Dear White People

By Bre Davis & Alyssa Kubaiko

Dear White People  is a hit Netflix series that follows Logan Browning’s character, Samantha, in her journey at college. As can be inferred by the title, the series addresses critical social justice topics such as police brutality, backhanded compliments, the love of black culture, and black masculinity. By taking the perspective of a young, college student, it is able to attack immature prejudices that have trickled down from earlier generations. It does so by, non-offensively, confronting each dilemma, showing how black people interpret it, and the implications of such actions. Aside from obvious oppressions in society, interracial relationships--especially those involving black people--are still not widely accepted. The show puts a lot of effort into showing how the loathing of interracial relationships affects the black characters.

Sam attends an Ivy League college that only a handful of students from minority races are accepted into. These students form robust bonds with one another and fight to increase diversity and culture awareness around campus. Sam is the president of the Black Student Union and very educated on the injustices that black people in America face. However, she has a huge secret that she has been keeping from her friends and peers; she is in a furtive relationship with a white student, Gabe. They have sex, netflix and chill, and hang out in each other’s dorm rooms. They never go out on public dates or tell their friends about each other. Sam believes that as a black woman and the leader of the African American organization, she owes the loyalty to her people. She is afraid that if the news gets out that she is dating a white man, she will lose her credibility and respect to her peers. One day, Gabe takes a photo of Sam getting ready and posts it on his instagram and she immediately makes him remove the picture. He does not understand or relate to her not wanting her peers to know about their relationship. They have the typical “are you ashamed of me?” argument and get over it. However, to Sam’s dismay, the picture was screenshotted and circulated to all of her peers, where they confront her for dating a white male. The reaction that the black students give Sam is one that many minorities can relate to. We have been conditioned to oppression for so many centuries that stepping out of our own race to find love is seen as betrayal. It is considered “selling yourself out”. Dear White People emphasizes that black culture is a community that no members should find love outside of. We should be able to date anyone we want, regardless of their race, but, in reality, this still does not hold true.

With segregation occurring within the last sixty years, older generations of white people still struggle with accepting diversity. Some ridicule their family members for dating minorities while others blatantly disrespect the partner until they become comfortable with them (if ever). Get Out, a 2017 film by Jordan Peele, is an extreme example of the “crazy white family” stereotype. However, the purpose of the movie is to show that there is a mutual fear of racial crossbreeding.

This topic is very important to discuss, even in our progressive society. If we consider our society as moving more towards diversity and acceptance, we cannot scorn others for their dating preference. Though students in the honors program recognize and understand how humiliating this divide, even other students at Millikin are not as open to interracial relationships as we may expect. By addressing the latent prejudice, we can help make everyone feel comfortable about who they love.

Snapchat

By Lucy Rossi & Jared Scott

In September 2011, Snapchat, a multi-media image messaging application hit the app store market. The creators, Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown, developed this app for the purpose of private messaging that allowed a person to send and receive pictures that self-destruct. The app has gained popularity over the years, especially in the millennial generation. Though the main purpose of the app was intended for comedic purposes, the creators do realize that the app carries the advantage of private sexting with the safety of the destructible image feature. Over the years, Snapchat has evolved from the basic form of sending pictures, to a larger social media outlet with multiple features.

The app has changed over time in order to adapt to the times and modernize in order to not be out of date. Before, the design itself was very out of date and simple. Today, the design of the app is very sleek and clean, which is more attractive for the eye. Currently, the ability to screenshot is enabled for the receiver to screenshot the sender’s Snapchat, however, the catch is that the sender is notified when it happens. Before, if you were to screenshot, the app would shut you out of seeing the image, and the only picture you would get is your lock screen. Another addition that has sparked a lot of interest and has taken the app further is the Discovery page that was developed in 2015. This feature created a branch with different news outlets and magazine sites to publish smaller articles that would catch the interest of Snapchat users. It also allowed for Snapchat to step up its game and expand its media horizon by adapting different news articles for people to see what is going on in the world today.

Snapchat has had loads of rebuttals from the public since the major improvements to the features. In 2017, Snapchat developed the Snap Map so that users could see the exact locations of their friends on a map. People found enjoyment in seeing where their friends are, who they are with, and the story locations around them. However, parents of the younger generation were not approving of this update, as they were worried for their children. Criticisms against the new update quickly rose when people began to call Snapchat unsafe for the use of children who don’t know any better. However, the creators of the app thought ahead and developed “ghost mode”, which is the option to not share your location in order to remain off the app for others to not know your whereabouts.

To relate the relevancy of Snapchat back to our reading and classroom discussions, the app allows for the instant gratification from others that fills our self-esteem and makes us feel better about ourselves. In our generation, we constantly are looking for the approval of those around us in order to feel adequate. With the “story” feature on Snapchat, we now have the ability to post a selfie of ourselves and quickly have a few responses from others that tell us how pretty and beautiful we look in the photo. Snapchat, unlike other social media pages in the past, allows us to have an instantaneous outlet that gives us a boost in our ego.

Snapchat hasn’t technically been labeled revolutionary, however it is a key example of our generation and how we act in society. Snapchat has the famous stereotype of being an easy way to sext and send private messages that are to not be seen anywhere, and though it is very true, the app still carries a lot of different features. The app is still modernizing with every update and continues to be an appreciated by the millennial generation.

Snapchat

By Saamia Saalik

We chose Snapchat for our cultural artifact because though the app was created in 2011, it
has had a large influence on our culture over the years and is a reflection of values of the newer generation. Snapchat was founded by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown who are former Stanford students. The application was initially intended as a private way to exchange photos. Researchers believed that most people would utilize the app to send sexual content, since the images can only last a max of 10 seconds. However, it was discovered that most people utilizing Snapchat are on the app to create comedic snaps with witty captions, rather than for the privacy factor Snapchat had during its initial launch.

Over the years, Snapchat took a clear diversion off its intended purpose for privacy, in order to adapt to our currently interactive culture and remain relevant. Snapchat added more features like the ability to screenshot snaps, replay snaps, and take videos which enable you to capture memorable moments. Snapchat has even allowed you to add a “story” which is a picture or video you can post that lasts a whole 24 hours, which allows everyone to see how you’re spending your day and who you’re spending the day with. There is even a way to find out someone’s location if they have the GPS setting turned on in Snapchat as well as a way to exchange money over chat. What sets Snapchat apart from other forms of social media is the ability to see people in their daily lives, no matter how casual they appear or how mundane the snap may be. On social media like Facebook and Instagram, appearance is everything and it is important for people to maintain a certain “glamorous” image. Nobody wants to portray themselves in a negative light, but since snaps only last a few seconds and you can choose who you send the snap to, there appears to be no harm in taking an “ugly” picture.

