We're always searching for something to make our lives "complete" and it seems to me that people have fixated on an idea of what it means live a meaningful life that will bring fulfillment to them. This idea is something that we take in from our culture and shapes our definition of what meaning is. There are different views as to what that is, but many of them have the same idea because we base what we think from what we know, which is our culture. Its like a cycle, that is repeated with each generation, and as the times change, it is tweaked but stays basically the same. Big Subculture, Corporate Culture, and Folk Culture are the ones where we get the idea of what is meaningful or not from.
This isn't exactly a bad thing, because we have to get our ideals, and thought processes from somewhere, and if not from media, we would probably be influenced by something else, like society. During a time in the 20th century when technology had not progressed like it has now, the culture's message was based on society and to a large part, religion which is part of the Big Subcultures. Since the message was that Men were seen as better or at a higher status then women (interpreted from the bible by men), everyone thought that it was true and abided by that train of thought. Culturely speaking, meaningful was a woman staying home by the hearth and taking care of the children. Girls grew up like that excepting that eventually when they come to a certain point of their lives they will settle down and take care of the children. So, for a long time it was like that before someone thought to question the way it has always been. Change in what we think is meaningful or not is largely due to circumstance, and circumstance demanded for change. When World War I came alot of the men were drafted. Because of the large demand of jobs and not enough men to fill the positions, it was women who for the first time were accepted into the work force in large numbers. This expanded their views because as that became acceptable what was meaningful started to change for women. That they have this oppurtunity, our culture had to adapt and accept that meaning can be found at work too and that settling down isn't necessarily the only way to a meaningful life. Like that meaning can change and adapt to include our circumstances. Even now, we still get the idea that settling down and starting a family is part of what we should do to have a meaningful life, but it is not limited to just that idea anymore.
Of course my idea of a meaningful life is partial to what media and society tells me, but there's always more to it than that. To me a meaningful life is very much apart of what relationships we create and shape with others. Its also contentment and
"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather is one of those things that give value to survival." - C. S. Lewis.
Human connection is very innate. Even as children we start forming relationships with our family or friends. Part of that is through imitation, but the other part is unimitable, the feelings we draw from it. That is something that many people would agree to be meaningful, whether it come from family of friends.
Corporate Media sends us alot of different messages on what it means to live a meaningful life. Because Corporate Culture is aimed to sell, alot of what they tell us is biased towards certain messages. Often in these ads from corporate message, they show us an image of what we should want and what we should be, by suggesting that this is what we are not, and that by buying these products we can be. These kind of ads plays on people's insecurities and works, simply by saying that we need it for our lives to be meaningful.
If you look in any magazine there are ads that tell us to buy something. One such ad can be found in Businessweek, the issue on Nov. 10, 2008, page 72 where we can see a picturesque scene of roomy indoor cabins and red wine in a plane, decorated in a comfy and luxurious way. This ad, like many others, sends the message that money and luxury is part of having a meaningful life, being able to afford "the best". The ad talks about how it is the 'greenest' in its class playing on a trend towards caring for the planet. Being from corporate media the ad is aimed to get consumers and does that by sending the message that lavishness and extravagance will grant us that.
Even the music videos that is watched in entertainment sends us a message that having alot of money to buy things with is important to living a good and meaningful life. In The Good Life by Kenye West the video is basically telling people that having a good life equates to having money and women. Fame and popularity and having everyone know you and being "better" than everyone else is part of living the good life, and that he has that and he is living the good life.When he sings "shit, they say the best things in life are free" its saying that obviously money and the things you can buy with them are better, "And watch the money pile up, the good life" add that money is conducive to having a good life. He also shows that women are part of it, "And she got the goods/And she got that ass, I got to look" but it seems kind of superficial because he only mentions her body and not any other attributes besides that. Having everyone know him and about him is part of the message too "Now I, I go for mine, I got to shine/Now throw your hands up in the sky/Now I, I go for mine, I got to shine/Now throw your hands up in the sky" This kind of shows that, because the people, his fans, are there to listen to his music and to him "shine". The images support the theme and message of the video by showing Kanye over a crowd of people at the same time the lyrics sing "Now throw your hands up in the sky/Now I, I go for mine, I got to shine", and many of images of women, cheerleaders, a woman in a lowcut shirt, etc. Theres pictures of money piling up, and of different places he can go to like LA or New York, or Miami because he has all this money.
"Welcome to the good life
Where we like the girls who ain't on TV"
Its funny to them the "good life" starts where they no longer want the "hot" models on tv all the boys go after and the other messages usually tell people that those are the girls other girls want to be like and boys want to "get with".
