Most important concept learned

  I think the most important concept we learned is to think about different components in the way of popular culture study--from how the popular culture is formed and spread, to how can we analyze different things with the theory of it. We learned different ways of how people study popular culture like Marxists critics ,  Cultural Study and more. Take advertising as example, we learned what is false consciousness or what is conspicuous consumption. We tried to analyzed different topic and examples using the theory of popular culture on some interesting or problematic examples. We also spent a lot of time on discuss whether something is hegemonic, of discuss how the narratives or contents contributes to the theme. We discussed about different genres or subgenres  in Music but we also used the concept for the whole process of class. It's interesting to discover how the things we learned before are connected with things we are discussing or facing everyday. We applied the concept of thinking in a way of theory of popular culture a lot on class and expressed our opinion based on that. By learning this concept, I started to understand more of the popular culture on how they worked or why it goes in a certain way, and also found it interesting when we are looking into something we knew before or some events happened long before. By using the theory of popular culture, it helped us a lot on thinking critically and thinking about different perspectives. Instead of just being  a part of mainstream and follow it blindly, We are now provided a chance to look into different issue in an open perspective and learn more about it. We all are contributors of popular cultures, so it's helpful and great to know more about the study of it. 

The Most Important Concept learned is...

The most important concept I believe I learned in class is Hall's "triparite theory" of reception. It was discussed early in the semester, but I feel like it can be applied across many other subjects discussed in class. Triparite theory describes how people can respond to popular culture. Dominant is when the consumers fully support the ideology. Negotiated is when the consumers are reserved due to being conflicted regarding the ideology. Oppositional is when the consumer is completely against the ideology. Oppositional and negotiated I feel are critical in the idea of popular culture. Through the class, I would argue that popular culture is hegemonic, meaning that a group (the population) is given consent to determine the ideology. With negotiated and oppositional receptions, the people that do not consent or completely consent can also for their own ideologies that may receive reception from other people in a society. This is how genres can be made, something we learned later in the course. With this idea of triparite theory, a base understanding of everything that was learned later in the course could be critically decoded. After this class, I believe it is now possible to decode parts of popular culture that we see in our culture once this class is over.

The Most Important Concept

The most important concept that we learned in this class was the ways that popular culture make us conform. Everyone wants to be part of our culture and the things we learn through Ads, Sports, films, Tv and all our concepts make us come together. However this also makes us conform, we lose our  individuality and try to become one with the culture. Although there are examples of countercultures, the vast majority of people remain part of the mainstream. This hegemony is hard to realize until you start looking at in a class like this. The fact that we are able to realize how we are part of the problem is eye opening. This culture is something that we are all socialized into and is therefore extremely hard to break out. Therefore even though popular culture does have benefits and it has it's great parts, we all face the conformity that is a major part of our lives.

Important Concept

I feel that the most important concept that I learned in this class is the utility of popular culture. We have learned that people use pop culture for so many different things. For example, some may watch sports for pure escapism from their hectic lives, while others may watch sports to feel more engaged and connected with city or state that the team represents. One person may view a chick flick looking solely for laughter and a good romance story, while another viewer may be watching the same movie looking for validation of their feelings and lifestyle. Just one piece of media can do so many different things for different people, and I have found that concept to be very novel and interesting. Not everyone is getting the same messages and value out of popular movies and television shows; everyone has a different experience based on their reason for viewing the media, and their own unique perspectives.

Most important concept

One of the most important concepts I've learned through this class is that each piece of popular culture we consume has different meanings and perspectives on who is consuming it. Throughout the semester we consumed a lot of different popular media and throughout the semester, there were so many different meanings on all the different idiosyncrasies of popular culture. There is not one correct way to interpret popular culture no matter the medium. Through music, we thought about things that the average listener doesn't. We took different meanings of lyrics, of instrumentation and dissected them to the point that everybody in class had their own unique experience with the popular culture. This goes for advertising, graphic novels, film and all the other mediums of popular culture we consumed. Each individual has a unique perspective when consuming popular culture.

Most Important Concept Learned

I think the most important concept I learned through this class was in the Technology unit. Everything about technology is so important and relevant to our current lives. A lot of people in today's society are addicted to technology, whether they realize it or not. Technology is everywhere, we use it 24/7, it filters information we receive, it's how we communicate, and it even tracks us. In general, there are so many pros and cons to technology. It infantilizes us, it is emancipatory, oppressive, facilitates intellectual growth, divides & brings people together, and makes popular culture better and worse. Technology can impact our lives both positively and negatively which I think is a very important lesson to know for life. It was also very interesting to learn about technology as it relates to popular culture because I've grown up using technology and applying it to different aspects of popular culture helps me learn its significance. An important takeaway that I will always keep in mind in the future is: technology is both a blessing and a burden.

