Response to Riley's "Real Talk with Kanye West"

Please find Riley's original blog here http://jesusblawg.blogspot.com/2011/01/real-talk-with-kanye-west.html

Hi Riley!

         I am so happy that you posted on this topic! As we were watching the Jesus Walks video 2 classes ago, I could not help but think of how Kanye West is a type of Christian “poser”. Although West proclaims himself to be a follower of Christ, he seems to be ‘all talk and no do’. Some of his songs, as you reflect, evoke Christianity and he does talk openly about his faith, however other areas of his life do not reflect this.

         One of West’s most popular stints of his career is saying on international television that “George W. Bush hates black people” while hosting a telethon for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Bush responded to West’s accusations were one of his lowest points in office. His other more recent faux pas was at the 2009 Video Music Awards when he grabbed the mic from Taylor Swift’s hands and told the world that Beyonce should have won. When I see these types of actions, I really say to myself: “are you serious?? Who is this guy? And WHY am I buying his music and seeing him in concert?” Just this past November, West brought up these two incidents yet again after a performance in New York City citing that Swift should have come to his defense in an interview and that she “rode the wave”. West then brought up Bush’s response to him saying ""If you look at the interview, he said, 'It's one of his lowest moments,' and he said it about 10 different things… but because the popularity of me, they [the media] exploited that to make you watch the interview and make you feel that he was stupider than ever...It shows you the way they try to villainize." Here we see West’s not too subtle approach at criticizing the media. But really, do you think the media are going to stop criticizing you if you continue to do the wrong thing? It's funny, because just two weeks before his performance, he cancelled an interview with the Today Show over Twitter saying that he was not going to make it in 'tweets'. 

         In brief mention of Dustin Kidd’s argument of normalcy and establishing social change, is Kanye West (and his entire persona, rapping, etc) an example of social change that really is beneficial to society? Is his outspoken nature going to influence young people that view him as being a role model? Who will he offend next? Will he continue to praise God? Will he ever really feel bad for what he did to Taylor Swift or George W.? Personally, I think when it comes to celebrities and their unpredictable nature there is only one answer we can ponder: “who knows”.

- kathleen

Kanye West 'tweet's' the Today Show his cancellation

http://ca.eonline.com/uberblog/b210986_mr_bitter_twitter_kanye_tweets_in_his.html

Taylor Swift Should've Stuck Up for Me!

http://ca.eonline.com/uberblog/b213088_kanye_west_taylor_swift_shouldve_stuck.html

Video of Kanye West speaking of Bush and Swift in New York, November 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LcnE_SM6x0

Sex & the City: A Pop Culture Phenomenon

            Upon reading Dustin Kidd’s article Harry Potter and the Functions of Popular Culture, and then speaking of the levels of popular culture (such as creating norms, maintain boundaries, developing rituals, innovation and social change) during class, I couldn’t help but think of the popular television series Sex & the City. After reading my colleague Elona’s post on Jersey Shore and thinking of how the characters actions influence and affect the youth of today, again, my mind wandered to the girls of Sex & the City.  Beginning in 1998 and running until 2004, the series followed the lives of four best friends Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda. Throughout the show, characters got married, had children, worked, traveled, and partied (to name a few), however, the most prevalent theme on the show lies in the title – sex. Sex & the City opened new doors for women and sexuality. It has been argued that the show is an example of the progress in women’s rights (as the characters frankly talk of their sexual exploits) and that is has positively raised awareness about sexually transmitted diseases and safe sex. However, the real issue lies not in the characters promiscuity (really, they are all adults and can make their own decisions), but rather the young audience that view the series. According to a 2008 study by the American Journal of Pediatrics, “Teens who were exposed to high levels of television sexual content (90th percentile) were twice as likely to experience a pregnancy in the subsequent 3 years, compared with those with lower levels of exposure (10th percentile)”. Sitcoms such as Sex & the City glamorize sex and belittle important issues such (the obvious) sex, promiscuity and, most frightfully, abortions (please see link below). Also in 2008, ABC covered a story on a girl who believes that Sex & the City caused her to have sex at 14. Has Sex & the City developed norms, boundaries, rituals, innovation and social change? The answers to all are yes. Cosmopolitans are one of the most popular drinks to be ordered, women compare their relationships to those of the Carrie & Co., the term ‘Mr. Big’ and calling someone a ‘Samantha’ are understood without explanation, fashion has been influenced tremendously and women are not afraid to be open about their sexuality, and as Samantha would put it ‘have sex like a man’. However, can the show be deemed a positive popular culture innovation? Does it really push the boundaries of women’s rights and promote healthy sexuality? What do you think?

