Written Analysis 5 - Week 6 - Due September 27, 2014

Popular Culture and Organic Food

The topic that I chose for my Written Analysis project for this class was Organic Food. Popular culture has influenced the growth of the organic food industry in a big way. With the increase of health and obesity issues in America, the organic food industry has used these issues to help increase the popularity and acceptance of inserting organic foods into the American diet.

The popular culture theory that best relates to this topic is the myth theory. One could easily see where myths come into play when we talk about organic food. One school of argument is that there is no real proof that if a person eats all organic food they won’t get cancer or be obese. That side of the argument says that the best way to stay healthy and keep a healthy weight is to eat a healthy diet and exercise. However, on the flip side of that argument, others will argue that non-organically grown food is full of chemicals and carcinogens that are causing cancer and making the American population sick.

What this course has shown me is how popular culture influences many aspects of our lives. In some cases, we are not even aware of how we are being influenced. This course has made me take a step back and look more closely at new things as they are introduced, and to analyze what has influenced the change or shift in a process or way of thinking.

Written Analysis 4 - Week 5

Formulas and Organic Food

The concept of formulas is fairly simple and straightforward. According to Wikipedia (March 2014), formula is identified as a plot that has a predictable storyline, and in literary critiques can “imply lack of originality.” An example of a formulaic tale would be the romantic comedy, where the audience can easily identify the storyline and predict the outcome. In simpler terms, a formula, when applied to literary genres like movies or novels, is a basically a general outline of where the story begins, turns, changes and ends.

In Profiles of Popular Culture, John Cawelti theorized that formula is a molding of the concept of myths into the reality that “all cultural expressions develop in a mixture of the old and new” (Brown, 2005). This theory is referred to as conventions and inventions, where conventions are the stable aspects of the formula and inventions are the newly developed ideas. Each of these concepts depend on the other to create a working formula. Neither one is more important than the other, and by incorporating both into the formula, the story line has meaning and order.

One would think that it would be hard to identify any type of pop culture formula that could be applied to the Organic food industry. However, when it comes to selling organic products, whether food or other organically produced items, the theory of selling the idea has to be effective. The use of conventions and inventions could easily be used to help move the public into adopting the idea of organic products by using something familiar while at the same time introducing a new concept.

References

Wikipedia.com. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_fiction.

Brown, R. (2005). Profiles of Popular Culture. (p. 115). The University of Wisconsin Press. Madison, WI.

Journal Article Analysis - Due September 18, 2014

Challenging Lilywhite Hollywood: African Americans and the Demand for Racial Equality in the Motion Picture Industry

This article covers the time period of 1963 to 1974, which were the years when racial equality and the civil rights movement were highly controversial topics in America. One might think by the title of this article that it speaks to the lack of African American actors appearing in Hollywood movies. However, there were actually quite a fair amount of black actors during this time period. The areas where African Americans were demanding racial equality were in the stage technician jobs and craft jobs.

The racial discrimination in Hollywood was actually occurring “behind the camera” (Dawson, 2012). The stage technicians, cameramen, directors and producers were quite hostile to the idea of allowing African Americans into their fields. The Hollywood Executives didn’t help this cause. To the public, they appeared to support changes to allow African Americans into the industry, but behind closed doors, they did nothing to aid black employment and racial stereotyping. Labor Unions were also resistant to change employment practices to allow African Americans into these industries, claiming that they were unqualified and lacked industry experience.

The main point of this journal article is the analysis of why the three different factions of the motion picture industry, (1) the actors; (2) the technicians; and (3) the executives, take different positions when it came to racial discrimination and employment changes. The author’s opinion is that the Actors were more supportive because they had been performing with African Americans for many years prior the civil rights movement. I agree with this concept, and I also think that the actors were not threatened in any way by supporting black actors in their industry. An example that supports this concept is when Charleston Heston, along with a group of high profile actors, during the Civil Rights movement joined in the March on Washington in a display of racial unity.

On the other hand, the stage technicians resisted the changes that would come with racial equality. The author’s reasoning for this attitude is that the studio workers felt the African American worker was not qualified to perform the jobs that they did.  I agree with this opinion, and also think that there was a real fear of being replaced by African Americans in some of these jobs, which helped to fuel the fight against racial equality.

From a pop culture point of view, this is an important article because it analyzes the controversial issue of racial equality in a very public arena. The motion picture industry is known world-wide, and what happens there can have a large impact on how the rest of the world responds to a particular issue. Throughout history, people have imitated celebrities, and even given them hero status, so it would make sense to assume that if Hollywood accepted the black race into its community, the rest of the world might follow, or vice versa. Along that same thought process, if Hollywood would continue to stereotype African Americans as undereducated and not qualified to perform certain job functions, this would probably influence other industries to act in the same way.