The Most Important Concept

To me the most important concept learned was the popular culture is all around us. We see and consume popular culture in our every day lives even if we do not notice it. Before coming into this class I did not even know what popular culture was. I would watch tv, listen to music, and go to sporting events not knowing that I was consuming what is called popular culture. After the first week of class I started to notice all of the types of popular culture that is around me including music, television, movies, and sports. I really took this concept beyond the classroom and into my every day life which I do not do with other classes. Learning about types of popular culture has given me and insight to things that I have not noticed before but learning about popular culture as a whole has had the biggest impact on me personally. I will take this concept with me for the rest of my life and notice that every form of popular culture has a deeper meaning than just providing simple entertainment.

War of the Worlds - The Tripod

War of the Worlds

A lightning storm starts over New Jersey, lightning bolts are hurled from the sky. As the storm subsides and all electronics stop working, a hole is discovered in the middle of the road. The ground begins to quake, the gawkers scramble, buildings split, cars tremble, windows shatter, and a church ruptures. There's a distinct lack of music; emphasizing the sound effects creates a more suspenseful atmosphere. A vehicle is thrown from the now giant hole. An enormous tripod comes flying out, crashing down on a car the protagonist is hiding behind. Then a gigantic machine rises from the Earth. People run in fear, the dramatic music starts playing as the tripod robot stands up.

Then silence while the robot remains motionless. The robot sounds a frightening horn, two arms appear, and a charging sound effect initiates. Suspenseful music starts again. Lasers shoot from the arms and vaporize all who are unfortunate enough to cross its path. It's an intense few minutes that demonstrates man's dependence on technology and the vulnerability of life itself. We are but ants to these Goliath alien vehicles, ironically, what ends up destroying the superior lifeforms are the microscopic ones we never see.

Movie Clips on the ending of The Shawshank Redemption

        Movie Clips on The Shawshank Redemption

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7MMTmVZcVs

I chose the ending scene of the Shawshank redemption. It’s just like other classic ending scenes that told us the story of what happened after the movie and comes with a happy ending. We can hear the sound of the nature—pleasant sounds which implied Red’s feeling of walking free and anticipation to his new life. Then it comes with the content of the letter and some happy and warm music played. The light is bright and warm and the shots comes from the field to the place he lived and then the station, and the bus. When the shot comes to the place he lived, it focused on the words on the wall” Brooke is here So was Red” which reminds us the fate of Brooke who failed to adjust himself to the new life. And when Red is on his trip to freedom, the cam focused on him and he put his hand outside the window. Then the bus climbed in a hill. Every detail on that scene give us a feeling of being free and the pleasure of it. The whole clip has a warm color to fit in the theme. And the asides repeated the famous quote ”Get busy living or get busy dying”( which has a new different feeling and meaning from the first time it was said by Andy) and talked about hope. Then the scene moved above from blue of the water like it was hoped. We saw Andy was on that promised ship and they meet each other. The whole clip shared a very casual and delightful feeling which was created by the warm color, the brightness of the light, the casual music and the inspiring aside dialogue. The scene give us plenty of the possibilities to imagine Andy and Red’s happy future life as well as reminds us Brooke’s failure and one of the most important dialogue of the movie: ”Get busy living or get busy dying.”

 

Clueless: Opening Scene

In this video clip it is the typical teenage girl. The camera goes from her and her friends having fun to  just her going shopping and living the glamorous life. The music is not totally girly, but it is music that talks about being a teenager and having fun. This scene is all about a girl and how she is living life and having fun with her friends. At the end of the scene when she is using the computer to pick out her outfit for the day she is selling her outfit that she does pick out. The audience would mostly consist of teenage girls and they would find themselves wishing they lived a life like that, including the shopping, hanging out with friends, boys, and having everything you could ever want in your closet.