- K

American Journal of Pediatrics: Does Watching Sex on Television Predict Teen Pregnancy?

'Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda' Sex & the City, s. 4, ep. 11 (please start at 2:32)

'Sex & the City' fiend: Show Turned Me Into Samantha

Sex & the City Bad Influence on Lohan

"Sex and the City" Charity Auction Criticized for Abortion Donation

my other online adventures!

hi all!

check out my other blog at:

killin the kanvas

and my website at:

kathleenkillin.com

thanks!

K

Response to "Jersey Shore and Dustin Kidd" on Elona's Blog

Please find below my response to Elona's blog post located here:
http://ekhoy.blogspot.com/


     I really like your idea of using Jersey Shore (JS) as an example for Dustin Kidd’s arguments. When a fellow classmate mentioned that people claim to watch reality TV ironically, but not actually ‘like’ it and continue to watch it, this is the first program that I thought of. I know a lot of people who also watch reality TV, specifically Jersey Shore (including my little brother as well), and say that they only watch it because the characters are ‘so ridiculous’.  However, each week they continue to watch it. In response to your breakdown of Kidd’s steps and their relation to JS, I have a few comments particularly on creating norms, rituals and social change.

            

    In looking at a cultural artifact such as Jersey Shore, the characters, as you outline, develop a set of norms that we see reflected in the lives of the viewers. Terms such as ‘GTL’ (gym, tanning, laundry) and calling yourself ‘The Situation’ have become mantras for young men who watch the show, while female viewers see the female characters acting and dressing promiscuously with skin tones that come close to the colour orange.

            

      In speaking of rituals and social change, the rituals of the cast on Jersey Shore have formed rituals for the viewers and inspired a change of societal views. As mentioned previously, the development of what can be considered normal on the show is emphasized in the rituals of the individuals and directly influences the viewers perception of how one should act, dress, etc. You mention particular rituals of the housemates, however I think of the group of young people who collect on the couch every Thursday night (I think it is on Thursdays?) to watch the program and follow their every move.

            

    Coming from an Italian background that I am very proud of, I feel that these individuals are making a bad name for the rest of us and do not reflect what it is to be a young person of Italian descent. Although this reflection is only about Jersey Shore, many other programs on television promote a similar type of life style. For example, Sex and the City sparked a revolution in the 1990s with elements of the series falling under all of Kidd’s steps. However, I will save that analysis for my own blog posting.

Thanks for the post!

- K

Response to "Are the Flanders Good Christian Role Models?" on Josh's Blog

Please find my response both below and located here: http://buddychristsjesuspiece.blogspot.com/2011/01/are-flanders-good-christian-role-models.html

            I am unsure if I agree with you or not on the issue if the Flander’s can be considered ‘good Christian role models’. I understand that you are concerned with the Flander’s ambushing Homer when he decides not to go to church. I disagree with your judgment of the Flander’s motives in going after Homer. However I believe that they are not showing a lack of acceptance, but instead are concerned with his salvation and show that they genuinely care, rather than them trying to get church numbers up. In fact, there are a few Christian churches that actually in force missionary work and going into the community such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Seeing as Christianity owes it’s entire existence to missionary work (Paul’s missionary work to the Gentiles far surpassed anything the Judean church did), the argument of the Flander’s missionary measures must be considered a norm in the Christian faith. I was just wondering what you meant by ‘keeping their church’s numbers up’? Are you referring to more money in coffers or more souls saved? Or something else?

            

        However, in support of your argument that Ned Flanders can be considered a bad Christian, one must look to the episode A Star is Born Again (Season 14, Episode 13). During the episode, Ned meets and has pre-marital sex with a movie star (after Maude dies). In the Bible, pre-marital sex is condemned throughout both the Old and New Testament. Hebrews Chapter 13 says: “Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery” and Matthew Chapter 5 notes Jesus preachings on adultery and lustful acts. Here, you could find an example of Flander’s acting against his usual ‘Okaly, Dokaly’ daily Christian routine.

            

      Lastly, I would like to challenge your post-script message regarding Ned being home during the fire at the Simpson’s house… he may have attended another service on that Sunday.

           

Very stimulating post!

- Kathleen

A Star is Born Again (Season 14, Episode 13). Please begin around 17 minutes.

http://www.iwatchsimpsonsonline.com/s14e13-a-star-is-born-again/

JESUS SAVES (and Gretzky gets the rebound)

           Trothen, Tracy. “Holy Acceptable Violence? Violence in Hockey and Christian Atonement Theories.” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 21 (2009), 42 pp. 