On the flip side of this issue, one could also see where Hollywood would be influenced by what is currently popular among the masses. During the time period of this article, segregation and job equality was not very popular, and at the end of the day, Hollywood is about making money. It would not have benefited the movie industry to back this issue too strongly because their main audience was predominately white and they might lose customers if they looked like they were supporting a cause that was not popular.

Unfortunately, I think that racial equality and stereotyping of not just African Americans, but other classes of people as well, continue to be an issue here in American and abroad. Some strides have been made in changing the way people view other classes, but it has been a slow process, and I think it will continue to be this way for many years to come.

References

Dawson, A. (2012). The Journal of Popular Culture, Vol. 45, No. 6, 2012. Challenging Lilywhite Hollywood: African Americans and the Demand for Racial Equality in the Motion Picture Industry, 1963-1974. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Written Analysis 3 - Week 4

Heroes, Celebrities and Organic Food

A hero is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities.  President Obama could be viewed as a hero in the movement to eat healthy, including the  adoption of organic products. When superpowers support these types of movements, it is much easier for the general public to believe and adopt for themselves. We want to be like heroes, so we’re more likely to emulate them and do what they do. Heroes influence in many ways, but unfortunately, as fads wear off, so do the heroes, even the President of the United States.

Celebrities also have a big influence on the general consumer. They may even hold a higher status than heroes for some people.  In the world of organic products, celebrities are coming out of the woodwork and endorsing products, making commercials and even writing books about eating organic and using organic products. Melina Kanakaredes, an actress on CSI New York, is in an add for an organic food store, and talks about not eating food served in plastic wrappers and carrying her own reusable bags to grocery store. Christian Slater, in an add for Eddie Bauer, the environmentally conscious clothing manufacturer, also supports shopping at stores that carry organic foods. Seeing celebrities supporting something as ordinary as where they grocery shop creates a kind of connection that the ordinary consumer is easily drawn to.

References

Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hero.

OrganicAuthority.com (October 25, 2006). Retrieved from http://www.organicauthority.com/reviews/reviews/hollywood-goes-organic.html

Written Analysis 2 - Due Sept. 7, 2014

Rituals and Stereotypes about Organic Food

People who choose to eat organic food are generally stereotyped as Birkenstock wearing, granola crunching, tree hugging hippies. However, the mainstream of organic food consumers has moved into the urban space. A blog post on NBCNews.com (2014) stated that suburban moms are buying more organic products than their conventional counterparts. Organic food is more popular because of the standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which requires the food to be free of harmful chemicals and pesticides in order to be classified as organic.

Another stereotype that goes along with this line of thinking is that organic food is more expensive than conventional products. Stores like Whole Foods are targeting the cost-conscious consumers now more than ever in their weekly ads, offering coupons and advertising meals that cost less than $4 per serving.

Organic stereotyping also reaches into the farming world. The crop dusters, who apply products for crop protection as well as fertilizer and seeds, say that there is a lot of misinformation about what they do. Environmentalists call them “menaces to organic famers” (Shultz, 2014) because they spray chemicals and pesticides on the crops. In an editorial by Andrew Campbell, M.D., Editor in Chief, in the Alternative Therapies Journal (2012) he states that most people buy organic to avoid chemicals rather than for their nutritional value.

The insight gained from looking as these stereotypes is just how misinformed the public can be when it comes to controversial topics like organic vs. conventional. I encourage everyone to do some research on this topic, and then make intelligent, informed decisions on what you eat. Your health depends on it!

References

Campbell, A. W. (2012). Organic vs Conventional. Alternative Therapies In Health & Medicine, 18(6), 8-9.

NBCNew.com (2014). Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/13924326

Schultz, R. (August 17, 2014). Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved from http://host.madison.com/business/crop-dusters-battle-stereotypes-as-they- thrive-with-expanded-roles/article_31307078-71c1-5d60-ad7a-ad952f20436d.html

Written Analysis 1 - Due Sunday, August 31, 2014

Americans’ Obsession with Organic Food

It has become a popular belief that eating organic food is healthier for you, and can actually prevent certain cancers. It is also believed that growing organic food is better for the environment. However, some would argue that it is expensive to eat organically, and that it does not provide any better health benefits than the conventional items purchased at a regular grocery store.

