Duped Or Cognizant?

Chapter 3 of The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology explains to the reader what culture is and goes into depth of the different concepts within culture. It defines culture as “the entire way of life for a group of people” (Ferris & Stein, 2010, p. 77). Culture is described as a “lens” through which one views the world and is passed from one generation to the next. This “entire way of life”, according to sociologists, consists of two major categories: material and symbolic culture. Material culture involves the entities associated with a cultural group, such as tools, machines, utensils, buildings, and artwork. When examining material culture, it can convey a great deal about a particular group or society. Symbolic culture embraces ways

In the first chapter of The Rhetorical Power of Pop Culture by Deanna Sellnow, the author defines popular culture and explains the importance of studying the subject. Sellnow begins with a short explanation of ethics to convey that the influence popular culture has is not always used ethically. Secondly, Sellnow compares the different contexts of culture, elitist and diversity, to explain what popular culture is not. Popular culture is compiled of everyday things that influence people through subtle messages such as what is appropriate and inappropriate, good and bad, and so on.

Culture is a strong determinant of people's views of the very nature and meaning of

According to cultural anthropologist Edward Burnett Tylor, culture is a “complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.” In other words, culture is a concept that social organizations practice in order to explain certain phenomena in nature whether through mythology, rituals, art, music, and language. However, as explained by Ethan Watters in “The Mega Marketing of Depression in Japan,” culture is not permanent, since it has the ability, and more than ever in the present society, to “move across boundaries of race, culture, class, and nation” (Watters 519). In addition, as demonstrated by Oliver Sacks in the articled called “The Mind’s Eye: What the Blind See,” it is a mistake to think that individuals are bound to behave in a way that culture told them to behave. Instead, individuals are free to create his or her own unique experience of interpreting the world. We might consider the “reality” that we live in to be fiction to the extent that we are willing to use different faculties and analyze what we are witnessing; this gives us the power, as individuals, to think and search for each of us’s unique interpretation of reality. .

Ultimately, when one reads a story, the reader wants to feel a connection to what is being told. What better way to connect to the people than through culture? According to a scholarly book titled “Culture,” the author Stephen Greenblatt writes “… and if an exploration of a particular culture

“Our heritage and ideals, our code and standards - the things we live by and teach our children - are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings.” ~ Walt Disney. Culture is the collective experiences, conflicts, and meetings you have throughout your life. Everyone experiences the world differently, causing that person to be his or her own unique individual. You can explore the contemplation of culture through the literary works “Ethnic Hash”, “Two Kinds”, and “By Any Other Name”. These works show that you should always be yourself, because if anyone tries to change you it will cause conflict.

Bevan & Sole (2014) proposes that culture is the cumulative knowledge deposits, opinions, morals, occurrences, outlooks, positions, consequences, orders, moments, spatial relations, the views of the world and the significant things that a collection of people has developed over generations throughout groups and personal endeavors. Culture is not stationary; it is lively and is continuously changing through human conduct, viewpoints, occurrences, concepts and manners including other things said.

Given culture’s ability to orient citizens and reproduce itself, it must also be a means of spiritual formation. During this process, those exposed to culture experiencing a shaping of their heart and character. Essentially, culture has the power to train the transcendentals, an individual’s sense of what is true, good and beautiful. Vanhoozer describes this process as “the cumulative effect of viewing the world portrayed in the popular arts that has the power to persuade¬¬…with the influence of many” (31). With this in mind, it is important to acknowledge the powerful influence that culture has on society as it is always cultivating the spirit in one way or another. The power of culture to shape the habits and character of its viewers is a direct testimony of why it is essential that the believer knows how to properly interpret its

Culture itself is a complex topic with multiple definitions ranging from the organic to the mechanical, the natural to the manufactured. In a world composed of different groups, we see many variations of culture. Cultural universals are traits, patterns, and elements that transcend specific groups and can be applied to all known cultures (Macionis 2014). This idea implies that mankind and its multiple cultures are interconnected by patterns of fulfilling human needs that occur on a global scale. Specific examples of cultural universals extend from medicine to the family unit. Though anthropologists and sociologists have found support for the existence of cultural universals, the idea of these universal aspects of culture still draw criticism from critical and postmodern scholars and by individuals who ascertain cultural universals are in a natural state of opposition with cultural relativism.

Most Americans are not aware of the many definitions the word culture has had over its course of existence in the English language. Some associate their knowledge of culture with one of Beethoven 's classic symphonies or with a beautiful painting by Picasso. These same individuals most often classify their ideal of culture in two classes- high and low culture. As the authors state, “a cultured person is someone who has achieved a certain level of refinement and

In today 's society, culture is impacting our everyday life, experience and social relations; we are all categorized by our cultural “groups”, but this has changed rapidly throughout the years from one generation to the next. Cultural studies were developed in the late 1950’s, through the 1970’s by the British academic scholars. The British scholars were able engaged cultural analysis and the developed then transformed of the different fields, for example, politically, theoretically and empirically that are now represented around the world.

Beach (2013) touches on the fascination of how complex our brain works, the control we carry with our identity and the ways our brains misperceive details around us that can be impossible to avoid but possible to change (Para 31). Surprisingly, our ways of thinking is connected to our culture (Para 20). Subconsciously, the closet people in our lives- parents, friends, and teachers- influence our culture (Para 20). Culture comprises our personal beliefs and customs that we practice in our daily lives (Para 20). These distinct values and traditions that we strongly hold give us a sense a purpose and desire to continue living our everyday lives (Para 20). We are allowed to accept or deny any subcultures that roll our way. Each individual views

An inescapable ignorance dominates the way we define "culture".  It is all too easy to define culture when a group of people feel as though they are part of the same culture.  A bias arises when defining this term, because we consider ourselves to be "cultured".  We define culture with our own definitions, and we judge it through our own prejudiced eyes.  To accurately define culture, we must take ourselves out of the cultural boundaries we have been accustomed to.  Of course, this is impossible.  Accordingly, defining the essence of culture is something I cannot attempt to do.

According to Theodor W. Adorno in The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception, the culture industry is the entertainment business. “The whole world is made to pass through the filter of the culture industry” (1113). While people are consuming products from the entertainment manufacturers “with alertness even when the customer is distraught,” real life is not becoming indistinguishable from the movies (1113). The majority of consumers are able to distinguish products from the entertainment manufacturers such as movies, TV shows, radio and books from reality.

The study of popular culture is useful in many ways. To be more specific, this course has reached its three intended main ideas: what it means to be American, how to be more consumption-conscious, and how to apply these studies in our own lives. Jim Cullen puts this in a less specific sense, arguing that the study of popular culture can “afford valuable clues – about collective fears, hopes, and debates” (Cullen, The Art of Democracy, 2). We use these clues to understand the world around us, as well as why we do what we do as Americans and as humans. I will be touching on themes that relate to this quotation by Cullen, escapism, exploitation, and globalization, as well as how these themes relate to the course goals.