Critical Thinking Blog #3

I don't think you can really compare the current youth culture to those of say the sixty's and seventy's. Time have changed. Children in each decade have grown up extremely different from the previous. While a lot of this has to do with technology, another explaination can come from the home and how the children are raised. While in the sixty's, TV was still relatively new. Today it is called by some the babysitter. The regulations and restrictions on TV are not what they used to be, which means youths are being exposed to more ideas and shock entertainment. As for me personally, I grew up on the outskirts of Auburn. I have never lived in a city which I feel a lot of cultural influences come from. For the most part, my siblings and I didn't participate in the popular culture. My parents raised us on 5 acres with quads, motorcycles, and firetrucks. There weren't a lot of kids around, so we kept to ourselves and liked what we liked and did what we did. I don't think it was until I reached middle school that I really started to see brands and realize the status associated with them. Even then though, I wasn't overly interested in it. I was comfortable with who I was and didn't pay attention to what I wore. I just have a really hard time comparing myself with the youth culture. Also I think that I don't really remember a lot from then which is another reason I am having a hard time with this post. I don't really recall any movements during my youth. I know some of the music changed throughout these periods, but I still stuck with the things that I enjoyed regardless of what was overly popular. Even when I read the chapter, I was having a hard time relating to the passages and arguments. Unlike in the previous chapters, this chapter wasn't one I could form an opinion on.

Pre-Reading Blog #3

I really don't think I understand the current popular culture. The first thing that came to mind when I read the phrase "popular culture" was fashion. Looking at the current fashion style, I will say I don't fit in the criteria at all. Straight leg pants were around in the eighty's when I was growing up and then went out of style. Now the fad is back and I really don't understand why. The same thing of course happened with bell bottom pants that were popular in the sixty's and in the late ninety's. As for what the celebrities wear, I don't know who tells them that this is the new thing, but half of the time I am amazed they are out in public. I am definitely glad I am not in Hollyood lights because I prefer to be comfortable in jeans and t-shirts. As for TV, I really don't watch it anymore. I can't stand all of the reality shows on TV now. Of course we can thank the craze to MTV with first making the Real World and Road Rules. However, I will admit there is a few shows, such as Top Chef, Iron Chef, and other Food Network shows, I find entertaining because I learn new techniques and ideas. However, the amount of commercials in these breif episode periods is unbelievable. And I will also admit that there are a few fictional TV series I enjoy watching, but I usually wait until they come out on DVD so that I can watch them when I want to. Some of these shows include 24, House, Bones, and Rescue Me. I enjoy the stories in these shows and that is what attracts me to them. The music I listen to is mainly country with a mix of everything else mixed in. I understand why I like country. The songs and music tell a story and has a purpose. Some of the songs are just for fun, but overall it is how I feel and how it makes me feel. I don't think people can say that I follow main stream culture and popularity. I chose to be who I am. If the current popular culture happens to suit me, then it happens to suit me. I think the only thing about popular culture I do follow is technology. Since it also happens to be my job, I think this is a great thing to keep up on.
The next part of the prompt I don't really know how to respond to. The history is of course there, but does it matter? I guess that answer will vary person to person.
How do you determine what the current popular culture is? Does popular culture pretain to groups or individuals and how do you determine where it begins and ends?