So I started to think about how formulas exist in popular culture in everything from comics to books to TV shows and movies. There seems to be a similarity when there is some sort of a saga or series. For example, this week I watched Superman Returns and Spiderman 2 and in both sequels the hero took a sabbatical, lost the girl, and almost died. The heroes were having a really tough time, but the formula was to make them vulnerable so we can build them back up. Also, there was a shift or a rift in the romantic relationships which is all too common. For example if you read a series of novels or watch a television series about the same characters time after time, the convention is that we want to see our favorite couple together, but the invention is to find ways to keep them apart to build the suspense. This is true if you read the Twilight Saga: most fans want Bella and Edward together, yet it takes several novels to get to the big payoff. Shows like Law & Order SVU or Bones, stories about crime solving detectives even use the formula. Week after week, we watch the male and female leads dance around each other and the sexual tension builds. Will they or won’t they? Grey’s Anatomy is constantly mixing up its ensemble cast but the core characters always find their way back to each other (hello Mer and Der’s post it wedding and Izzie and Alex’s marriage of convenience). These relationships have come a long way since season 1, but nonetheless are intact. Soap Operas notoriously build up “supercouples” so they can break them up and reunite them during “sweeps” months when ratings mean the most. Even reality shows thrive on rumors of whose dating who or jealousy amongst cast mates. The convention is that our favorite forms of entertainment play on our very real emotions even if the inventions are a little hard to believe. According to Brown, “convention provides stability to the cultural aspects of life; invention, although it tends to de-establish, does so only so that new conventions can be tested and worked out” (2005).
References: Browne, R. (2005). Profiles of Popular Culture: A Reader. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Assignment 4-1: Weekly Analysis 4
This week’s coursework regarding heroes, celebrities, and reality TV prompted me to think about Dancing With the Stars, a reality show that combines all three. Where else can you witness your favorite Olympic or football hero, talk show or political personality, or TV or soap star take the stage as competitors who are stellar at their chosen professions but often seem out of their element in their first few forays onto the dance floor. Part of the fun of course is watching the stars change their persona with flashy costumes, cheesy spray tans, and awkward dance moves, but the humanity comes through as we watch our favorites succeed or fail in front of their families, friends, co-workers, and millions of viewers. The show always contains a variety of celebrities from larger than life football heroes and famous Osmond siblings to lesser known soap stars like Lisa Rinna, former boy-banders like Joey Fatone, and reality TV stars like Melissa Rycroft who just got an extension on her 15 minutes of fame. Whether it is an established hero, celebrity, or a D-lister, the viewers are always amazed at how someone with little to no dance experience learns the ropes from the successful professional dance partners they are paired up with, people who until Dancing With the Stars were only celebrities in their own realm of ballroom dance and now millions of people are inspired by them every week. According to Browne, a hero is someone who inspires and what could be more inspiring than dancing it is both a physical and mental accomplishment to get your mind and body to coordinate in such as way that you actually appear graceful or at least can hold your own out there on the floor (2005). Although the show is not usually mean-spirited, as in most reality competitions there is the inevitable audience participation factor and a participant is voted off each week. The competition is set to heat up again with the new season starting September 21st with the largest and most diverse cast yet. Who will win this years DWTS trophy and who will hang up their dancing shoes?
References:
Browne, R. (2005). Profiles of Popular Culture: A Reader. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press.
References:
Browne, R. (2005). Profiles of Popular Culture: A Reader. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press.
Assignment 1-3: Journal Article Analysis
Audience
An analysis of Peter Tragos’ article entitled Monster Masculinity: Honey I’ll Be in the Garage Reasserting My Manhood identifies the gender roles society identifies with men and women of the past and how those roles have changed in present. The article’s title suggests it is intended to appeal to women, which it is, but it also addresses all of society to explain the often baffling male behavior and tackles topics such as metro sexuality, to chauvinism, to male bonding in the garage. According to Tragos, the garage is the safest haven for men to be themselves without having to meet the expectations of women who expect a strong and sensitive male companion and without having to resort to offensive, obnoxious overly macho behavior such as the objectification of women (2009). Ladies, this means we should encourage our men to go to the garage!
Summary
The article explains that as gender roles changed in society, women were expected to be both strong and beautiful and men were expected to be both strong and sensitive, so as women gained strength, men had to gain sensitivity in order for balance between the sexes to exist (Tragos, 2009). Women no longer idolized June Cleaver, rather we saw women emerge as more authoritative figures such as Roseanne who held jobs, ran households, and disciplined the children, roles that once solely belonged to men (Tragos, 2009). Since men have given up some of the authority in the household, the article suggests they can reclaim their manhood in one of two ways: by objectifying women as Maxim men who look at sex kittens and listen to rap and rock songs with crass lyrics or by being more constructive and bonding with other men over custom vehicles as demonstrated in Monster Garage and American Chopper (Tragos, 2009). The author seems to think that the garage is a sacred place where a man can be a man, as there is no women or society telling them to be well groomed or well behaved: “Monster Garage and American Chopper recreate the cave in its modern avatar-the garage-for men to be in the company of men, albeit for sixty minutes, where they do not have to negotiate a blurred gender role nor assert their manhood by objectifying women”(Tragos, 2009).
