The Changing Face of Fandom
I am a fan of Henry Jenkins. I follow him on twitter, and I read his blog. I own several of his books, and I have quoted him repeatedly in my work. However, since Henry Jenkins is not a singer,…
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Class notes
You can be a/an (insert here) on Youtube (or, how I learned about the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster)
Seth MacFarlane is an atheist? Well… knock me over with a feather! This is what’s going through my mind while I’m working at the instructor’s office in the depths of the RTV building. I’m reading Raymond Vanarragon’s piece on Family…
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Participatory cultures: Not your usual politics?
In 2007, Politicstv.com began compiling a weekly top 10 list of political videos. At the time, the site had been in existence for about a year. They were described as “a progressive political news Internet video channel featuring news, opinion…
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Cynical media: Is Jon Stewart bad for democracy?
Who is right? Communication scholars Roderick Hart and Johanna Hartelius argue that Jon Stewart is a cynic, whereas Robert Hariman sees him as the one of the best things that has happened to American democracy.
Hegemonic masculinity
Tim Tebow is a demi god. He is the quintessential sports hero, the chosen one who reminds us that not all athletes are like Michael Vick, that American youth has a role model to emulate. Now, I have to say…
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Women in American popular culture
Popular culture may seem all vapid and superficial, but it is undeniable that the most significant ideological battles of the Twentieth Century seep into popular forms of entertainment. Civil Rights spawned very special episodes on Little House on the Prairie,…
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The USA: Melting pot, Transnational America, or something else?
From: The Melting Pot “There she lies the great Melting Pot listen Can’t you hear the roaring and the bubbling There gapes her mouth, the harbour where a thousand mammoth feeders come from the ends of the world to pour…
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Frontiers, Westerns, and Myths
In 1893, Frederick Jackson Turner addressed the American Historical Association to suggest that western expansion significantly shaped American history, institutions, and character. This became known as the frontier thesis, and it is considered extremely influential (Smith, 1995). However, Turner’s frontier…
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How popular things become popular?
When I was a lot younger, I thought that likability determined whether something became popular or not. Take The Beatles, for example; they were popular because “everyone” liked them (according to my mother). The same could be said of Elvis…
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What is popular culture?
I found this video through Danielle Stern, who linked it from amplifyme (formerly Project Think Different). She argued that it is a good place to start a discussion about popular culture. I agree. Just like the video does, we need…
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