuring out ways to alleviate the situation.  Interestingly enough (and also something most of you will empathize with), in dealing with that stress I am not considering how I can reduce the stress level but merely finding ways to cope.  Instead of smoking a cigarette I thought, in true Narcissistic form, I would philosophize in a public forum for others to ponder my profoundly relevant scenario and how it relates to our culture at large.

In thinking about “stress” as a concept it seems like something that has some pretty distinct context in western  / North American culture.  I believe that “stress” – a term I am using to define the looser space of feeling strained, a bit out of control and otherwise taxed by circumstance, is actually one of our core values as a consumer / corporate culture. As a matter of fact, I think we eat it for breakfast – that it’s something that nourishes us.

There are many cultures and subcultures where the life priority of harmony and centeredness and balance prevails as a norm.  In the U.S. and other developed countries like us, however, we value the opposite.  We constantly create more and more tools to enable us to handle more tasks and obligations at once.  When we greet one another and ask “how are you”, the accepted response these days is not “well, thank you” or “happy” or “loving life”, but rather some semblance of “really good.  keeping busy”.

To that end, in the culture that surrounds dealing with stress is not one of re-examining priorities or eliminating tasks / obligations but rather treating symptoms.  We have a robust industry that peddles all kinds of remedies from homeopathic to prescription. We also talk about physical exercises as a way to exert ourselves to stave off the physical effects of stress.  We buy stress balls and desktop boxes that have sand and tiny rakes (for a moment of “zen”). We drink, smoke, take layabout vacations and otherwise have all kinds of other industry revolving around outlets and vices to help us cope.  Cope being the key word

So I pose the question:  why do we value stress so much in our culture?  Is it because it is a measure of how necessary we are to others, which we feel directly correlates to our value?  Do we not value our obligations to ourselves?  Do we feel that taking on stress consequently allows us to empathize and ultimately relate to the other stressed-out members of our social circle?  Perhaps we use stress like a drug – taking it on to avoid looking inward or broadening our perspective to deeper, headier, broader issues that we face as humans? Does having stress give us an excuse to have vices – which we are loath to get rid of?

Perhaps someday we will evolve our culture a bit to value a bit more balance and take the shiny glow off of stress as priority value and it will make us healthier and happier.  I would love for the day when the most popular answer  the “how are you” question is “I’m stress free and being me” or something of equal narcissistic bliss.

In absence of safeguards, systems and conveniences like government-supervised municipal programs, a regulated economy and electricity, humans basically focused on, well, the basics.  Survival of the fittest and the potential of not arriving too early at death’s door.

As society evolved, we became more “civilized” and began prioritizing things like fitting into society and finding love.  Once our class systems and social order were well established, self esteem became a priority:  assuring ourselves that each one of us is valuable and leads a meaningful , worthwhile life.

All the tick-boxes been ticked, the penultimate spot on the pyramid has us jamming our flags into the not-so-solid ground of self actualization.  From an anthropological perspective, I believe a good amount of that  is signified in the construction of our modern homes and the requirements we have for our twenty first century nests.

If we are to truly live life as our self-actualized selves:  awash in creativity and authentic experience and meaning and playfulness and all those things that make us feel like well-rounded humans, we absolutely need a number of things that no solid middle-class home can do without:

1. Centralized temperature control:  at no point should we allow our bodies to feel too cold or too warm, lest we be uncomfortable in our space and unable to enjoy all of the other creature comforts that fuel our affirmation of self

2.  A flat screen TV with as much cable as we can afford: multimedia exposure that takes the place of art: usually in a space of honor centrally located in our primary living area.  Likely above the fireplace but always located up on the wall or encased / atop a surface in front of a wall directly across from a comfy seating area.  Our window to the world allows us to choose the programming that represents our interests from a seemingly infinite set of niche-oriented choices, affirming our membership in the tribes we lay claim to peripherally assume membership of

3.  Surround sound / a curated sound system: whether it be through an ability to create immersive experiences with our multimedia entertainment or to optimize our experience with music.  Music, in particular, tends to cover a lot of self actualization bases so optimizing the way we experience it is a top priority for many modern humans in their households and in general.  It’s why we also tend to prioritize taking musical experiences with us:  in our cars or on the go with portable devices

4.  A desktop / laptop computer or tablet with Internet access:  see item 2 – a lot of similar reasons for this need overlap.  In addition, it allows us to perform functions such as interpersonal communication, paying bills and creating things with speed and agility, which makes us feel important, productive and ultimately gives us a sense of personal freedom.