"I don't think he should
50 told me go 'head switch the style up
And if they hate then let 'em hate"
He no longer thinks the criticisms of others is important. I thinks thats a good message because you can't control how others will think of you, so accepting that what will happen will happen makes it a lot easier when it does happen. The good life is the point where you can "do as you will".
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Assignment 5- Other Analysis of Popculture
This is for "All You need is Love"
Reiko
I agree that the meaning of the song is that love is what people need to live a meaningful life. It was kind of confusing to me too, when they said you can learn to play this game, like what did they mean by that? the game of love? life? If it is the game of love...then I thought it might be saying that its something you can win or lose because games usually have a winner...I don't see why love has to be a game either because its supposedly this wonderful thing in which both people benifit. I also like your analysis because it raises alot of interesting questions.
This is for "My Lipgloss"
Jace
I agree with your analysis of the video that good looks are something that it says is important in life. That there wasn't any ugly people was a pretty good point because people usually accept that the people in the video are there and don't really notice explicitly how they're like. There was also the dean or the principle in the video, and even though he isn't umm attractive he was also getting into the dancing too, so I think there's probably more to the message.
Henry
I thought it was interesting what you said about the end, how no body really knows anything about her besides her lip gloss. The analysis that you have is very clear that the message was that possessions are important to having a good life.
Reiko
I agree that the meaning of the song is that love is what people need to live a meaningful life. It was kind of confusing to me too, when they said you can learn to play this game, like what did they mean by that? the game of love? life? If it is the game of love...then I thought it might be saying that its something you can win or lose because games usually have a winner...I don't see why love has to be a game either because its supposedly this wonderful thing in which both people benifit. I also like your analysis because it raises alot of interesting questions.
This is for "My Lipgloss"
Jace
I agree with your analysis of the video that good looks are something that it says is important in life. That there wasn't any ugly people was a pretty good point because people usually accept that the people in the video are there and don't really notice explicitly how they're like. There was also the dean or the principle in the video, and even though he isn't umm attractive he was also getting into the dancing too, so I think there's probably more to the message.
Henry
I thought it was interesting what you said about the end, how no body really knows anything about her besides her lip gloss. The analysis that you have is very clear that the message was that possessions are important to having a good life.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Messages on the Good & Meaningful Life from Popular Culture - Part 1
The Good Life-Kenye West
1. What is the song basically saying about how to live a good life? Paraphrase the main idea.
The Video is basically telling people that having a good life equates to having money and women. Fame and popularity and having everyone know you and being "better" than everyone else is part of living the good life, and that he has that and he is living the good life.
2. What lyrics particularly speak to that perspective?
When he sings "shit, they say the best things in life are free" its saying that obviously money and the things you can buy with them are better, "And watch the money pile up, the good life" add that money is conducive to having a good life. He also shows that women are part of it, "And she got the goods/And she got that ass, I got to look" but it seems kind of superficial because he only mentions her body and not any other attributes besides that. Having everyone know him and about him is part of the message too "Now I, I go for mine, I got to shine/Now throw your hands up in the sky/Now I, I go for mine, I got to shine/Now throw your hands up in the sky" This kind of shows that, because the people, his fans, are there to listen to his music and to him "shine".
3. How do the video images support, re-orient, or challenge the dominant theme of the lyrics?
The images support the theme and message of the video by showing Kanye over a crowd of people at the same time the lyrics sing "Now throw your hands up in the sky/Now I, I go for mine, I got to shine", and many of images of women, cheerleaders, a woman in a lowcut shirt, etc. Theres pictures of money piling up, and of different places he can go to like LA or New York, or Miami because he has all this money.
4. What else do you notice that's interesting? Look for internal contradictions, aspects of the message that resonate with other messages from the pop culture, points that connect to your own perspective, etc.
Welcome to the good life
Where we like the girls who ain't on TV
Its funny to them the "good life" starts where they no longer want the "hot" models on tv all the boys go after and the other messages usually tell people that those are the girls other girls want to be like and boys want to "get with".
I don't think he should
50 told me go 'head switch the style up
And if they hate then let 'em hate
He no longer thinks the critism of others is important. I thinks thats a good message because you can't control how others will think of you, so accepting that what will happen will happen makes it alot easier when it does happen. The good life is the point where you can "do as you will"
1. What is the song basically saying about how to live a good life? Paraphrase the main idea.
The Video is basically telling people that having a good life equates to having money and women. Fame and popularity and having everyone know you and being "better" than everyone else is part of living the good life, and that he has that and he is living the good life.
