t-shirts:
Without me, it's just awso
Everybody Loves Ramen
The Police Never Think It's as Funny As You Do
Quotes:
"No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously."
- Dave Barry
"The difference between reality and fiction? Fiction has to make sense."
- Tom Clancy
Real Laws
It is against the law in Washington to pretend that your parents are rich.
It's against the law in Iowa to charge people to watch a one-armed pianist perform.
In Florida, widows may not skydive on Sunday afternoons.
It is against the law in Oklahoma to display a hypnotized person in a window.
Bumper stickers:
I do what the bumper stickers tell me to
When life gives you lemons, shut up and eat your lemons
Follow your dreams, except that one where you're at school in your underwear
Pop Culture Anagrams:
Desperate Housewives ... becomes
We are devious she-pets.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears ... becomes
Girl had cereals, then took beds
The Sopranos ... becomes
A Person Shot
[all pulled from Uncle John's Unsinkable Bathroom Reader.]
R World (Ron Davison muses aloud)
Showing posts with label pop culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pop culture. Show all posts
28 October 2008
19 November 2007
Programming Self
I see it everywhere. Walking through public places, children, teenagers, and even adults are plugged in to iPods. Suddenly, I become suspicious of the term "programming."
Self is a narrative that the brain tells itself to create a coherent experience, says my daughter who is majoring in cognitive science. Does that mean that who I am is just the plastic thingy that holds together the six pack? I should be more offended, but I'm just a narrative so I let it slide.
Our culture is becoming more fragmented. In LA County, more than a 100 different languages are spoken in homes. Even people who all speak English talk about things I can't understand - esoteric is the new dialect, as religious, business, technical, and cultural groups all generate a slew of terms and concepts that require nothing less than years of immersion to understand and decode. We're becoming tribes of specialists doomed to feel alienated unless we show an interest in politics or sports or celebrities.
The media, then, becomes the narrative that holds culture together. Suddenly, the programming that is being distributed more incessantly than ever before - through iPods and Internet and TV and radio and magazines and newspapers - makes perfect sense. It feeds our need for cultural cohesion. Programming might shape young minds. Culture might be the default cult for which there is no de-programming. Or it may just be that individual lives need a narrative outside themselves that provides a sense of cohesion. In either case, those iPods seemed inevitable.
Self is a narrative that the brain tells itself to create a coherent experience, says my daughter who is majoring in cognitive science. Does that mean that who I am is just the plastic thingy that holds together the six pack? I should be more offended, but I'm just a narrative so I let it slide.
Our culture is becoming more fragmented. In LA County, more than a 100 different languages are spoken in homes. Even people who all speak English talk about things I can't understand - esoteric is the new dialect, as religious, business, technical, and cultural groups all generate a slew of terms and concepts that require nothing less than years of immersion to understand and decode. We're becoming tribes of specialists doomed to feel alienated unless we show an interest in politics or sports or celebrities.
The media, then, becomes the narrative that holds culture together. Suddenly, the programming that is being distributed more incessantly than ever before - through iPods and Internet and TV and radio and magazines and newspapers - makes perfect sense. It feeds our need for cultural cohesion. Programming might shape young minds. Culture might be the default cult for which there is no de-programming. Or it may just be that individual lives need a narrative outside themselves that provides a sense of cohesion. In either case, those iPods seemed inevitable.
14 July 2007
Bjork and Social Deconstruction
Bjork is the most intriguing artist in pop music since John Lennon.
Art is important to the construction and deconstruction of social reality. The iconic art of medieval times gave way to the art of the human in the form of Michelangelo's David and DaVinci's Mona Lisa. This art helped to loosen the hold of form on the West, bringing the individual into focus. The classical music of the Enlightenment was pre-echo, if you will, of the symphony of factories and workers in the new world of capitalism - the importance of precision and coordination in art as prelude to commerce.
Bjork is one of those rare artists for whom the manipulation of notes is secondary to the manipulation of common clichés, symbols, and culture. She plays with the elements of pop culture. Anyone who thinks that pop culture can’t change society didn’t pay attention to the impact of the 60’s.
In this video, she deconstructs the odd symbiosis between media and culture, the muse and celebrity. It's a rare bit of genius in the midst of mindless videos. Enjoy.
Art is important to the construction and deconstruction of social reality. The iconic art of medieval times gave way to the art of the human in the form of Michelangelo's David and DaVinci's Mona Lisa. This art helped to loosen the hold of form on the West, bringing the individual into focus. The classical music of the Enlightenment was pre-echo, if you will, of the symphony of factories and workers in the new world of capitalism - the importance of precision and coordination in art as prelude to commerce.
Bjork is one of those rare artists for whom the manipulation of notes is secondary to the manipulation of common clichés, symbols, and culture. She plays with the elements of pop culture. Anyone who thinks that pop culture can’t change society didn’t pay attention to the impact of the 60’s.
In this video, she deconstructs the odd symbiosis between media and culture, the muse and celebrity. It's a rare bit of genius in the midst of mindless videos. Enjoy.
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