Snapchat also differs from other avenues of media because it requires some level of active participation and content creation. On Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, it’s easy to simply scroll down your feed and see what updates are occurring in other people’s lives without having to offer up a fraction of your life in return. The moment Snapchat opens up, you’re faced with a camera because the sole purpose of the app is to exchange information through images and videos. There is no point in having a Snapchat if you aren’t sending out any content, because chances are, you will receive little in return. Though the idea of active participation can seem time consuming and strenuous, it barely takes any time to capture an image and is a way to communicate simple ideas in an efficient way. Because snaps are present for a limited amount of time it’s important to be able to convey your message in a line or two.

The ability for Snapchat to enable people to carry out quick paced conversation without the strain of constructing a lengthy text, is a reflection of our fast moving digital culture. Since Snapchat provides an image that serves as context for your snap, the captions are relatively short or may be unneeded. It’s a way of relaying information in a short amount of time. Because Snapchat is so straightforward, it appeals to the sense of instant gratification newer generations long for. Instead of receiving a lot of information and having to process what’s most important, snaps already give you the main point without having to find it yourself, which is why Snapchat is still used worldwide today.

The Facebook

By Lauren Artime & Alyssa Vignos

We chose to talk about social media. Since social media is such a broad topic, it seemed best to specifically talk about Facebook, and the pros and cons of it. Facebook started in 2004 and it was called “The Facebook.” Facebook was created by Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard University. It was not until August 2005, that the name of “The Facebook” was changed to just “Facebook.” Whenever Facebook first came out, the point of it was to “like” and “dislike” photos, rate others’ photos, and to stay connected with people you knew. Today, most of the friend’s people have on Facebook, they have never even met in person. Facebook is one social media site that most generations are a part of, unlike Snapchat. Facebook was the first social media app that people downloaded their phones. It seemed like such a big deal growing up, and it was a great way for people to connect with friends and family who did not live with them. From an older generations perspective, they use it for staying in touch with old friends and keeping up with what is new in their kids and grandkids’ lives. Since Facebook is so popular in our culture today, it seems fit that we dig deeper and learn more about the meaning behind it. The reason we chose social media was because it is a major factor in our culture today, and it can positively and negatively affect us.

Some of the pros of Facebook include the ability to connect with people around the world (i.e. family, work peers, and old friends), an easy way of being informed about parties and major events that are happening around you, to share your life’s greatest moments for you and your friend’s enjoyment, and to give private business owners a chance to get their name and products out there for people to see. With Facebook, you have the ability to be caught up on daily news around the world about political and environmental issues. The only downside to this is that the news may not be true.

Some of the cons of Facebook include being a form of distraction for those who may be trying to get their work done or wish to have a tech-free dinner. When people get distracted, this causes them to put off certain work that they are needing to get done in a timely manner. Putting off the work can cause procrastination which is another drawback to having Facebook and getting the constant notifications. With the way that technology is growing today, lack of privacy is a real issue. People are tagging their locations in photos and not making their accounts private. Not having enough privacy opens up cyberbullying. Without controlling what people see and who you let view your profile, you will get those who may not be in favor of you and your posts.

Facebook says a lot about our American popular culture. It shows that we care more about what is on our screen more than what is in front of us, such as fake news found on Facebook. We are more apt to believe what someone posts more than what they might say to us in person. People find it as a sense of accomplishment when they get a certain amount of likes on a picture or post. This shows us that our confidence is found in a “like” button rather than in a goal that may actually help us in our future endeavors. On a positive note, our culture nowadays values staying connected with the people we love. This is done by sharing photos of special events for our friends and family to see, and to see the photos they share themselves. Our society today revolves around social media but this is not always considered a bad thing.

Family Guy

By Bre Blackwell & Selena Smail

Family Guy is comedy based off a stereotypical middle-class family, but like all families, they have their problems that can be very strange. Individuals typically admire shows that are different from any other ones currently represented in the media because of the archetypes and reoccurring plotlines that currently exit in manty shows. Family mocks many of those archetypes in various ways. In this show, you have:

• The drunken fat husband
• A pretty housewife that loves her fat idiot husband
• Megan the oldest, yet very unattractive daughter
• The middle-aged son Chris, who also is not the brightest of the bunch
• Their one-year-old infant child Stewie, the evil and smartest of the family, not to mention he’s homosexual
• The family also has a pet named Brian, who talks.

Some find the show to be very interesting for various reasons such as their use of comedy, violence, and its slight case of predictability. What some people fail to realize is that it is a funny show, but the messages behind the jokes are often, absolutely degrading. Family Guy has numerous episodes where there are racial jokes, religious jokes, and almost every episode talks about homosexuality in negative ways. Not to mention the abuse that is shown towards their daughter, Meg. The whole family (even the infant Stewie) treats meg like crap through bulling and physical violence. They often tell her to shut up and there is an episode where they send meg downstairs to get food, while their house was getting robbed, but first they spit on her to slide her done the air vents. Family Guy has made their infant child (Stewie) a homosexual baby. In many episodes you see Stewie demonstrating or saying many things that are considered to be on the flamboyant side. Which reinforces many of the negative stereotypes that the LGBTQ community has to face. Many in that community act opposite of the stereotypes and feel like those who may be flamboyant can affect the community by backing up the stereotypes that some individuals in the community do not like. There is nothing wrong with people in television shows that are considered to be homosexual, but a one-year old baby is not something that people should be promoting. Religiously speaking Family Guy has a way of mocking some religions, for example Mort Goldman, the Jew, is teased and made into the subject of a joke in almost every episode that he is in. Even when Jesus appeared on an episode, he was considered a “player". Although Family Guy has multiple issues, the racial stereotypes have to be by far the worst. Many episodes demonstrate this. For example, the episode when Peter had a black guy and an Asian guy teach Chris and Meg because they were being homeschooled showed how the series brings in racist jokes. Peter Automatically assumed that the black guy was the driver's Ed teacher and that the Asian man was the math teacher, which in reality was the other way around. Peter then begins to laugh and then makes a racial comment and says “let’s learn math from a black guy". This reinforces the stereotype that Asian men "must" be extremely capable at math and black men are not. Also, the family dog Brian is doesn’t like black people. He barks when they come near and there is even an episode where he stated that he did not get along with his roommate he had before he joined the Griffin family because he was black. Overall, Family Guy is an enjoyable show for most individuals. However, those individuals need to realize that the show has some serious flaws and acknowledge what those flaws are possibly representing.