2. What lyrics particularly speak to that perspective?
When he sings "shit, they say the best things in life are free" its saying that obviously money and the things you can buy with them are better, "And watch the money pile up, the good life" add that money is conducive to having a good life. He also shows that women are part of it, "And she got the goods/And she got that ass, I got to look" but it seems kind of superficial because he only mentions her body and not any other attributes besides that. Having everyone know him and about him is part of the message too "Now I, I go for mine, I got to shine/Now throw your hands up in the sky/Now I, I go for mine, I got to shine/Now throw your hands up in the sky" This kind of shows that, because the people, his fans, are there to listen to his music and to him "shine".
3. How do the video images support, re-orient, or challenge the dominant theme of the lyrics?
The images support the theme and message of the video by showing Kanye over a crowd of people at the same time the lyrics sing "Now throw your hands up in the sky/Now I, I go for mine, I got to shine", and many of images of women, cheerleaders, a woman in a lowcut shirt, etc. Theres pictures of money piling up, and of different places he can go to like LA or New York, or Miami because he has all this money.
4. What else do you notice that's interesting? Look for internal contradictions, aspects of the message that resonate with other messages from the pop culture, points that connect to your own perspective, etc.
Welcome to the good life
Where we like the girls who ain't on TV
Its funny to them the "good life" starts where they no longer want the "hot" models on tv all the boys go after and the other messages usually tell people that those are the girls other girls want to be like and boys want to "get with".
I don't think he should
50 told me go 'head switch the style up
And if they hate then let 'em hate
He no longer thinks the critism of others is important. I thinks thats a good message because you can't control how others will think of you, so accepting that what will happen will happen makes it alot easier when it does happen. The good life is the point where you can "do as you will"
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Many Views on Meaning and Wisdom- Assignment #3 Final Draft
Strangers, Family, and Friends all have different views on the meaning of life. For this project we had to ask people who we knew well and people we didn’t really know at all what their perspective on meaning was. I asked them what they defined meaning as, what they found to be a meaningful part of their lives, and how they much meaning they thought they had in their lives.
People seem to see it along the same lines on what is or is not meaningful. Almost all the people I've talked to say that family is a very meaningful part of life, one or two add that "human connection or being part of the larger community" is also something that is meaningful as well. When asked what made family, or friends so meaningful to them, a middle aged man said that it was because of everything that they have shared together and how they supported each other and just the love, which was along the same lines of 1/4th of the people I have asked had said. They found their lives to be pretty meaningful, people who were able to scale the meaning in their lives all said it was a 7-10 based on what they found was meaningful. The people who felt that they have fulfilled or already had what they thought was meaningful in their lives tended to think their lives were more meaningful. I thought this was interesting because one lady we met who was walking her dog said something that connected to this point. We had asked her whether she viewed her life as more meaningful than someone else's and she said that while happiness and security was meaningful to her life everyone needs different things to fulfill them and because of that it's up to them to determine. When viewed in this way meaning is something that is subjective because it is a personal matter.
2/8ths of the people interviewed mentioned goals as something they found as meaningful because it gave them a feeling of accomplishment and having goals and reaching those goals were rewarding. I thought about this and if meaning is viewed in goals, you would never be complete of have a “10” on the meaning scale because you are always striving to reach that goal, but once you’ve reached it your done, and you no longer have a goal because it is complete. I think goals are good, so if meaning were to be defined like this, a person must constantly make new goals for themselves to reach.
A small consensus of people found that catty people who judge other people were a meaningless part of life, because it was an unimportant aspect of life and getting caught up in "quintessential human drama" (Guy with bike) which is like the catty people comment since that is part of the "quintessential human drama". Another consensus of an equal amount came to the conclusion that money was meaningless because quote "it screws things up" (Guy on Ipod).
A pattern I noticed is that what makes someone happy is a part of what they think is meaningful. It is something that is ingrained in modern life, the pursuit of happiness, as well as in our constitution (John Adams). Closeness and happiness is something that people find meaningful, whether it is because of our culture or something else, family and friends seem to be a part of that equation.
Most of the people we asked seemed interested in our project and gave thoughtful answers in response to our questions. I think the wiser answers in these interviews came from people of age, and they seemed to be affected by how they were brought up. The middle aged man, who was dressed in a business suit and seemed to come from a well off family, said that he thought education as well as family was important when asked about what was meaningful in life he said it was. When we asked people if we thought they were wise the people in the twenties often replied no, because a majority of people think that wisdom comes from age and experiences. (Although a 7th grader we asked thought he was wise although he did not really know what wisdom was). But despite any differences of age or upbringing the way people thought about meaning were along the same lines.
"We determine meaning based on the function it serves in our lives" was an interesting and true comment on how we decide what is or is not meaningful I heard in class from one Andy Synder. The People I had interviewed..