Screening Culture: Poetic Justice

I am looking forward to learning from your blog posts! To get us started, here is a clip from the film Poetic Justice. It provides a great opportunity to discuss the use of

• sound (diegetic and non-diegetic) 
• dialogue
• music
• color
• lighting
• montage shots
• counter-shots
• slow face to black

 :https://youtu.be/1gpLa0aXAtU

Miracle Scene

   

In this scene of Miracle Coach Brooks teaches the team the importance of teamwork and working together as one unit. the aesthetics especially the transition from light to dark shows the mental and physical exhaustion that the players are experiencing. The camera pans in completely on Coach Brooks and all you can hear is the sound of the whistle and the heavy panting and breathing of the players. Finally the camera moves to Mike Eruzione, who would eventually be named captain of the team. He is asked who he plays for and finally all the previous divisons whether they be personal or geographic disappear and he says that he plays for the United States of America

The Newsroom "Why America isn't the greatest"

Stepping away from the movie scene, there is a particular TV show scene that really stood out to me. It comes from the TV show "The Newsroom" which is an american political drama . The scene "Why America isn't the greatest country anymore" questions the values of americans. it starts off in a lecture hall filled with college students. A girl ask a couple professors on the stage Why America is the best country in the world. One by one they say it is because of freedom, diversity, etc. When the main character gets asked, he explodes and says it isn't. This scene is so powerful because it test the values of the youth. The majority of people see us as the greatest even though we don't account for all the problems in our society. We ignore the negatives and take in the positives. The main character talks about these points and everyone is shocked from his speech.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMqcLUqYqrs

Rushmore: Revenge Scene

In Wes Anderson's Rushmore, two characters Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) and Mr. Blume (Bill Murray) are two characters pitted against each other after being friends earlier in the film. This scene is especially interesting because of the humor used and the juxtaposition of the shots on the screen and the music used.

In this scene, Anderson showcases the two characters and the spiteful attempts at revenge each of them use to get back at each other. While utilizing humor, the scene is dependent on the diegetic music for it to work correctly. In the scene, the main sound used is The Who's song "A Quick One, While He's Away". The songs main chorus states "you are forgiven" while it's clear the two characters are clearly mad at each other.

This scene is a pivotal part of the film and utilizing the juxtaposition of the two characters helps progress the plot.

Dance Scene from Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook is one of my favorite movies and this is one of the most pivotal scenes of the movie. Before this scene, Pat and Tiffany get into a major argument that we think is going to end the movie and cancel the dance. Then we see the competition they're up against in the background of the drama and it solidifies the fact that this couple doesn't really have a chance. When it comes to Pat and Tiffany' s dance number, Pat is stressed and Tiffany is drinking. The way they film the scene starts out by focusing only on the facial expressions and following only the couple as they move about the dance floor. Pat and Tiffany just staring at each other as the music starts to play. This gives us the audience the chance to see the lack of hope in Pat's family's eyes and the look of determination in Pat's and makes us root for this couple even more than before. With this way of shooting, you can tell that Tiffany starts to try once she sees Pat trying. The music doesn't quite fit the scene at first , then by the end of the number the intimate music fits the mood and you can see that the two feel the same way about each other. All this is done without words. The audience finds themselves rooting for this team with only some music, choreography and facial expressions.

Opening Scene: Legally Blonde

The aesthetics of the opening scene of Legally Blonde operate to inform the viewer of just what type of movie this is going to be and what the protagonist is like--all without words. Right away, the viewer sees a girl brushing her perfect blonde hair to the tune of a light and whimsical pop song. The credits begin to pop up on the screen--written in hot pink cursive lettering. This viewer instantly knows that this is going to be a light and airy chick flick. The aesthetics of the scene also inform us about who the character of Elle Woods is--throughout the scene, the camera slowly pans around her bedroom and sorority house, focusing on her nail polish, sorority paddle, hair dye, Prada shopping bag, girls exercising, someone shaving their legs, Elle doing her makeup, and her glittery pink shoes. From these camera shots, we can infer that Elle is someone who is glamorous and beautiful, cares a lot about her appearance, and is an upper class sorority girl--completely without any spoken words. 

Scattering Donny's Ashes

One of the final scenes in the film The Big Lebowski comes when the dude and Walter go to a California mountaintop to scatter the ashes of their departed friend Donny into the Pacific Ocean. The scene is meant to have a twisted humor to it, which the aesthetic dimensions tries to highlight. This starts with the first shot of the scene which tries to set a tranquil scene, where the only noises are the ocean waves and nearby seagulls with a shot of a California coast. While you think this is a serious scene where you think Walter will show emotion and compassion, you can see more and more of the vessel in which their dear friend Donny's remains are contained in; a used Folgers can. The timing comes when Walter turns to being more like the character he was for most of the film. To add to the dark humor of the scene, as Donny's ashes are released, the camera pans to the dude, whom immediately is hit with a face full of poor Donny's ashes. In a way, it gives the film a calm ending, without being too sad, and still light hearted. 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dakx97gRCx0