The Evolution of Gym Shoes

By Angel Granado & PJ Maloney

For our presentation, we have chosen to look at the evolution of gym shoes in American Culture. We chose the evolution of gym shoes because the shoe world is constantly growing, and constantly becoming more and more a part of our society. Everyone has a pair of gym shoes, and the cost of gym shoes is increasing every time a new shoe is released. Whether it is your Grandfather’s pair of New Balances, or the new pair of Jordans, people need shoes.

The shoe world, specifically the sneaker world, is huge. There are conventions, such as Sneaker Con, there are Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter handles for all major companies, and some shoes’ release dates are so anticipated that people lose sleep and skip work to make sure they have the newest, freshest pair of gym shoes.

This can also be added to our conversations in class. There are many arguments and stereotypes that can be made against shoe freaks; both positive and negative. You can argue that men who buy nothing but Jordans are dumb, and don’t need to purchase a $275 pair of shoes. You can also argue that having the newest Jordans gives the owner a sense of pride, or “clout” as the young folks say nowadays.

Also, we can talk about the age, race, and gender of the gym shoe owners. It is culturally unacceptable for a teenager to wear a pair of all white New Balance shoes. Otherwise referred to as “Grandpa shoes”. And it works vice versa as well. Older men aren’t supposed to wear Jordans. We can also get into what gym shoes men and women are culturally allowed to wear. When it comes to gym shoes, most shoes are the same for men and women. Sure the color scheme may be different on the shoes themselves, but the design and make of the shoe are the same. When it comes to Jordans, when the new models come out, the model is the same for men and women. So it is culturally acceptable to see the “cute couple” wearing matching shoes with their outfits. She’s not wearing men’s shoes and he’s not wearing women’s shoes: they are both wearing their respective gender’s shoes.

We can also add to our understanding of American Pop. Culture by understanding why we as Americans are buying such expensive shoes, and why certain age groups aren’t socially allowed to wear certain types of gym shoes. By doing this, we will have a better understanding of the consumer’s mindset, and their rational for choosing their respective shoes. We can begin to understand why consumers spend so much on their shoes by looking at supply and demand. Jordan, owned by Nike, understands that their shoe brand is very popular. By realizing that, they know that even if they price their shoes at, say, $250, people will still buy them because of the consumer’s demand for their oh so popular new shoe.

All in all, we chose this topic because it is one that can almost everyone can relate to, and because we see similarities between our topic and the topics we discuss in class. Gym shoes will always be a high demand in this modern society, so an analyzation into that world is necessary to further understand Pop. Culture. We also see the economic value that gym shoes have in this society, and their pull in the consumer industry. These reasons, among general knowledge in gym shoes and being very big fans of gym shoes, is the reason we chose gym shoes for our topic.

Slam Poetry

By Louisa Nickel & Madeline Wilson

“I wonder how they told you, did they sit you down over tea, delicately frosted cakes lining your chipped porcelain? Explain it as a marketing technique, a vehicle to make you more palatable to a culture that demands perfection?”

Pop culture, as our classmates before us have displayed, has created a great many monsters. But it has also birthed productive outlets for society and one of these is spoken poetry. Spoken word poetry is a type of poetry written to be performed.  Described as feeling inadequate or dissatisfied laying flat on paper, spoken word poetry demands to jump off the page and be experienced through performance.  First taking place in the U.S. in the 1980’s, spoken word poetry was born when open mic sessions started taking place at cafés in cities like New York, San Francisco, and Austin.  It is unknown exactly who started the artistic revolution of slam poetry, a competition of poets performing their spoken word, but some point to Marc Kelly Smith, a Chicago poet who is also known as “Slampapi.” He believed that academic poetry was too structured so he desired to introduce a looser poetry medium. He founded the first-ever National Poetry Slam in 1990 and that annual competition still goes on today. What Smith did not anticipate, however, would be how far the poems stemming from Poetry Slams would reach in the years to come.

For over twenty years, the Slam Poetry community was isolated due to its underground nature.  This changed, however, with the use of YouTube.  Now, poems that would be performed in a smoky bar in Queens can be experienced by someone in Seattle.  Poems that would be heard by an upwards of fifty people can now be consumed to an upwards of 13,540,995 times on YouTube like Neil Hilborn’s poem OCD did after it went viral in 2014. This new visibility allowed for this to become a method of expression that millions of people could relate to and begin to stand together and fight for the issues that were discussed. Through this it became a form of resistance.

The virality of spoken word poetry is more than just cultural appreciation of a somewhat overlooked artform.  The virality of spoken word poetry in our society today allows for the subject matter of the poems to reach audiences much wider than first expected.  The thing about spoken word poetry that makes it so appealing to poets is the ability to write about hard things that sometimes are not socially acceptable to have a simple conversation about like sexuality, gender, racism, societal expectations, sexual assault, etc.  Slam Poetry provides a safe place to write and pour out hard things on your mind and heart.

Melissa May, for instance, is a Slam Poet that had issues with Disney’s 2012 Villain Doll line. Disney took the “larger than life” villain and reduced her to “bite size pieces”.  This was a hard thing for Melissa to swallow because she identified with Ursula.  She saw herself in Ursula’s unapologetic rolling curves.  Ursula was the only Disney character that ever looked like her growing up.  Seeing Ursula, a curvy woman, made Melissa “feel like living in this body was less of a curse”.

Despite the weight of Melissa’s own feelings and her story, her poem exposes an even deeper problem in society today.  Disney, sampling the acceptable qualifications of what a beautiful person woman is, created all of their villain dolls to be a size zero.  Found in the runway models and the women on the cover of magazines, skinny is beautiful.  Anything bigger than a size zero calls for a dieting tip.  By putting all of their characters into size zero bodies, the implication is that every woman should look this way.  Because of this,  the little girls that play with these dolls that do not fit into the box of a size zero body start believing they, too, are not beautiful.  The production of this doll also questions what a woman should be.  By reducing the literal volume of Ursula, they, too, are undermining her large and booming character.  What implications, then, are made on the expectations of women?  Should all women be reduced to a small frame?  Should all women be reduced down to “bite size pieces”?