5.  Refrigeration:  so we can keep an abundance of food options available and preserved and enjoy the tastes we crave at whim. Food has “evolved” beyond a fueling-up function to a substance that contributes to identity formation, nostalgic comfort and creative exploration.  What seems like something so rudimentary to us (like having a refrigerator) is actually a product of a very modern high-maintenance lifestyle rooted in this self-actualization portion of our needs.

There are many others to add to this list, but my presence is currently required to help prepare for the installation of our new sound system(by a third party who will not break all the expensive equipment we just purchased or drill a hole in the wall that’s too big).  Feel free to add your comments and educate me on what I missed.

I suppose, however, that there is one more modern self actualization requirement I can add to this list (albeit outside the “household” niche) -

A blog.

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Now, I mean distance in multiple senses, even if he didn’t. I’m going to touch on a few differences.

1) To say “I love you” in French you say, “Je t’aime.” To say that you like someone would be “Je t’aime.*” Now, you don’t have to speak French to see the interesting similarity here. In fact, the French, famed as the people of romance. Don’t have a different word for “like” and “love.”

2) Americans come from two traditions that combine to make Americans generally more physically distant than the French.

A) The first culturally American people (basically the people who were not Natives) were Puritans. This has instilled several basic aspects of American culture still in place today: temperance (aka not drinking alcohol), abstinence (leave room for the Holy Spirit please), individualism and a hard work ethic. For the moment, the most important of these for me is the “abstinence” bit. Because (at least on some cultural level. Argue about the ’60′s sexual freedom thing all you want, America is still pretty “abstinent”). this means that Americans are much more tentative to interact intimately with other people**.

B) America is freaking huge. In fact, America is about 14.5 times the size of France. Look at the difference in space between Aix and Indianapolis, Indiana.

Aix:

Indy:

All this combines into an interesting dilemma for my French friend: his girlfriend is distant in a very physical and American kind of way. She feels close to him mentally, so she is fine. But he, being French, feels that physical proximity is necessary. That’s how you show affection and you learn that from being in close contact with your family.

It’s an interesting dilemma to hear, although unfortunate for my poor friend.

*So really you would say “Je t’aime bien” which means “I like you well” and gives the French some means of differentiating, but the central point is still accurate. To make their meaning clear the French have to use the modifier “bien” to make the difference clear.

**Obviously I just way overgeneralized, but I think you could still say the culture in America is very abstinence-oriented, even if sex has become a lot more accepted. This part of our culture is developing and changing, but it’s not nearly on the French level and I don’t think they’ll be comparable for a while yet.

Anthony Ruptak @ Meadowlark

If you’re looking for a charming and funny man to drink a bottle of wine with and talk about religion, music, and milking goats, then Anthony Ruptak is the man you want to see. He is as intelligent and entertaining of a conversationalist as he is handsome. I had the pleasure of sitting down with him last week to pick his brain about his album C’est La Vie.

Within his simile-riddled lyrics, an authenticity emerges that becomes more noticeable when you meet him. Listening to Anthony’s album, I noticed a sense of sarcasm about the mendacity of people develop, intermixing copacetically with his genuine empathy for the difficulty of the human condition. His sarcasm in both his music and in life doesn’t translate as despondency but rather as a prophetic hope.

A.R.: “I think life needs to be suffered through, and you need to be able to find that hope.”

E.N.: “What do you mean suffered through? I mean, what is so difficult about it?”

A.R.: “About life? Being around people and seeing the inane stupidity and mindless love of things that mean nothing, like television and football. I mean, I’m sorry if you like football and television, I really am. But yeah, people are so disgusting and the monotony and routine of the American lifestyle is so backwards and feeds gold into the mouths of so many corpses and doesn’t give anything to the people who are actually working for what they have…”

The idea of hard work and respect for the working class is apparent as a reoccurring theme. Songs like Red Mark emanates the struggles of life and how we have to give everything we have in order to transcend it.

And I am paddling a crooked river spine
and I am grasping for a single branch
beneath the shoreline
And I was growing tired before I ever cut my hands
and learned to sing

And should the cold air blow the smoke back to my eyes
I will not weep now for the sake
of anything.

So what does a guy like Anthony work towards?
           “I want so badly to give something to the world and for it to be accepted… Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to be able        to make a difference somehow. I’m not super hopeful that [it’s] going to happen the way the music scene is right now, but I’m going to give it my damnedest… I’ve seen people killed emotionally and a lot of people who have no fire for life because of their vocations… It just eats people and that’s why people cling onto things that are entertaining. I’ve met people who never question stuff. They accept the world for what it is and it’s so strange. That’s what I disrespect about humanity. . . They give up so fast.”