Let’s take a look at organic food as a good vs. evil myth. A large amount of research has been done on the topic of organic foods and farming. Some research concludes that the benefits far outweigh the cost, while other research provides the exact opposite results. In an article written by John J. Miller (2004), he gives an example of how in Britain not using pesticides allowed a mold to grow on corn, leaving behind a cancer causing residue. This corn was used to make several organic corn meal products which were later tested by the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency and found to have a contamination level of 20 times higher than the allowable standard. Even though this report was released to the public, millions of people still believe that organic foods are better for them than the non-organic ones.

This obsession with organic food and products has created a new category of popular culture not only in the United States, but in the global market as well. According to an article in Business Insights: Global (2013) over $60 billion annually has been spent on organically produced food and other products.
Organic food has even reached an iconic status here in the United States. There are many symbols and logos that represent organically grown food, and a very large percentage of grocery items now have labels identifying the food as either certified organic, non GMO or all natural.

References

Miller, J. (2004). The Organic Myth. National Review, 56(2), 35-37.
Miller, H. (Nov. 14, 2013). The Myth That Is Organic Farming. Africa News
            Service. Business Insights: Global. Web. 31 Aug. 2014.

Icon Analysis - Due Thursday, August 28, 2014

The three icons I chose are Brutus Buckeye, Princess Diana and Survivor.

Brutus Buckeye is the mascot of The Ohio State University, and a treasured icon in the State of Ohio. Brutus is the face of Ohio State sports, and is as important to Ohio State as Mickey Mouse is to Disney. Brutus was first introduced to Ohio State in 1965, and was selected in honor of the state tree, which is the Buckeye tree. Brutus has evolved over the years, and become a household icon in the state of Ohio and beyond. 

Princess Diana is an icon in her own right, first by just being a royal princess, and second by her extraordinary life. She was a most caring person with could have accomplished so much if she had not met such a tragic end. I believe her tragic and controversial death solidified her permanent iconic status more so than her status as a royal princess.

Survivor is a television series that has reached iconic status by continuing to be one of the most highly rated and memorable reality TV shows ever produced. The Survivor symbol is known throughout the United States and probably even in other countries. The entertainment value and the $1 Million dollar prize are what make this show so appealing.

Why did I choose these icons?

I chose these icons because they each represent a different form of icon. Brutus is a make believe character, Princess Diana is a real person and Survivor is an iconic television show. Each of them in their own way have achieved the status of icon by becoming something important or valuable to a large group of people, or even the world.

What these icons mean to me.

These icons are important to me because they represent some part of who I am. I have always lived in Columbus, Ohio, and both of my sons graduated from The Ohio State University. There is a strong pride in Columbus for Ohio State, and Brutus is a way for us to show that pride. Princess Diana and I were born the same year, and we both also married the same year. I will never forget watching her wedding and dreaming of being in her shoes. I will also never forget when she died. In fact, August 31^st is the 15^th anniversary of her death. I remember exactly where I was when I heard this news, and will never forget that moment either. As for Survivor, well, I’m not ashamed to say that I just love that show! I wish I was younger and stronger and could actually go compete for that $1 million dollar prize!

Popular Culture Blog Assignment - Due Sunday, Aug. 24

What is Popular Culture?

Popular Culture is a constantly changing area that includes the fads of the day, such as music, technology, movies and TV shows. Tim Delaney, a sociology professor at the State University of New York at Oswego, defines popular culture in his article in Philosophy Now (2007) as "the products and forms of expression and identity that are frequently encountered or widely accepted, commonly liked or approved, and characteristic of a particular society at a given time." To me, this means that what becomes popular culture is whatever the masses of a particular society accept or approve of, for instance, the iPhone.

Why is an understanding of popular culture relevant?

Understanding popular culture in the business environment can be crucial to the success of a business. An example of this would be a business that does not keep up with current technology trends, and therefore the public masses are not enticed to interact with that business because they don't have a mobile app to connect them to it. My career in IT is very relevant to popular culture, especially in the area of delivering computer training content to the end user community. Today's end users want to have several options of consuming their training content, and want to be able to access these options from anywhere at any time. This culture has changed drastically over the last 20 years, and is a perfect example of popular culture. What was popular 20 years ago, is no longer relevant in today's computer training classroom.

What is an example of a pop culture artifact?

Pop culture artifacts do not necessarily have to be something material, like an iPhone. It can also be represented by an idea, trend or value. A new trend that is very important in the world of technology right now is Cyber Security. I work in the legal environment, and it is a top priority to protect our clients' confidential data. With the addition of cloud computing and mobile devices, it is becoming harder to contain and protect this data. I chose this pop artifact because it is something very new and something I think is very important to not only the business world, but the private sector as well.