Pop Culture: A Short Story

“Television has changed the American child from an irresistable force to an immovable object.” (Peter). There was a time when all children wanted to do was to run, play, explore, and be adventurous. As time evolved, children have found more interest in television. Statistics show that a child spends 900 hours per year in school,and they spend 1,200 hours per year watching television. When asked to choose between watching T.V. and spending time with their families fifty-four percent of four to six year olds voted they would prefer to watch television. Television has changed the mindset of children over the years it has been proven that the more programs they watch, the more harmful it is to their brain development. T.V.

In the article “TV’s Negative Influence on Kids Reaffirmed” by Jeffrey M. McCall, he addresses the issue of how TV has a negative influence on children. McCall states that young children and toddler’s cognitive ability do not develop as well when they have a television in the background while they are playing and interacting. McCall also argues that TV has a very influential role in the teenage pregnancy rate and how early teens become sexually active. To further prove his point, McCall proclaims that children and teens that are exposed to large amounts of television and video games become socially awkward and have issues interacting in society. McCall also says that the networks are rating their own programs carelessly, which is leading to shows that should be restricted by a V-chip being watched by children, rendering the restricting system null and void.

The average American child watches 20 hours of television per week, that is 5,000 hours before first grade. Most children between the ages of 3-6 years old can even turn on the television and start a DVD by themselves. I am guilty of allowing my children more TV time then they should have, but I guess that is because I enjoy watching it myself. There are many hidden messages in children’s shows that I was oblivious to until now. For instance, in the show “Rugrats” Charlotte Pickles, Angelica’s mom never had time for her, always on the phone and working. Ethnic stereotyping is another message sent in Speedy Gonzalez’s cousin Slow Poke Rodriguez which is lazy, slow, and dim witted. Morality is also affected by these shows. Most every little boy

Television has been keeping me entertained for as long as I can remember. I have always been a big fan of watching television such as shows, movies, and especially sports. For movies and shows, I love how it forces me to make me use my imagination even though in the back of my mind I know that everything that’s happening is completely fake. It’s caused me to think deeper about things I never thought I would think about, and given me a lot of great memories. Even though television has been a very positive part of my life, there has also been some downside to it as well. Television has affected me in a negative way because it paints a picture reality that sort of tricked me into thinking it was true. When I was younger I was extremely gullible and easily influenced and really wanted to be able to live like some of the characters that I saw on the screen. An example was in about 7th grade I started watching this hilarious show called How I Met Your Mother. My parents refused to let me watch it but I would always find a way to watch it on my laptop without them knowing. There was this character name Barney Stinson who I really admired and was determined to be like when I grew up. In the show he was rich, well dressed, ladies man who seemed to have everything going for him. He was a total hound dog in the show who expressed the joy of constantly going to bars, sleeping with random women, and then never calling

It was a warm, fall afternoon in the peaceful state of Illinois. On my grandparent’s farm, I explored the land as much as I could. The various trails and wooded acres led me to creeks, caves, and historical tunnels. I would drive the four-wheeler to venture out into the landscape. The brisk wind rushes past my cheeks and the smell of birch wood and damp grass would smother nostrils.

In elementary school, reading, being driven to the public library, and swapping out my books for new ones before the library closed at 5 o’clock on Sundays were about the only things I ever liked doing as a kid. I was just a little different from all the other kids at my school – I didn’t particularly enjoy playing basketball or running around chasing each other on the playground, and my parents kept painfully reminding me about that almost every day when they came to pick me up after school. Although it seemed to my parents and my friends that I was simply lazy and antisocial, I truly enjoyed reading about the ingenious ploys by Harry Potter and Frodo Baggins – saving the world from an untimely doom – and I imagined that I would one day do the same.