His drive and authenticity is demonstrated beautifully in these lyrics from C’est La Vie:

And I do not feel ashamed
That I am sick of saying c’est la vie
I do not feel that I am any wiser
For the things I’ve seen
But maybe wisdom comes with age
And maybe those with fortunes fade
While we who live to die
Are in possession of some kinder fate

From his frequent illustration of transcending brokenness, I get the feeling that he is an ardently self-fulfilled person who understands his own need to continue striving towards something, anything. His stick-to-it-iveness may explain his acceptance of his disconnectedness with society.

Heaven, Hell, and World in between

Anthony’s poetic use of language is lavished with nature-based imagery. I get the feeling he is not piously-humble as much as he is in awe in the miraculous everyday things, regardless of whether they are ‘good’ or ‘bad’. There is no delusion of the beastly beauty of nature as he often makes references to its harsh, violent streaks paralleled by warm, inviting melodies. His acceptance of the world as cold and evil lead to an interesting view on Heaven and Hell:

           “I think people downplay the intensity and importance of death. You can’t wrap your mind around the mammoth size of the concept of heaven. It’s just like that people can’t wrap their mind around the universe. We know that it exists but it’s just too big to comprehend. So that’s why heaven doesn’t make any sense. And hell does make sense… It seems acceptable that living a bad life would get you hell, because you accepted everything around you and you were a part of it. And so hell would just be a continuation of life. But heaven is like… who deserves to be in heaven? Who deserves that.”

Somehow, this fairly pessimistic view leads to optimistic action in his life; this dichotomy gives a whole new depth to his lyrical narratives. His frequent references to society often seem a bit of a mixed message. There is a sense of sympathy for and striving with society, while in other songs he creates a distance. This isn’t too unexpected from an introvert like Anthony with his deep desire to make an impact on the world despite his natural contingency for solitude.

It also doesn’t come a surprise that his family history with the Christian Church has left a bad taste in his mouth in regards to organized religion, but not so far as to dismiss the Bible as his method of salvation. For him, Church is too inactive, and people use it as a scapegoat rather than to try and find hope in the world.

For now, I’ll ante up, empty my cup
Quit looking up to anyone
Or any stuck and tired phantom
That’s enough, oh that’s enough

Anthony is not one for scapegoats or taking the easy road. Underneath his brooding nature is a message of hope and a great understanding of how the tragedies and sadness in the world aren’t excuses to lead an apathetic life. Doesn’t matter what your vocation is, live genuinely and seek your purpose.“Grandfather’s Eyes” was written after the Newtown elementary school shooting. This song is a great example of his empathy and hope for humanity.

For a heart isn’t much without hurting sometimes
and a soul can’t implode if you fix it just right
and I’ll be dead just as long as the pulpiteer lies
and I’ll be buried alone with my grandfather’s eyes.

So we’ve great fires and great floods
Take communion in the trench
and well build damns with lakes of blood
in which our world leaders can swim

         With that, I leave you until next time. Make sure you check out Anthony’s music and his fan page, links are below. I have a few more artists that are getting involved with this project so keep checking back. If you are a musician who would like to be featured, or know someone who would, contact me via the comment section. Thanks for reading!

Links to his fan page and to listen to his music, respectively.

http://www.facebook.com/anthonyruptak

http://anthonyruptak.bandcamp.com/

Written by Emily Nagle
Edited by Alex Hazelmyer

Let’s start by defining the word fetish, lest everyone think we are discussing a different kind of topic.

According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, fetish is defined as:

a : an object (as a small stone carving of an animal) believed to have magical power to protect or aid its owner; broadly : a material object regarded with superstitious or extravagant trust or reverence

b : an object of irrational reverence or obsessive devotion

In the United States and most developed countries, celebrities tend to become the fetish object:  idolized,  revered as almost supernatural superheroes and held to extraordinarily high standards by right of their profession in the public eye and the often super-human paycheck that comes with it.  Celebrities have always been a central focus in consumer culture:  used as marketing tools to convince people that some of their magic-dust will rub off on them if they purchase a product they use publicly or speak for in an ad.

As a public we mostly presume the right to know anything and everything we want about celebrities as we feel it is their obligation to disclose their private lives because they “put themselves out there”.