           

            Upon finishing Tracy Trothen’s article Holy Acceptable Violence? Violence in Hockey and Christian Atonement Theories for the first time I was left questioning a few of her arguments. I wasn’t sure if it was just me not reading the article properly or too quickly, so I reread it and then brought up some of the issues that were bothering me to my family and boyfriend over dinner this evening. I come from a hockey family – my dad plays hockey, my brother plays hockey, I worked with the women’s hockey team throughout high school, my mum is an avid hockey fan and my boyfriend played Jr. A and then Varsity for U of T. So lets just say, hockey is a common theme throughout my life and day-to-day conversation in my home. Saying this, I was excited to read Trothen’s article as I was unsure of how she would approach the issue of the relationship between Christianity and hockey. However, as mentioned, after completing the reading for the first, then second time I was left with mixed feelings of a few points Trothen presents.

            The first is her mention of female athletes and their ‘selling themselves’ in a sexual way for more ‘ice time’ and scholarships (beginning in paragraph 32). I know many female athletes, including myself, who achieved a high competitive level in sport due to hard work either at the rink, field or studio, and devoted themselves to achieve scholarships and receive funding. I understand that some female sports teams do create calendars with the girls in risqué outfits to raise funds, however I feel that Trothen’s argument is flawed because of the fact that she did not provide any specific advertisements or examples in which athletic women are athletically portrayed.            

            A second point that caused my brow to furrow was Trothen’s discussion of men’s sexual views of women (“rape culture”) both within the hockey dressing room and elsewhere in their lives (paragraph 53). I understand that this fact is true (in that men do speak about women), however Trothen portrays hockey players as, to be crude, ‘pigs’ in that they do not respect women and only view them as sexual beings to use and abuse. As I have said, I am surrounded my male hockey players constantly and am left offended by her statement as she does not consider that it is not only male hockey players that speak in this way concerning women. In any dressing room of any sport, fraternities or when getting a few guys together similar conversations will occur. Looking from the other side, I have been in many female dressing rooms and have overheard conversations about boyfriends or guys that are incredibly appalling, thus it is not only the male individual who speaks crudely of the other sex.

            The third point that I would like to address is Trothen's discussion of the amount of Christian elements throughout the game of hockey. I would like to address that although a large population of North America, and many professional hockey players are Christian, there still are a numerous non-Christian hockey players including Leaf draft pick Nazeem Kadri (a practicing Muslim), and Jewish players including Matt Schneider, Mike Cammalleri (yes, despite the Italian name and being from Woodbridge, he is the grandson of Holocaust survivors from Poland) and Marty Turco. Online, a large number of discussions have been set up concerning the religious background of NHLers with people noting the strong Christian following, but also acknowledging professional hockey being sprinkled with other religions and a growing number of players identifying with atheism. 

            Upon summarizing the article to my family and boyfriend tonight at dinner, I mentioned my primary concerns and received a similar response to how I felt.  I am concerned regarding Trothen’s mention of females in sport and the male view of women. I also believe that Trothen did not look at this topic in a broader perspective, but rather viewed the two, Christianity and hockey, as separate entities. She also failed to view hockey’s violence as being adrenaline based and the overall competitive nature of high level sports. As my family and I sit together on the couch this evening to watch some NHL network and see what game is on (after getting home from my brothers game at a far off rink), I doubt any of us will be thinking of the Christian elements in the violence of hockey. Rather, I think Trothen should have spoken primarily of Lynch’s idea of looking at hockey as a religion. I could definitely agree with her there.

Make sure to check out the links below!

Here is a link to an article about Paul Henderson speaking about hockey being the sport least influences by Christianity:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Ex-NHLer-says-hockey-s-the-sport-least-influence?urn=nhl-87601

Interview with Brian Pothier (Washington Capitals captain) on hockey and faith:

http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/prayingfields/2008/12/what_does_god_think_about_hock.html

Here are a few of my favourite hockey fighting moments (try to picture the Christian elements of violence in them). To make a note, hockey’s most violent act, the fight,  is usually to swing momentum in the game, while hockey’s second most violent act, the body check’s, primary purpose is to get the puck back.

Probert vs. Domi 1992

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiMJdl7k9sU

George Laraque fight (start at 46 seconds).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxFS2JAyleo

Canada vs. Russia 1987 World Juniors Hockey Championships

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq4BLVRorKY

Cheers,

Kathleen

Bloggin' on..

WELCOME to my BLOG on Christianity & Pop Culture! I am currently a student at the University of Toronto and am going to be writing my reflections and responses over the next 8 weeks to readings and lectures I encounter in the course Christianity and Pop Culture. Please feel free to respond to any postings!

Cheers,

Kathleen