Unintentional Ideas

In "The Practice of Everyday Life," Michael de Certeau explains how theories or popular culture can apply to everyday life. He doesn't want to talk about the subject. He wants to make it possible for people to talk about this subject. He continues by explaining that previously we considered the individual, but we should really analyze groups based on social interactions, not how an individual sits within a group. He acknowledges that this could further emphasize the majority and take away from the minority, but comes up with solutions to this....

Critiquing Culture

In "Distinction & the Aristocracy of Culture," Bourdieu compares pure taste with naive taste. These are characteristics based on class and upbringing. Someone with pure taste is likely higher class and has learned to appreciate things on a deeper level. They look for details within the work and then decide on its quality. In contrast, people with naive taste come from lower classes and look at art in a superficial manner. They only classify it as good or bad. We can consider Bourdieu's ideas in thinking about movie critics. Often when we go...

Satire and Stereotypes

Both videos, "Girls Are Assholes: At a Bar" and "What a Girl's Makeup Means" perform satire. They take stereotypes, then exaggerate and distort them. But because there is some truth in them, we are able to find a message behind the ridiculous claims. The first video exaggerates the idea that girl's won't date nice guys and are only drawn to guys who will treat them badly. It features two girls at a bar who rudely turn down what is probably a nice guy, opting for the creepy guy. In the second video, Jenna Marbles chooses to exaggerate the stereotype...

The Problem of Profit Over Value

In his final chapter, Storey discusses "The Politics of Popular." He talks about the impacts of popular culture in a general sense and sums of previous theorists. He also revisits hegemony and ideology. In talking about the economics of culture, Storey explains the importance of "exchange value leading to surplus value (profit)." He points out that while that is the goal, creating value is also important for items to sell. The gap between...

Can Buzzwords Carry Meaning?

In his essay, "Postmodernism and 'The Other Side,'" Dick Hebdige explains the trouble with the word postmodernism. He claims it is being used as a buzzword, applied to a too many varying situations, which caused to lose its meaning. But he goes on to show that while it is used excessively, the situations tend to have three main things in common: they are against totalization, teleology, and utopia. These common bonds allow the word postmodernism...

Hyperrealism of Twilight

Within the context of postmodernism, Baudrillard presents the idea of hyperrealism in “The Precession of Simulacra.” He uses the experience of Disneyland to explain that sometimes the things we fantasize about become more real to us that what may would typically classify as “real life.” While intending to present us with an escape, it can also lead to a confusion between fantasy and reality. For example, we got to Disneyland to fantasize about being...

Introverts on TV: A Look at CBS’s The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory (TBBT) follows Leonard and Sheldon, two physicists, as they deal with living across the hall from a pretty, blonde wannabe actress whom Leonard inevitably has a crush on. The show also features their two friends Raj and Howard.  TV, while often exaggerated, can be considered a representation of the norms in our society. So like many other sitcoms, most of the characters are extroverts on TBBT. But there is one surefire...