The truth of it is, celebrities are working stiffs like the rest of us.  They do a job, whether it be acting, modeling clothes or playing a sport (let’s stick with the entertainment-oriented celebrities for the sake of this argument).  They are selling a product: their labor or looks or skill.  They are doing it for love and / or profit.  At the end of the day, the deal they are signing on for, in theory, is to co-opt their image or their skills.

However, in what may be an unpopular argument, I need to point out the fact that celebrities do not sign on to co-opt their personal lives any more than someone who works at a bank or a shipyard.  In most workplaces, we have an unspoken (and sometimes bespoke) rule that our personal lives stay at home when we are at work.  We do our jobs, we choose if we want to put pictures of our families on our desks or share stories about the weekend, but are not expected to make our personal lives part of our work lives.  It’s why there are designated work hours.

So why do we feel that celebrities owe us something more than what they get paid for?  Why do we feel that they have an obligation to let us in to their private lives?  And in the case of Jodie Foster and other celebrities who happen to be gay or lesbian, why do we feel like they ought to publicly pronounce their sexual orientation to the American public or be ridiculed as a fraud?  Speaking as flag-flying member of the GLBT community who has put in the time as an educator and activist and continues to donate time and money to related causes that promote equality and tolerance, I wholeheartedly say:  leave the celebrities alone!

Jodie Foster makes a few great points in her now all a-Twittered Golden Globe Speech:

I think it’s about time that we stopped trying to consume celebrities’ personal lives and just allowed ourselves to be customers of the work they produce – enjoying it in perspective.  If a celebrity’s sexual orientation is something they want to share because doing so helps them point to their true north, then so be it.  However, everyone should be able to reserve the right to control the labels they want associated with their metaphorical price tag.  Let’s allow a celebrity’s value to be defined by their work and the points of view they choose to put out there for public consumption, just as we allow the value of our brands to be defined by their set of distinct benefits: from what they do to what they publicly stand for.

We should be wary of the concept of privacy being for sale, lest we lose ourselves to a voracious culture of consumption rather than  finding ourselves in a culture of appreciation for the beauty and potential of our human existence.

And let’s let the famous people keep their personal lives private.

Related articles

• Jodie Foster comes out as gay at Golden Globes (news.yahoo.com)
• Deb Baer: Why I’m So Angry About Jodie Foster’s Coming-Out Speech (huffingtonpost.com)
• Jodie Foster’s ‘coming out’ speech was glorious – but something bothered me | Patrick Strudwick (guardian.co.uk)
• Why Jodie Foster’s Golden Globes Speech Was So Infuriating (bilerico.com)
• Editor’s Letter: Why Jodie Foster Left Us Deeply Conflicted (advocate.com)
• Celebrities, Privacy and Fans: A Tangle (impmag.org)
• The Sheer Gall of Celebrities Demanding Privacy (gawker.com)
• Jodie Foster’s speech was dramatic, but inspirational – Chicago Sun-Times (suntimes.com)

American Dream (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here’s a sneak peak of some content I have created for my  company to share on our website / blog,  but I know my readers will find insightful…or irritating.  Either way, I hope you enjoy the perspective on today’s generation of “youth”.

How Millennials’ American Dream Has Become An American Reality and What It Means For Brands.

The United States of America is characterized as the land of the free and the home of the brave.  Her immense landscape is opulent and often described as bejeweled with purple mountain majesties.  These are a few of the celebrated images commonly associated with United States (US) culture.  A country’s culture is transmitted in a variety of ways beginning with recruitment and migration.  American culture evolved from a group of disparate people comprised of various religious, ethnic, and political influences.  It is traditionally considered a Western culture that consists of an Anglo majority which prevails politically and economically.  It is largely based on British culture with influences from Europe, the indigenous peoples, African Americans and to a smaller extent Asian Americans.  Due to the magnitude of the US culture there are numerous integrated but exclusive subcultures that exist within America (Frost, n.d.).  This analysis concentrates on three levels of American culture: (a) the observable artifacts, (b) the espoused values, and (c) the enacted values that helped it evolve and progress from an abounding multiplicity of origins and influences.  We begin by examining each level and how it delineates US culture.

Observable Artifacts

In general terms, the observable artifacts of a culture are the visual structures associated with it.  It is comprised of (a) symbols, (b) ceremonies, (c) linguistics, and (d) social spectacles that feature a kind of life that includes legends, tales, and lingo.  Stories are one way of transmitting cultural artifacts by explaining dualities, equalities, inequalities and past events.  They create identity, build strong social systems, and give a sense of belonging (Baack, 2012).  Two prominent examples of observable artifacts that dominant American culture are the symbols of the Bald Eagle and the distinguished red, white and blue of the country’s national flag.  These recognized emblems are typically displayed at conventional ports of entry like airports and harbors.  Many US citizens that spend considerable time outside their cultural arena may experience a warm hospitable reception with sensations of comfort and security when greeted by an exhibition of these cherished national artifacts.