Through this poem, we get an honest account of how the broken Toy Industry can affect an individual and how societal norms can push people into boxes they were not designed to fit in just to become “acceptable”.  Through this poem, people are forced to see the hard truth of society today through a painful, frank, heart-wrenching telling of facts.  Slam Poetry forces you to feel, even when it is not easy to. Pop culture created this outlet for it to criticize not only the world around us but also pop culture itself.

GoT

By Nick Dyer & Matty Kern

We chose to do our presentation on the popular fantasy TV show Game of Thrones. This show is a brilliant example of the subtler side of positive messaging. By providing a caricature of the ills of modern society, Game of Thrones allows people to recognize these ills as they poke fun at them in their most absurd forms. For example, the violent clash among the houses as they battle for the Iron Throne is a caricaturized version of modern politics. While there are relatively few violent battles or sudden murders in the current political climate, the sheer brutality of this kind of behavior attacks the fact that politicians often attempt to perform similar acts, not on other politicians themselves, but on their character. This is most often referred to as “mudslinging” and is generally viewed as a very poor campaign strategy, reserved only for those who cannot get themselves elected on their own merit. Also, intolerance of homosexuality is mocked on the show in the story arc of Ser Loras Tyrell. Loras is a young, well-respected knight who seems to have a bright future…until the far-right Sparrows discover his homosexuality, imprison him, debate executing him, and only release him when he agrees to join their order. While this would never be allowed in modern Western nations, it shows how far anti-gay rights sentiment can go, and, by making Ser Loras sympathetic, the show allows the viewer to “step into the shoes” of the homosexual being attacked, and to see the cruelty of such behavior both domestically and abroad.

This adds to the course conversation by showing how taking stereotypes and social issues to extremes in media can show people the problems inherent in the lesser levels of these issues that we see in the modern day. It also shows how problems still existent in our modern society do not appear out of place in this violent medieval world. For example, women are often made fun of for being “ugly” even in today’s society, and, by portraying this in the character of Brienne of Tarth, a warrior woman who only desires to be accepted by her comrades, the show reveals the anachronism of this behavior in our society. Also, it should be noted that the first character to show Brienne courtesy and to give her what she desires is Renly Baratheon, who is secretly homosexual. Furthermore, the issue of racism is shown by the animosity between the Martells and their northern neighbors, the marcher lords and the Tyrells. The marcher lords poke fun at the Martells’ Rhoynish accent, calling it incomprehensible (1), while the Tyrells, and particularly Lord Mace Tyrell, are notorious for snubbing the Martells, as well as encouraging the spread of anti-Dornish “jokes.” (2)

This caricaturization (3) and superimposition of modern racism, sexism, homophobia, and political violence upon medieval culture also encourages the viewer to see these things as relics of a by-gone and barbaric era, in which the item of most import was not the well-being of the people but the advancement of one’s own interest. This would encourage people to stop exhibiting and entertaining these behaviors, in the same way we no longer condone launching violent wars upon our neighbors or burning down the local Jewish neighborhood every third Tuesday of the month. It is this idea that inspired Benhioff and Weiss, and Martin before them, to write this epic large across television screens throughout the world.

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(1) This is unlikely, as the more northerly people of King’s Landing appear to have little trouble understanding the Dornish, despite the fact linguistic differences would be greater as distances between the two kingdoms increased.

(2) The wrongness of this behavior is accentuated by the fact that it is King Joffrey Baratheon, the main antagonist of the second and third seasons, who picks up most eagerly on these jokes.

(3) I looked it up; “caricaturization” is too a word.

Music Video Culture

By Alli Horton & Hannah Watts

In 1981, MTV started the music video trend with “Video Killed the Radio Star.” This song and the music video along with it introduced a new concept which took over the music industry. The music videos got the listeners involved in the music and it was more enjoyable since they could see the artist as well. Back when the music videos first started, women in them were portrayed as sex objects because of their little clothing and their actions around and for the men in the videos. Their actions consisted of dancing on or around the men and seeming like they were controlled by the men. Women are also seen as a type of prize or currency; guys who get a lot of girls are seen as successful and it is an underlying message that they made it in the industry.

Sex sells in any type of industry today. This is why this trend with women in music videos has continued throughout many years. Many music videos include sexy women because it appeals to the main audience, men. In the videos, it is shown that women are used for their bodies and not for their brains or personality. They are not seen as humans; they are shown as objects. A woman’s body is the main thing that causes men to pay attention to them.  This led to the concept that women always listen to men instead of men listening to women’s opinions. Women seemed to be defined by how much men find them attractive which can cause younger girls who watch these videos to assume that is the way it goes. Because of this, girls would change themselves to appeal for a man because it was the way they were trained through the music industry.

Although women are portrayed wrongly in music videos, men are not shown correctly either. Black men are shown as violent and threatening because it is assumed that they are all thugs and pimps. This is a racist image that falsely represents black men in the music industry. In today’s culture men are made to believe that they have to obtain fancy watches, cars and have women with them to be successful.  With men having this mindset, this could cause women to feel as though they have to act a certain way to please the men.

Recently, with feminism on the rise, women in the music industry have taken a stand to protect their image. Some examples of female artists are Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and India-Arie. In Beyoncé’s “Run the World,” her lyrics, “Disrespect us, no they won’t. Boy don’t even try to touch this” show her attempt in letting the music industry know that women are independent and don’t need men. Also in the music video, they were fighting against men instead of being with them which is powerful because she, along with other women are finally standing their ground. In Alicia Key’s “Girl On Fire,” the video shows her paying bills, cleaning the house, working and taking care of her children all on her own. This is another example of women proving they don’t need a man to be successful and that they are more than a sex object.

These stereotypes shown in music videos caused our culture’s thoughts to shift and now perceive people as they were portrayed in music videos for decades. In reality, our culture requires successful people to make a sacrifice and in the music industry, that sacrifice is women giving up their power and image in order to be successful. Due to women realizing that this societal norm is not fair, many have started to take a stand and a rise in feminism has started to develop. This rise in feminism over time can allow the image of women to become more positive and change the music industry.