Style
The article does not appear to be logically organized, in fact the reference to the two Discovery channel shows appears in the opening paragraph and then not for several pages later. One can get confused at first by all the pop culture references to June Cleaver and Donna Reed from the 1950s and 1960s to Clair Huxtable and Roseanne Connor (TV mom icons) to Lara Croft (video game character) and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy that do seem to appeal specifically to women and references to the shift in culture after World War II, NASCAR, and music from Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit that appeals to men. However, despite the organizational issues, the article does get its main point across which is a comparison of gender roles in a pre-World War II and post World War II society and how when men left the homestead to go to war those roles changed forever and kept evolving.
Key Idea
The key idea one can take away from Tragos is this: men and women seem to be assigned certain roles in society, but those roles are never set in stone, yet they are somewhat inherent. Even though it is alright for a man to show some sensitivity, he also still very much has a need to exhibit manly behavior by taking things apart and putting them back together which is what occurs on Monster Garage, American Chopper, and a slew of other male-themed shows. Also, the male bonding factor is not to be overlooked, “the garage was a place where things were handed down from father to son or grandfather to grandson” (Tragos, 2009). Is it any wonder men of all generations gather in the garage? Tragos explains it best in the article’s final sentence: “As men seek to return to traditional masculine identities, cutting up cars and building choppers is the road for returning to a time when men were men” (Tragos, 2009).
References
Tragos, P. (2009). Monster Masculinity: Honey, I’ll Be in the Garage Reasserting My Manhood. The Journal of Popular Culture, 42(3), 541-553.
An analysis of Peter Tragos’ article entitled Monster Masculinity: Honey I’ll Be in the Garage Reasserting My Manhood identifies the gender roles society identifies with men and women of the past and how those roles have changed in present. The article’s title suggests it is intended to appeal to women, which it is, but it also addresses all of society to explain the often baffling male behavior and tackles topics such as metro sexuality, to chauvinism, to male bonding in the garage. According to Tragos, the garage is the safest haven for men to be themselves without having to meet the expectations of women who expect a strong and sensitive male companion and without having to resort to offensive, obnoxious overly macho behavior such as the objectification of women (2009). Ladies, this means we should encourage our men to go to the garage!
Summary
The article explains that as gender roles changed in society, women were expected to be both strong and beautiful and men were expected to be both strong and sensitive, so as women gained strength, men had to gain sensitivity in order for balance between the sexes to exist (Tragos, 2009). Women no longer idolized June Cleaver, rather we saw women emerge as more authoritative figures such as Roseanne who held jobs, ran households, and disciplined the children, roles that once solely belonged to men (Tragos, 2009). Since men have given up some of the authority in the household, the article suggests they can reclaim their manhood in one of two ways: by objectifying women as Maxim men who look at sex kittens and listen to rap and rock songs with crass lyrics or by being more constructive and bonding with other men over custom vehicles as demonstrated in Monster Garage and American Chopper (Tragos, 2009). The author seems to think that the garage is a sacred place where a man can be a man, as there is no women or society telling them to be well groomed or well behaved: “Monster Garage and American Chopper recreate the cave in its modern avatar-the garage-for men to be in the company of men, albeit for sixty minutes, where they do not have to negotiate a blurred gender role nor assert their manhood by objectifying women”(Tragos, 2009).
Style
The article does not appear to be logically organized, in fact the reference to the two Discovery channel shows appears in the opening paragraph and then not for several pages later. One can get confused at first by all the pop culture references to June Cleaver and Donna Reed from the 1950s and 1960s to Clair Huxtable and Roseanne Connor (TV mom icons) to Lara Croft (video game character) and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy that do seem to appeal specifically to women and references to the shift in culture after World War II, NASCAR, and music from Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit that appeals to men. However, despite the organizational issues, the article does get its main point across which is a comparison of gender roles in a pre-World War II and post World War II society and how when men left the homestead to go to war those roles changed forever and kept evolving.
Key Idea
The key idea one can take away from Tragos is this: men and women seem to be assigned certain roles in society, but those roles are never set in stone, yet they are somewhat inherent. Even though it is alright for a man to show some sensitivity, he also still very much has a need to exhibit manly behavior by taking things apart and putting them back together which is what occurs on Monster Garage, American Chopper, and a slew of other male-themed shows. Also, the male bonding factor is not to be overlooked, “the garage was a place where things were handed down from father to son or grandfather to grandson” (Tragos, 2009). Is it any wonder men of all generations gather in the garage? Tragos explains it best in the article’s final sentence: “As men seek to return to traditional masculine identities, cutting up cars and building choppers is the road for returning to a time when men were men” (Tragos, 2009).