It may be hard to admit, but television has become an intricate part of our everyday lives. People children often find themselves sitting in front of the television screen for a longer period of time than before and this has evolved immensely over the past few years. In this article, “The Trouble with Television,” by the author Marie Winn, mentions that addiction of television is negative effects on children and families. It keeps the families from doing other things and it’s a hidden competitor for all other activities. Television takes place of play and on top of that kids who watch a lot of television grow uncivilized. Also, the author mentioned that televisions are less resourceful for children and have negative effects on children’s

As a kid I educational information from the service of television, and coming from a low income family that was truly great “media can indeed serve as socializing agents. Some television shows are designed with that explicit purpose” (Conley, 130). As I grew up more than just television was at my finger tips, I had newspapers, magazines, and books to read, I had the entire internet to explore, movies, video games, the radio and more informative television. I was able to shape myself with more than just what I found out at home or school, I was able to learn what the rest of society had to say. I learned the latest fashion and beauty trends, what new diet was in as well as how the real world looks from my outsider perspective and lastly I learned how to blend in with the rest of society. This has included; taking part in consumerism and get the latest to fit in with the rest even if I can’t afford

TV today has a great deal of constructive outcomes and impacts on our public and American culture. TV gives us supportive data, different types of instruction and diversion, which can provide some beneficial outcomes on the public. On an everyday premise, TV keeps us educated with a lot of supportive data. However, viewer must watch with wisdom. Viewers must remember the television is a tool to stimulate our thoughts, ideas, and creativity. It should not a be used as manual to shape an individual’s identity or ideas. TV has dependably been a wellspring of contention in the United States. How it influences our public and the general population have sparked inquiries that individuals have been mulling over as far back as televisions creation.

Chapter 10 presents a more politicized approach to cultural studies. Storey examines the ways in which popular culture and high culture are often presented in contrast with one another, drawing distinctions between ‘them’ and ‘us’. Again this can be related back to hip-hop, which was formerly or still held as a rebel culture, to now a unified one. It is the pipeline for effectively communicating to and with young people. The pipeline connects to the political, social, and cultural views of the vast majority of Western youths. My generation does not fondly find unity and/or enjoyment in higher art forms such as opera or ballet, but finds it more in the art of hip-hop. I feel like we need to have a view that culture has a value, not just in terms

Today, America is seemingly defined by its popular culture which has become a major export to the whole wide world. The pop culture refers to all things that people usually do and talk about, manners and beliefs that make a society grow. The culture that is well accepted and followed by everybody in the society. For every place, there is always different style of culture that all people who lives there are subject to follow in able to fit in to that given place. America is one of the major countries that influence other nations in terms of being fashionable and making life easier by having a unique way of discovering a lot of things. Great deal of trends will be noticed by just looking around and many people probably do not realize how

When I started this class, my definition of pop culture consisted of all things media related such as television, social media, and the internet. Throughout the class, I learned that pop culture emcompasses much more topics, such as politics and language. It was interesting to view pop culture through a sociological lense. To think sociologically means to think about how society functions, with the application of important theoretical approaches, such as those of Marx and Foucault. I also realized that I was not as informed about pop culture as I thought.

What pops into your mind first when you think of popular culture in today’s day and age? The latest dirt on celebrities or the latest iPhone release? The latest controversial issue or the latest iTunes hit? Regardless, pop culture encompasses all four of these concepts and many more, which consume the world we live in each and every day. Think about education. At first thought, your mind may not make the connection between the newest Taylor Swift song and the highest ACT score, but the linkage between the two becomes undeniable when you dive deeper. Ponder this: each day millions of kids walk into school buildings across the United States, each of them glued to a little slice of pop culture, a.k.a. their phone. And each day these millions

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.

Popular culture is a term that holds various meanings depending on where it 's being defined and the context of its use. It is usually recognized as the language or people’s culture that prevails in a society at a point in time. As social researcher Brummett explains in his book “Rhetorical Dimensions of Popular Culture”, pop culture reflects the characteristics of social life, where the publicly are most actively involved. Popular culture is known as the ‘culture of the people’. This culture is determined by the interactions between people within their daily activities, for instance, dressing styles, use of language, greeting rituals and the ways that people behave in public, etc. are all examples of popular culture. Popular culture is also diverted by the mass media (Abbott and Sapsford, 1987).