The Evolution of Nintendo

By Wyatt Cassidy & Paul Smith

Since the 1980’s, many different video game companies have risen, fallen, or have just failed to take off. Nintendo is an interesting case since it outlived its original competitors and has remained a major gaming symbol to this day. The big sales started with the release of the NES, which was basically a gimmick on having arcade games at your house on your own tv. They started to improve their technology and eventually got to creating far greater things on their own than what was already being made. Then they introduced 3d graphics which kept them going into the later years of gaming and helped them to create a good template for games they made in the future. Then the Gamecube came out, sadly being outshined by other consoles at the time, most notably the PlayStation 2.

Nintendo’s sales were on a steady decline and for a while, it was possible that it was going to die out, but then its “revolutionary” new console came out. It had motion controls and sold more than any of its other consoles. Many thought this would be the newest and biggest thing to come to video games, and that people will be using this more and more. The Wii sacrificed overall game quality in order to give a more active and engaging experience by making you move around (for the most part) in order to play. This got them an unbelievable amount of sales, but now it would fail miserably.

Since not many people still care about motion controls these days, unless it’s in VR, it was just a successful gimmick and not a game-changing difference like what they had previously been doing. More of their older games are more relevant now than anything you could find that comes from the Wii, even if it’s not using motion controls. Mario 64 is still popular and eventually lead to the newest game Mario Odyssey, which is showing to be a huge success. Super Smash Bros. Melee has a large community, with entire events like Smash Summit being hosted just for that game. Zelda is just about as popular as Mario games are, which just shows that Nintendo knows how to keep and increase their fan base.

Nintendo’s focus on their game quality has kept them going when something doesn’t work out for them. Even though their consoles are seen as the worst of the current generation, they have been able to produce games that are still good despite the lack of impressive visuals.  A lot of their older (and newer with the Switch) games have stayed relevant and loved through the years, showing that it’s the real work they put into making good games that stick.

The History of Cell Phones

By Andrew Auton & Patrick Smith

It can be said that cell phones have taken over our lives in today’s world. As a culture we have become used to relying on our phones for almost everything in our lives. Whether it be communication, looking things up on the internet, or just playing games our phones have become a huge part in our lives and in our culture. Mobile phones have evolved from something that was once for the wealthy, to something that everyone owns and uses on a daily basis. If you walk around campus today, you can see many young adults with their heads down in their phones. The phones we use today have made our lives easier in almost every aspect. This, however, is not necessarily a good thing. Kids are becoming more dependent on mobile technology and less on real world skills. If there is ever a mass malfunction with the servers around the world and cellular services become unavailable they will not know what to do. Another problem with this is that you see less and less pay phones in smaller cities that get poor reception. Phones come in many varieties and prices to fit anyone. Over 50 percent of people worldwide are estimated to have a mobile phone of some kind. More people own a smartphone than toilets are owned in a household. This shows how smartphones have such an impact on the world. A lot of the cell carriers let you buy a smartphone and pay it off monthly, and that allows more people to be able to get one. That is not how they make their money though. They decide to offer the phones in plans where you pay for more than what you need such as all the extra data you have at the end of the month. They offer deals where you pay less money for more data for the first month or two and then they raise your bill and you feel overcharged. The first mobile phone was created in 1973 by Motorola. Motorola’s first commercial phone, however, was released in 1983 at the cost of $3995. Not very many people could have been expected to purchase a $4000 phone, except only the upper class. Cell phones today are everywhere, including in every social class. Cell phones also are sometimes used to categorize us. The nicer and more expensive the cell phone, the more wealthy we are portrayed to be. Huge companies such as Apple and Samsung rely on our culture to keep them going by buying phones that are more expensive by the year. The bigger these companies get, the more they will influence us to buy a new phone when the new ones are released. Apple’s educational promotion at the end of summer is a way they urge you to buy their devices. They want college students to buy a new phone so they offer a discount on the device and also throw in a free gift such as a pair of Beats headphones. This draws in the students in and apple make more money. They will produce a new phone the next year, offer it to students and then repeat it. Smartphones have become more of a money maker than a necessity. They have affected society in ways that were not imaginable 40 years ago. Some for good and some for worse. Regardless, technology of cell phones will continue to grow. There is no stopping it.

Tinder

By Thomas Ferro & Sully Sullins

Over the years, our cultural values have shifted and changed countless times. Specifically, our values concerning relationships and dating. Our society has evolved from a culture that emphasizes the importance of marriage to an easy-going hook-up culture. The timeline of this evolution is simple to follow if we look at current dating websites and apps. The app Tinder exemplifies the huge switch in dating norms culture has undergone and influences society with its promise that a relationship is as simple as the swipe of a finger.

In the past, dating was highly formal. Courtship was the main means of starting a relationship with your crush. It included quite a few steps. A gentleman caller interested in a woman dated her for the sole purpose of future marriage. The first date became a special event and a required chaperone followed the couple everywhere they went on their outing. Once the woman had consented to the man courting her, she was said to be “spoken for.” Women started courting as soon as they came of age, which was typically around their early teen years. Women might have had negative things to say about the men they were courting, but the arrangements usually continued regardless of their input. The father and mother decided the daughters’ futures.

The definition of dating has gradually changed over the many years and become more informal. The growth of an entertainment culture (movies, music, dancing, theatre, etc.) may have caused this. Dating (or courting) was no longer something done in private, but in public spaces. In addition, the number of people you dated (or courted) before you got married has grown tremendously. Before, you typically married the first person you courted. Nowadays, people put no limit on their number of partners before marriage. A long-term relationship is also not valued as highly as it once was. Today’s couple may call it quits after a few months. This casual relationship ideal comes from the lack of desire for marriage. Men and women today feel marriage is equivalent to being “tied down” rather than loving someone so much that you want to spend the rest of your life with them. These feelings have translated into a society interested more in one-night stands than the sacred wedding night.

This present hook-up culture is the audience Tinder, a free dating app, attempts to reach. The app makes relationships a simple three-step process. Swipe to the right on someone’s profile, wait for them to swipe right on yours, and then the two of you can start chatting away. Unlike other dating sites, Tinder’s profiles only consist of a maximum of six pictures, as well as a short bio that you write yourself. You can also connect Tinder to your Facebook and your Instagram so that people can get somewhat of a better idea of who you are. Gaining permission from a girl’s father or establishing a friendship with the other person first have become passe in today’s society, and apps such as Tinder consider these improvements.