Espoused Values

The next level associated with American culture is the diversity of the people that share explicitly stated espoused values which include strategies, goals and philosophies.  They are expressed by the conducts and principles distinctive of their particular type of social, ethnic or age group.  America is famously known as the land of opportunity and attracts individuals with similar ambitions.  Many immigrants arrive in this country motivated to create a better quality of life.  Their customs and espoused values are contributing factors to the wide variety of subcultural influences in the United States.  Initially individuals remain loyal to the cultural influences of their heritage.  Eventually however, they assimilate into, and help influence the American culture.

For instance, early generations of Americans with ethnocentric ideals established communities throughout America.  Newcomers migrated and settled in regions of similar language and ethnicity establishing smaller subcultural communities.  It was not unusual for example, to find neighborhoods segregated into African American, Greek, Italian, and Jewish, populations.  Individuals from these communities eventually dispersed for various reasons which include career opportunities and matrimonial influences outside their ancestral tribes.  Each developing generation now equipped with a variety of cultural influences helped stimulate the natural process of amalgamation that continues to expand American culture.  Additionally, settlers of a particular patois embraced the local vernacular and by the second and third generation, shaped by regional and educational systems, ultimately assimilated into the hodge podge of American culture.

Enacted Values

The last level of ostensible influence on US culture is depicted through the dominant enacted values that helped construct it.  For example, one early defining characteristic of the country as a nation was its legacy and the enacted values of slavery.  The persistence of economic and social inequalities was based on race influencing a faction of US culture with significant regional inflections.  Despite their differences, these sectors continue to experience economic transformations because Americans are a nomadic people frequently relocating from their regions of origin (United States of America, 2012).  Most Americans are aware of the many inequalities that exist in the nation.  Their divided principles were evident in the recent United States presidential election.  “The coexistence of multiple American spatialities, temporalities and their contradictions as well as the objectives of stabilization … are strategies Americans seek to naturalize social life with more stable and reassuring meanings” (Brown, 2005, p. 173).

Conclusion

The combination of observable artifacts, espoused values and enacted values create role clarity that help shape American culture and establishes a clear sense of purpose and understanding of her residents and their place in the global network.  When people from a particular country feel valued and achieve a sense of accomplishment it affirms a clear understanding of their function in society and in the global arena (Baack, 2012).  In conclusion, while diversity can create separation and distrust, American culture continues to evolve from a prolific history with an abundant variety of origins and influences shaped by the espoused and enacted values of her people.

References

United States of America. (2012). Retrieved November 7, 2012, from everyculture.com: http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/United-States-of-America.html#b

Baack, D. (2012). Organizational Behavior. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Brown, R. H. (2005). Culture, Capitalism, and Democracy in the New America. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Frost, M. (n.d.). Culture of the United States. Retrieved November 8, 2012, from Martin Frost: http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/american_culture.html

English: This shows the population concentration of Native Americans and Alaskan Natives in the United States during 2008, by state. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I don’t know if Hollywood is accurate

in portraying Native Americans,

their tribes and ways and dances;

If these portrayals are accurate,

then I think the Native American culture

is one I respect and admire.

Their movements are so fluid,

their fellowship thick and a shelter,

and their sense of community shines through.

Each dance of a tribe signifies something specific,

each telling a story.

A dance could be a request for rain

or one of sorrow

or even war.

Many of my good dreams come true,

so I am dreaming, especially lately,

of a tribal dance that we of many

tribes and colors and languages

can all share in.

Instead of many tribes dancing in many circles across the land,

we would form one gigantic loop across this country,

arms intertwined and hearts in agreement.

First we would dance the dance of anger and injustice

against people who would kill others for no good reason.

Then we would express our wish for peace

with our bodies and united souls.

With this powerful force we can stop the hate.

We can and will conquer this land as a harbor of peace,

where children and adults are safe in their schools and places of business.

Where we can all grow to fulfillment and realize our dreams -

if we can just put down the hate.

Lastly, we would join with others and make come true

the wishes of the Great Spirit,

where peace would reign, love would inspire and heal,

and hate would disappear as does the smoke around a campfire.

Amen – Lord, may it be so.