References
Tragos, P. (2009). Monster Masculinity: Honey, I’ll Be in the Garage Reasserting My Manhood. The Journal of Popular Culture, 42(3), 541-553.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Assignment 3-1: Weekly Analysis 3
This week we are looking at rituals and stereotypes. One of the examples that Browne describes is a look at stereotypes in Soap Operas (2005). Having enjoyed Soap Operas on and off throughout the years, I think that not only can they represent stereotypes, they also feature rituals.
General Hospital is probably the Soap that has the most implicit stereotypes with the show focusing on a few core families. The Corrinthos and Zacchara families have mob ties. You have Sonny, the mob boss, who gives orders but rarely gets his hands dirty. Jason Morgan, Sonny’s protégé, often portrayed as the hit man but who also has to take the fall for his boss/father figure. It is typically the women and children used as bargaining chips in mob dealings, so of course we have damsels in distress. There are the police who keep trying unsuccessfully to bring down the mafia empire and two smart, savvy female attorneys in dress suits and heels who face off in court and in public (because you know how catty women can’t separate business from personal, right?)
We have the Quartermaines who are the poster-children for the American dream, earning a fortune in some business or another. If you’re a Q and your not part of business world, you are most likely a successful doctor. If neither occupation applies, you are cast out as a black sheep (anyone remember Eddie Maine or AJ?). There are the angelic women like Elizabeth, the nurse and mother, who always plays the martyr. Then, there are the vixens who hop from job to job, and bed to bed. Those are just a few of the stereotypes found in General Hospital, which is now centered more around the mob than the hospital for which it is named. Maybe the concept of the mob is to send more people to the hospital?!
Soap Operas often portray family rituals and society rituals. We rarely see characters in their everyday rituals, getting up, going to work, making dinner because that’s not what drives storyline. On occasion we do witness rituals that are meant to initiate, establish, or solidify relationships. For example, during the holidays on Days of Our Lives each member of the Horton family places their ornament with their name on it on the tree. For family members who are not present, someone else will place it on the tree and say something to acknowledge that character whether that character is written off or dead. It not only makes us feel closer to the current characters, but also acknowledges the history of the show and the fans who’ve stuck by it for so many years. Then of course there are the normal soap rituals: weddings, funerals, demonic possessions, and the Phoenix (Stefano) rising from the dead every few years.
References:
Browne, R. (2005). Profiles of Popular Culture: A Reader. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press.
The Days of Our Lives clip is representative of the Horton family Christmas eve ritual.
Actually, this clip is typical of GH having a huge tragedy just in time to take us into Fall sweeps (the height of the ratings season), but I've never seen the Carnival theme quite like this. I did noticed it featured the characters that factor into the mob storyline.
General Hospital is probably the Soap that has the most implicit stereotypes with the show focusing on a few core families. The Corrinthos and Zacchara families have mob ties. You have Sonny, the mob boss, who gives orders but rarely gets his hands dirty. Jason Morgan, Sonny’s protégé, often portrayed as the hit man but who also has to take the fall for his boss/father figure. It is typically the women and children used as bargaining chips in mob dealings, so of course we have damsels in distress. There are the police who keep trying unsuccessfully to bring down the mafia empire and two smart, savvy female attorneys in dress suits and heels who face off in court and in public (because you know how catty women can’t separate business from personal, right?)
We have the Quartermaines who are the poster-children for the American dream, earning a fortune in some business or another. If you’re a Q and your not part of business world, you are most likely a successful doctor. If neither occupation applies, you are cast out as a black sheep (anyone remember Eddie Maine or AJ?). There are the angelic women like Elizabeth, the nurse and mother, who always plays the martyr. Then, there are the vixens who hop from job to job, and bed to bed. Those are just a few of the stereotypes found in General Hospital, which is now centered more around the mob than the hospital for which it is named. Maybe the concept of the mob is to send more people to the hospital?!
Soap Operas often portray family rituals and society rituals. We rarely see characters in their everyday rituals, getting up, going to work, making dinner because that’s not what drives storyline. On occasion we do witness rituals that are meant to initiate, establish, or solidify relationships. For example, during the holidays on Days of Our Lives each member of the Horton family places their ornament with their name on it on the tree. For family members who are not present, someone else will place it on the tree and say something to acknowledge that character whether that character is written off or dead. It not only makes us feel closer to the current characters, but also acknowledges the history of the show and the fans who’ve stuck by it for so many years. Then of course there are the normal soap rituals: weddings, funerals, demonic possessions, and the Phoenix (Stefano) rising from the dead every few years.
References:
Browne, R. (2005). Profiles of Popular Culture: A Reader. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press.
The Days of Our Lives clip is representative of the Horton family Christmas eve ritual.
Actually, this clip is typical of GH having a huge tragedy just in time to take us into Fall sweeps (the height of the ratings season), but I've never seen the Carnival theme quite like this. I did noticed it featured the characters that factor into the mob storyline.
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