Yet, virtual introductions and matches come with dangerous long-term effects. Tinder may seem that it is building relationships and a few people may credit it with finding true and lasting romance, but what does the app say about our culture? If our social cues and only method of interacting with others emerge from our phones and computers, it is little wonder why modern-day relationships end up in the toilet. With the small amount of information Tinder allows you to provide on your profile, you are matching with people based on almost no information at all. The “hit-it-and-quit-it” tones of Tinder and other dating apps seem to explain why single-mother households and divorces are common in society. Tinder may also be an unintentional proponent of rape culture with its epidemic of unsolicited “dick pics.” It is true that Tinder has produced real, lasting relationships, but those are exceptions. Tinder, as a whole, is reinforcing a “hook-up” culture rather than a courtship culture.

Sarahah

By Mo Moellering & Ally Williams

Sarahah is an app that, once downloaded, allows the user to send and receive anonymous messages through the use of a link. The link can be posted anywhere, and there is even a special setting on snapchat that allows it to be be pulled up when anyone swipes up on someone else’s snapchat story. These messages cannot be responded to directly, so if the user wants to respond, he or she must post a screenshot to a general setting (like a snapchat story) for all to view. It was created by a Saudi Arabian developer called Zain al-Abidin Tawfiq. He intended for it to be used in the workplace as a means to provide constructive criticism to other employees and executives. Their missions statement for the app says Sarahah allows user to “get honest feedback from your coworkers and friends” and to “discover your strengths and areas for improvement”. After becoming popular in the middle east, it took off rapidly in the UK and USA. Teens have been using it consistently to find out what their peers think of them, in addition to leaving messages for others. Some of the messages are positive: “You’re so great!” and “I love your hair!” Lots of people feel insecure and worry that people don’t like them, and this offers a chance for reassurance. If people feel as though they need an ego-boost, this could provide just that. After receiving such positive comments, users posted screenshots all over twitter and snapchat. Teens in our culture want to make sure that everyone else knows how great of a person they are, so they share it with the world. However, the app is known for the negativity brought about by many messages. While its creators intended it to be for constructive criticism and self-improvement, it has been taken in a different direction. People have received messages telling them to “drink bleach,” and that “no one likes you.” Cyberbullying is a problem more at the middle school and high school level, and this app makes it so much easier. It has horrible consequences, as it can lead to depression and even suicide. The fact that people can remain anonymous is the most crucial aspect of this app. Our culture loves to be mean, but usually will only do it from behind a computer screen. (Most) people would never say such things to someone in person, but because no one will ever know it was them, they take advantage of the opportunity. While people know of what can happen if they download the app, they do it anyways. If it seems as though everyone is using it and posting their responses, other people feel the need to fit in. Essentially, they jump on the “bandwagon” and join the trend. Our peers’ opinions are so important to us, so people go to extreme measures to make sure they are fit in, so as to not damage their image. 

Similar apps, such as Yik Yak, went viral for the same reasons. The human desire to be well-liked by peers, to boost one’s ego, to have impunity in our actions, and to fit in all fuel the raging fire behind Sarahah’s popularity. With the dawn of social media, an entire generation has learned to communicate primarily through screens rather than face to face. Social media has also allowed us to “filter” what image of ourselves that we put out into the world. This subsequently means our view of others is also skewed. The feeling of having to live up to such high standards can be very harmful to long term self confidence, especially a problem for younger users. All of these factors are very telling of the culture we live in. Obviously, this is a desire to know what others really think about it, even at the risk of abuse. It also shows that we do not trust others to tell us the truth in real life. While none of this is to say that social media is bad, but simply there are issues that need to be acknowledged and addressed when necessary.

Power Ranger Culture

By Adam Hayes & Markus Hayes

Entertainment for us growing up consisted of long novels, animated video games, and children’s TV shows. Before watching the adventure based shows like SpongeBob Squarepants, Adventure Time or the Fairly Odd Parents, there was the concept of good versus evil. We both wanted to be the Danny Phantom, the Avatar, the Percy Jackson, the Harry Potter and, especially, the Power Ranger of the world. Quite frankly, I think we can speak for most children in that we all wanted to be the good guy fighting evil. Our favorite television show growing up was Power Rangers. As children and even till now, we’ve always been fascinated by how Saban Entertainment could expand our imaginations through the Power Rangers. Now that we are older, however, we’ve began to see a deeper connotation to the Power Rangers Universe. There are cons to the concept of who are the defenders of earth, but the overall message we got from them was important: anybody can be a hero. No matter your race, gender, age, or sexual orientation, you still have the chance to be good in this world. Power Rangers are a group of usually 5, but sometimes 3, teenagers defending earth against some type of threat that tries to take over the planet. Each Power Ranger is a different color according to their personality traits or strengths. The red ranger, usually the main character, is a teenager surprisingly good at fighting and shows leadership traits. However, the first wave of Power Rangers raised an eyebrow to the public when the casted black ranger was an African American teen, and the yellow ranger was Asian. To fix this misconception, future installments of the Power Rangers provided multiple race backgrounds to fit the different roles associated with the ranger’s individual status. While the red ranger is more often Caucasian than not, Saban has had 3 African American red rangers, and even one Samoan red ranger. What my brother and I have also noticed is that the roles of the African American rangers relied heavily on the stereotypical black man, an outsider’s job, or even the most athletic teenager. For example, the African American red ranger from Power Rangers SPD was a superhuman, yet he was portrayed as a thief that lived on the streets. The black ranger who was “coincidentally” black in Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, had the uncanny ability to sneak into places and steal things. This idea of anybody can be a hero is again shown in Power Rangers Turbo. This new breed of rangers had a twist; instead of 5 teenagers, there were 4 teenagers and a kid. The kid, however, morphed into an adult sized warrior when linked with his suit’s powers. Saban’s goal here was to establish that even children younger than teens can be the heroes of this world too. Again, Saban challenges of our culture’s stereotypes through gender. In one of the later series, Power Rangers Super Samurai, the male red ranger is no longer holding the position, and gives way to the first female red ranger. This is Saban’s way of incorporating women into a leadership role. Finally, in this year’s reboot of Power Rangers the Movie, they’ve introduced the first lesbian Power Ranger. Now this had nothing to do with a stereotype, or a suit-color/race clash, but it had all to do with that the team of Power Rangers accepted her for who she was. At the end of the day, she was a hero just as much as the other rangers. Power Rangers showed us more than to do the right thing and correct morals. Growing up and living life allowed us to see passed the racial barriers, sexual orientation and gender issues. We finally found the whole picture Saban was pitching at us all along: anyone can be a hero.