People seem to see it along the same lines on what is or is not meaningful. Almost all the people I've talked to say that family is a very meaningful part of life, one or two add that "human connection or being part of the larger community" is also something that is meaningful as well. When asked what made family, or friends so meaningful to them, a middle aged man said that it was because of everything that they have shared together and how they supported each other and just the love, which was along the same lines of 1/4th of the people I have asked had said. They found their lives to be pretty meaningful, people who were able to scale the meaning in their lives all said it was a 7-10 based on what they found was meaningful. The people who felt that they have fulfilled or already had what they thought was meaningful in their lives tended to think their lives were more meaningful. I thought this was interesting because one lady we met who was walking her dog said something that connected to this point. We had asked her whether she viewed her life as more meaningful than someone else's and she said that while happiness and security was meaningful to her life everyone needs different things to fulfill them and because of that it's up to them to determine. When viewed in this way meaning is something that is subjective because it is a personal matter.
2/8ths of the people interviewed mentioned goals as something they found as meaningful because it gave them a feeling of accomplishment and having goals and reaching those goals were rewarding. I thought about this and if meaning is viewed in goals, you would never be complete of have a “10” on the meaning scale because you are always striving to reach that goal, but once you’ve reached it your done, and you no longer have a goal because it is complete. I think goals are good, so if meaning were to be defined like this, a person must constantly make new goals for themselves to reach.
A small consensus of people found that catty people who judge other people were a meaningless part of life, because it was an unimportant aspect of life and getting caught up in "quintessential human drama" (Guy with bike) which is like the catty people comment since that is part of the "quintessential human drama". Another consensus of an equal amount came to the conclusion that money was meaningless because quote "it screws things up" (Guy on Ipod).
A pattern I noticed is that what makes someone happy is a part of what they think is meaningful. It is something that is ingrained in modern life, the pursuit of happiness, as well as in our constitution (John Adams). Closeness and happiness is something that people find meaningful, whether it is because of our culture or something else, family and friends seem to be a part of that equation.
Most of the people we asked seemed interested in our project and gave thoughtful answers in response to our questions. I think the wiser answers in these interviews came from people of age, and they seemed to be affected by how they were brought up. The middle aged man, who was dressed in a business suit and seemed to come from a well off family, said that he thought education as well as family was important when asked about what was meaningful in life he said it was. When we asked people if we thought they were wise the people in the twenties often replied no, because a majority of people think that wisdom comes from age and experiences. (Although a 7th grader we asked thought he was wise although he did not really know what wisdom was). But despite any differences of age or upbringing the way people thought about meaning were along the same lines.
"We determine meaning based on the function it serves in our lives" was an interesting and true comment on how we decide what is or is not meaningful I heard in class from one Andy Synder. The People I had interviewed..
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Assignment 3; Many views on Meaning and Wisdom
Strangers, Family, and Friends all have different views on the meaning of life. People seem to see it along the same lines on what is or is not meaningful. Almost all the people I've talked to say that family is a very meaningful part of life, one or two add that "human connection or being part of the larger community" is also something that is meaningful as well. When asked what made family, or friends so meaningful to them, a middle aged man said that it was because of everything that they have shared together and how they supported each other and just the love, which was along the same lines of 1/4th of the people I have asked had said. They found their lives to be pretty meaningful, people who were able to scale the meaning in their lives all said it was a 7-10 based on what they found was meaningful. The people who felt that they have fulfilled or already had what they thought was meaningful in their lives tended to think their lives were more meaningful. I thought this was interesting because one lady we met who was walking her dog said something that connected to this point. We had asked her whether she viewed her life as more meaningful than someone else's and she said that while happiness and security was meaningful to her life everyone needs different things to fulfill them and because of that it's up to them to determine. When viewed in this way meaning is something that is subjective because it is a personal matter.
2/8ths of the people interviewed mentioned goals as something they found as meaningful because it gave them a feeling of accomplishment and having goals and reaching those goals were rewarding. I thought about this and if meaning is viewed in goals, you would never be completely have a “10” on the meaning scale because you are always striving to reach that goal, but once you’ve reached it your done, and you no longer have a goal because it is complete. I think goals are good, so if meaning were to be defined like this, a person must constantly make new goals for themselves to reach.
A small consensus of people found that catty people who judge other people were a meaningless part of life, because it was an unimportant aspect of life and getting caught up in "quintessential human drama" (Guy with bike) which is like the catty people comment since that is part of the "quintessential human drama". Another consensus of an equal amount came to the conclusion that money was meaningless because quote "it screws things up" (Guy on Ipod).
A pattern I noticed is that what makes someone happy is a part of what they think is meaningful, because why not, if we are to eventually die, why not die happy? It is something that is ingrained in modern life, the search for happiness, as well as in our constitution (John Adams). That is part of the reason family and friends are part of what we find is meaningful in our lives, because they make us happy and that's why I think people had said that.
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