Bamboozled
So far I don’t really like the movie. Yes its amusing and I get that its a satire but I’m not sure what point Spike Lee is trying to make, that everyone’s racist and we have awful stereotypes? I’m not a big fan of Spike Lee to begin with however I do like Jada Pinkett Smith. To me if you already do have these stereotypes in your head and you firmly believe them I’m not sure this movie is going to change your mind. In all honesty it may just reaffirm those idea. I have a friend who is not very open minded and some might even call him racist, but he watched the movie and he went on that day to call quite a few people Mantan. This movie might give ammunition to those who already believe that African Americans are just lazy gang bangers like some characters portray. However I believe that through satire Spike Lee is trying to prove a point about stereotypes in the black community.
Final Paper
My final project is going to be two rush guides. I’m going to compare my point of view and that of the author of Pledged. There will be a section on hazing, each chapter at a school, what to wear for rush, and what to expect after you receive a bid. Basically one will be the Greek view of sororities and the other will be the outsiders view.
Sources:
1. University of South Carolina 2007 Rush Guide
2. Poll non Greeks and ask them about sorority stereotypes
3. Poll Greeks in finding out how they feel about sororities
4. Greekchat discussion forum -> discusses both sides
5. Inside Greek U.: Fraternities, Sororities, and the Pursuit of Pleasure, Power, and Prestige , journal article by Jean Marie Angelo
Social Networking
After doing a good amount of facebook stalking, I found a person named Max who’s profile I will now analyze. Within minutes I knew that today is Max’s 21st birthday, he’s a member of a fraternity here on campus, and knows a large amount of my sorority sisters. His facebook picture has a solo cup in it so I can assume he likes to drink/party. I also learned that he’s Jewish and from Delaware. He’s a junior at USC and lives in McBryde, I’m assuming in the fraternity hall there. From looking at his pictures he seems like a pretty cool guy, someone I could probably be friends with.
His facebook lists a lot of information about himself. His full name is there, both his high school and college are listed, along with his major, English. His full birthday is on there as well. Max lists his USC e-mail along with his room number in McBryde. He doesn’t list any job information so I’m assuming he has never had one.
Max lists a lot of his interests such as: working out, going out, x box, scuba diving, football, cheese stakes, goofiness, crabs, and my all time favorite ZIMA.
His musical interests are everything from air supply, Billy Joel, Brad Paisley, Corey Smith, Fallout Boy, Fleetwood Mac, Hall and Oates, Jimmy Buffet, Journey, and Tobey Keith to name a few. His music is listed alphabetically which is very interesting for a boy to spend time alphabetizing their interests. I can also assume that Max likes classic rock with a bit of country. I approve of his musical choices.
Max’s favorite tv shows are also very good choices: Entourage, Scrubs, My Name is Earl, and Friends. 
His movie list includes Undercover Brother, Pirates of the Caribbean, Knocked Up, Big Lebowski, History of the World Part 1, Godfather, Casino, and Stomp the Yard. His movie choices are very broad but shows he is open to all genres. After looking at his interests its safe to say that Max and I would have a lot to talk about.
I believe Max uses his facebook in order to stay in touch with friends, make new friends or at least keep talking to people he met once or twice. The reason I think this is because a girl wrote on his wall saying,”It was so great meeting you last night let’s hang out again”.
Comparing Articles
I found two articles on the same topic, one from The Onion and the other from KTBS. Both articles are about the recent GM layoffs but The Onion makes a satire out of it. The Onion views the layoffs as if GM is introducing a new car saying, “General Motors proudly unveiled its new 2008 model layoffs on Monday, bringing months of rumor and speculation to an end,” while KTBS is taking this extremely seriously due to the fact that so many jobs are going to be lost.
The Onion’s tone is very sarcastic and making it seem like these layoffs are a new car model saying that, “thousands of unemployed are expected to hit the streets as early as next week”. The tone is humorous and the metaphor of workers as cars is used throughout the entire article. The tone of KTBS’ article is extremely dry and serious which makes it hard for the reader to make a connection.
When the Onion says things like, “While many details have yet to be released, the new layoffs are said to boast a number of exciting features, including automatic suspension of health-care benefits and a no-money-down payment option on all severance and forced-retirement packages,” it allows the reader to really see how horrible these layoffs are. The image of thousands of workers hitting the streets makes it much more powerful and real than just saying thousands of workers are being laid off.
Book Review
The book I chose for the book review is Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto. I chose this book because I remember a friend of mine reading it and he loved it. I knew it was a bunch of small essays all about different pop culture topics and how they relate to everyday life. I know that there’s a whole essay on Billy Joel and an entire chapter dedicated to the Sims. I was absolutely addicted to The Sims and I would still be if my parents hadn’t thrown out the CD.
While reading this book I hope to gain an idea of how much pop culture actually does affect everyday life. I’ve read some interesting reviews on Amazon.com that go from absolutely loving this book to hating it. The general consensus is that it’ll at least make you laugh which was one of the main reasons I chose this book.
Pop Culture
There are a few shows on tv that I absolutley cannot stand: Oprah, Dr. Phil, and Rachel Ray. However I do love Gossip Girl, Rock of Love, and One Tree Hill. I miss the old Nickelodean shows like Salute Your Shorts, Clarissa Explains It All, and Are you Afraid of the Dark. Now a days they have shows like Zoey 101 with the worst role model ever. They do however have Hannah Montana who’s 3D concert I just recently went to see.
In terms of television I think that all around it’s been digressing. What happened to Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye the Science Guy? Those shows were great and I’m pretty sure that I only passed physics last year due to my years of watching Mr. Wizard.
The thing I really don’t like about pop culture is how the media immortalizes celebrities who are pretty much worthless. People like Britney Spears, althought quite entertaining, do not deserve to be making millions by acting like a train wreck. I hate the National Enquirer for the drama they stirr up. It’s also these awful celebrities that dictate how people should act. If Britney Spears is seene eating Pinkberry then the next day everyone will want to eat it. The media is stopping people from actually thinking for themselves.
There are some parts of pop culture that I love. I LOVE football and baseball. Those are two sports that have been part of American culture for years. Watching the Gamecocks play is probably my favorite way to spend a Saturday. I love tailgating with my sorority sisters and watching our team win in the first half of the season.
On the topic of sports I could not love a team more than I love my Boston Red Sox. When they won the World Series this year I was ecstatic! Although I am not from Boston, my father lived there for most of his life and some of my earliest memories are from Fenway.
Sports in America are such a big part of American culture that the Superbowl is practically a national holiday. I enjoy watching football and baseball but if you are not even slightly interested in sports, you’re pretty much doomed.
Clothing is another huge part of culture. I know personally that I spend way more than half of my money on clothing. I’m obsessed with everything Lilly. I own Lilly Pulitzer dresses, skirts, shirts, christmas ornaments, and stationary. In other parts of the country besides the South this would seem rediculous but it’s quite acceptable.
Some clothing I absolutly cannot stand is Abercrombie and Fitch. My grandparents used to shop there back in the day and it’s nothing like it was back then. Today it’s too tight, poorly made tops and bottoms that have taken over. Although I will admit to owning a pair of jeans from them I will refuse to wear anything that has ABERCROMBIE written all over it.
Introduction
I’m an 18 year old freshman at University of South Carolina. I love going to the beach and Nantucket. I am a huge Red Sox fan and go to atleast 3 games each year. I have bulldog named Abbie who’s adorable and I miss her.
My Favorite Bands
-
Taylor Swift