Social Media

By Connor Mendenhall & Cal Pohrte

What is social media? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “Social media are forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos).” When seen at the level of a straight definition, social media is seen as this genius thing perfect for the 21st century, and that is because it is. Social media is an incredible thing. However, there are some things that are not incredible that come with social media. So, where is the healthy balance?

Picture this: 1997. The internet is now pretty much a thing, it’s slow, but it’s a thing. All of a sudden there is this website that everyone is talking about called, sixdegrees.com. The first social media website ever. The website simply followed the six degrees of separation theory, which is the idea that all living things and everything else in the world are six or fewer steps away from each other. This was the start of it all. In the same year you have AOL Messenger come out (Basically, Facebook Messenger but for email), two years later you have Yahoo! And MSN Messenger, and the list just keeps going and progressing.

We think about MySpace being this ancient artifact when in actuality it was launched only a year before the biggest of them all, Facebook. Let us talk about Facebook and how it changed the game. First off, just think to yourself how much the app or website of Facebook has changed just in the last year. It is incredible. So now let us imagine what Facebook was like thirteen years ago. Well, one, the name is not Facebook, it is Thefacebook. Two, its original intent was to be somewhat of a directory for Harvard. What it became however, was the start of the true travesty of social media.

There are many bad things we can associate to social media. Stalking, cyberbullying, things are put out for everyone to see that you do not necessarily want them to see. Now with Facebook live, there have even been murders captured in real time on social media. Has social media gone out of control. I would say that the logical answer is: of course. It is crazy how something that was as simple as a directory for Harvard would turn into the mecca website for every teenage kid and frankly grandparents. I mean, 75% of the time all you see on social media is negative stuff about people’s lives, political debates by uninformed humans (because ironically, they’re getting their news from Facebook), and food recipes. So, why do people obsess over social media?

I believe most humans are just attracted to drama and success which is a lot of what is put on social media. You either see someone’s gold medal or their child’s gold medal and it is immediately juxtaposed when you scroll down to something extremely political that stirs up a huge crowd, and people are obsessed with following this. Why? Why are humans obsessed with drama and success and seeing it? Because we as humans want to be successful and live vicariously through others and when things are a bit too dramatic, we can relate and extend the conversation.

Social media is an important topic to talk about when it comes to pop culture, because it literally is pop culture. I honestly don’t know what life would be without social media and the ability to keep up with friends, family, celebrities I am interested in. Although social media has its tendency to get out of hand, I cannot imagine life going backwards from it.

Fidget Spinners

By Zach Coffman & Mike Miller

After looking at fidget spinners it is clear to see that they have a significant impact on pop culture in the fact that they have become so popular in the last year or so.  The product has created an image of representation in the fact that the type of fidget spinner you may have can give off a demonstration of what your values are as a person. They also bring up the controversy of whether or not the product is actually helpful for those who have a disability and its possibility of being a distraction to other students.  The biggest point however is how the argument of effective or not. Is between actual experts scientists, teachers, and paraprofessionals, or  parents who do not know what they are talking about . When it is said that way most people will immediately go, “Ok. Why is this even a debate? Who is listening to the parents?” The answer to that question and the real problem is other parents this then turns the parents against the experts because an “expert” online told them otherwise. This challenge of people with little to no education in the topics that they are advocating for is the big problem that fidget spinners represent. And it is clear that  this is not an isolated incident. Another example of parents not trusting those who are trained to do their jobs is teachers. Ten years ago if a teacher called home it meant that the child was probably in trouble. Now it can mean that the parents will start yelling at the teacher about how it is their fault that the parent’s kid is failing not the kid’s. This shift in morals of experts being challengeable and a lack of respect for education and experience is the true importance of fidget spinners.

Hamilton: A Cultural Artifact

by Bella Loutfi & Abigail Zaccari

Hamilton has been the hardest show to get tickets to on Broadway since it opened in 2015. It was a smash hit receiving praise from critics and breaking box office records. It received sixteen Tony nominations, winning eleven of them, including Best Musical, and also received a Grammy and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama that same year. Since then the show has opened in Chicago and began its first United States National Tour, both of which have sold just as well, if not better, than the Broadway run. Why do people love this show so much? Why has it done so well not just in the theatre community, but outside of it as well? Hamilton: An American Musical gave us a new take on the story of our Founding Fathers using a diverse cast, strong women, and music that ranges from hip hop to the sounds of classic show tunes.

Hamilton is known for it’s use of color blind casting. Our Founding Fathers, who were white men, are now portrayed by people of color. The only featured white actor portrays the enemy of our Founders, King George III. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s goal was to give a fresh look at America’s past by using the people of America’s present, making the story more relatable to contemporary audiences. This was an intentional decision made by Miranda, who wanted to make the story of our nation’s birth something that everyone can relate to---especially the younger, non-white generation. This casting choice is important in our day in age with all of the racial issues in America. In the entertainment industry the lack of representation has become a hot topic in recent years. Miranda has used his show to give opportunities to actors of color that wouldn’t have otherwise been there.

       

Along with race, the show also highlights immigration. The story is literally about an immigrant who came to the United States seeking a better life and then ended up helping to build the nation. Miranda, like many Americans, has seen firsthand what it is like to be an immigrant in America. His father left Puerto Rico at age seventeen, and has worked to become a Democratic Political Consultant. The show emphasizes the fact that our country was built by immigrants, it’s one of the most important messages that Miranda is trying to get out. We live in a country where our president is suggesting we close our borders to immigrants coming in. Immigrants have been a core piece of America since the very beginning. America is known as the great melting pot. It’s the country people came to in hopes of living their dreams. Immigrants, like Alexander Hamilton himself, came here to live better lives. Hamilton wants us to remember we are a country of immigrants and we have been since the very beginning.

The women in Hamilton are not the traditional colonial homemakers that we might envision them as. They don’t wear white wigs and they don’t sing about providing for their husbands. In fact, they sing about being independent and fighting for their rights. They are essentially the Destiny’s Child of 1776. While Lin-Manuel Miranda could’ve left them out, he chose to put them back in the story and give them a greater deal of importance. For example, Eliza is so much more than just Alexander Hamilton’s wife. Within the show, we learn that she opened a children’s orphanage and fought for the abolition of slavery. In fact, it isn’t just the inclusion of women in Hamilton that makes it so special, but it’s also the debate over whether Hamilton is Alexander’s story or Eliza’s. Yes, we know that Alexander has an entire song named after him and the bulk of the show comes from his point of view, but in the last few moments of the second act, Eliza is pushed forward as the ensemble sings the line, “Who tells your story?” One can’t help but wonder if the intention was to give her the final moment of the show and allow the story to become hers. The inclusion of strong, independent women is just another box ticked in the laundry list of relevant topics that Hamilton covers as it appeals to a vast array of audiences.

Hamilton can be credited with bringing rap and hip-hop into mainstream musical theatre. For decades, musical theatre has maintained its trademarked sound of brass and strings with the occasional electric guitar thrown in. Hamilton has tossed that mold out the window with turntables and complicated rapping rhythms. Hamilton has allowed musical theatre to progress with pop culture instead of maintaining is 100 year stasis. This show has been able to incorporate rap and hip-hop alongside its more traditional musical theatre songs. While we have songs like “My Shot” and the Cabinet Battles, we also get “You’ll Be Back” and “Burn.” The melting pot of genres we get to experience in Hamilton perfectly mirrors the origin story of America complete with men, women, and a whole lot of immigrants.

The show has given a platform to people of color that they didn’t have before. Between the success and popularity of the show, the diverse cast has the ability to have their voice heard and to represent their people, something that is rare in today’s world. Since the election of President Trump in 2016, the cast has used their platform to spread a message of love, equality, and strength. Following the election of our President, millions were in fear of what he would do, especially people of color. His campaign did just about anything but promote equality in America. In November 2016 Vice President Mike Pence visited the show, the cast used the opportunity to express their desire for our new President “to work on behalf of all Americans”. Brandon Victor Dixon, who was playing Aaron Burr at the time, acknowledged Vice President Pence’s presence at the show. He thanked him for coming before saying, “We, sir — we — are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights,” he said. “We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us.” They have also used their platform to pay tribute to things happening in America. Just a day after the tragic shooting in Orlando, the 2016 Tony’s were held. The cast took to the stage to perform the song Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down), a number the ensemble usually performs holding prop guns. The number was done without the guns to honor those who had died the night before.

It is not difficult to understand why Hamilton has gained such popularity over the last year and a half. It finds a way to appeal to all genders, all races, from Selena Gomez to Mike Pence. Hamilton is a symbol of what is important today, even though it is set 1776-1804. It focuses on race, feminism, the absurdity of politics, and the ebb and flow of popular music. These are all topics that are increasingly relevant today. As Hamilton continues to sell out night after night in city after city, it offers a new perspective on the story we thought we knew so well: the story of us.

The Pop Culture of Jeans

by Joe Coates & Kaze Murego

One of the most notable fashion clothes in American culture is “Blue jeans”. Jeans has influenced so many Americans over time and have come a long way from being worn as work pants to a fashion necessity. We now wear jeans for different occasions with all types of colors, fits, and styles. Jeans has influenced the people of our era because of some associations that were given to jeans. Jeans add to our course conversation because everything is always being sold in some kind of way. The ads sell us extraordinary stories so we are convinced into buying the product. Advertisements also sell us imaginary lifestyles so we fell the need to buy certain things to look like certain celebrities or to have a specific swagger. If we understood pop culture, we would see that everything that we use, wear, and do is considered is influenced by the past. A lot of our activities have a long history behind just as blue jeans.

It all began in the 1850’s around the time of the California gold rush. Levi Strauss made work pants that were durable and sturdier for the miners. As his jeans gained more popularity, they became a daily wear for farmers, miners, lumberjacks, rancher, and cowboys. The pants were reputed to be tough, comfortable, and affordable. Although jeans were originally made for male workers, in the 1870’s, western women who worked alongside men began to wear men’s jeans. First, they started wearing jeans just as a sexual revolt, then they became sports clothes, and later used as casual wear. About Eighty years later, In the 1950’s actors and actresses began wearing, what they called, “Denim jeans”. Jeans started being worn by celebrities such as James Dean, Elvis Presley, and Marilyn Monroe. All in which were trendsetters for other celebrities and thousands maybe even millions of fans. In the 1970’s, designer jeans made an appearance in high-end shops. Calvin Klein promoted his jeans as refined sportswear. About ten years later other companies followed behind releasing jeans as a new natural style for our American community. In the 90’s, the style of jean started to impact our society in a great way. Baggy jeans wear associated with thugs or rappers and skinny jeans were for young white boys, or skateboarders. The different styles of jeans were each given a specific lifestyle that we all end up believing is true about our community.

It is safe to say that jeans are one of the major inventions that relate to American pop culture.  The American history itself explains well enough how jeans became a major role in the lives of Americans. With pop culture mostly aiming for the younger crowd,  jeans have really affected how people dress, carry themselves, and mostly how they all look at others based on their jeans. For example, baggy jeans are for tougher guys, while if you wear skinny jeans your sexual preference could be questioned. This goes to show how just like everything else that relates to pop culture it influences the communities’ mind on what they perceive that style is for specific social groups.

The evolution of jeans in American pop culture shows how consumerism has turned what was originally intended for the working class into a fashion necessity. 

The Name of the Game...

Hello and welcome to the ongoing class blog for the two sections of the Fall 2017 course "Pop Culture America" at Millikin University. In this course, which fits into the larger first-year Critical Writing, Reading, and Research sequence, my students and I explore the semiotics of American popular culture. That is, we are examining the many aspects of our entertainment and consumer culture, and asking questions about what these might signify in terms of our larger cultural values and norms.

As part of the class, we often read articles that discuss the "deeper meanings" behind our popular culture. But we also realize that popular culture is not just the subject matter of academic literature -- rather, it is the stuff of our everyday lives. Thus, in order to enrich and expand our class discussions, I have assigned my students to look to the popular culture that surrounds them for artifacts that they feel reveal something significant about who we are as a society and what we believe. I have asked them to "curate" these artifacts of pop culture: alongside the item itself -- be it song, film, advertisement, social media, etc. -- they are to explain the larger ideas they see at work in the object, and to discuss the implications of the values and norms they feel are being reflected and reinforced, whether for better or worse. This blog continues similar ventures from 2015 and 2016.

I look forward to what is to come in the following weeks and months. One of the great pleasures of teaching for me has always been how much I can also learn from my students, and I have high hopes that this project will offer me -- and all of us -- a deeper glimpse into how we relate to (and are shaped by) the ever-changing world of American popular culture.