The music and narration of this clip from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button add a dramatic effect to the scene. It makes it more emotional and more impactful on the viewer. It focuses on the importance of little things by zooming in on them (the alarm clock, the boutique, the shoelace, etc.). This scene emphasizes the impact of small events and how they can lead up to and contribute to a bigger life event. There is a hidden lesson in this clip and it is that life is out of our control. The writers of this scene/movie want the viewers to learn this when watching this scene and they want them to actually get something meaningful out of it. The aspect of color is also very important in this short clip. For the most part everything is gray colored except for Daisy (the main character with the red hair), she is wearing bright yellow. This puts the focus of the scene on her and makes her stand out more to the viewers. The writers of this film do this on purpose to center the attention on Daisy because of the fact she is about to be hit by a taxi. It also starts off the scene by zooming in on Brad Pitt's shoes then his whole body. Simply from his body language, his tone, and his outfit the viewers can immediately understand that he is sad and that something bad has likely happened.

Inglorious Bastards, Bar scene

Inglorious Bastards, Bar scene




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dpLBM4rBPM

The reason I choose this scene is because first I am a huge Quentin Tarantino fan. In my opinion he is one of the best film writers/directors out there. The way the aesthetic dimensions were created in this scene is great in my opinion. Tarantino puts wide view and a up close shot in one shot so people can get the full effect of what is going on. When Lt. Hicox was asked how many shots of scotch the table wanted and he put up three fingers, pointer, middle, ring finger. When he did this Major Hellstrom then realized he was an imposter because the way real Germans hold up three fingers is thumb, pointer, middle finger. At this point the tension escalates in the bar and a standoff begins. The way Tarantino showed this was phenomenal. instead of panning in and out he got it all in one shot showing everyones expressions around the table which made it that much better when tensions rose.

'Big Kahuna Burger' / 'Ezekiel 25:17' from Pulp Fiction

'Big Kahuna Burger' : https://youtu.be/Mnb_3ibUp38

I chose this scene because it is one of my favorite scenes in the film Pulp Fiction. The characters played by Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta are hired guns and they go about their business in a very relaxed, casual and nonchalant manner. The setting is in a very average looking apartment that is untidy, and unorganized. The other characters are having breakfast when Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta come to their door. For breakfast the men in the apartment are having hamburgers, which is quite unusual. I think the aesthetics of the setting and background in the scene are secondary to those of the facial expressions of the characters. Samuel L. Jackson is confident and beaming throughout most of the scene and the faces of the men in the apartment tell you as the viewer just how dire the situation actually is. When Samuel L. Jackson gets down to business after chugging Brad's Sprite, his tone changes dramatically.

'Ezekiel 25:17' : https://youtu.be/x2WK_eWihdU

The scene 'Ezekiel 25:17' which follows the 'Big Kahuna Burger' scene, concludes the interaction between the hired guns and the men in the apartment. I figured I would include that scene too for anyone who has not seen the film. 'Ezekiel 25:17' has the same basic visual aesthetics as 'Big Kahuna Burger', no music, only voices. The filmmaker used a fabricated bible verse in 'Ezekiel 25:17' that became one of the most famous scenes in the movie, and one of the most famous movie monologues of all time. The simple setting, absence of music and loud preaching-like vocals from Samuel L. Jackson allow the viewer to experience the scene (both scenes) for themselves and interpret the scene without any music or visual interference.

Craig Sager Receiving the Jimmy V Award

In 2016, Craig Sager won the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYS. For those who don't know; the award recognizes legendary North Carolina State basketball coach Jimmy Valvano, and the battle he faced with cancer during that time. He became the awards raison d'être at the 1993 ESPYS, and during his acceptance speech he said "Don't give up...Don't ever give up!" These words are still impactful to this day; and shine a light on the image Jimmy left when he passed away two months later. Craig Sager, who was a popular American sports reporter since 1981, also faced a battle of his own when he got diagnosed with Leukemia in 2014. Even with his health issues and chemotherapy treatments, Sager continued to work the NBA playoff games; qualifying him as the perfect recipient for the Jimmy V award in 2016. If his work didn't show perseverance enough, it was his speech that truly displayed the qualities in which the award represents. During his whole speech, he only highlighted the positive outlooks on life. He stated how thankful he is for everyone who is a part of his life, how he is able to look at the glass as "half-full," and how he is excited to continue watching all the accomplishments the athletes make. In order to persevere, the most important thing for someone to understand is outlook, and Craig Sager knew exactly what outlook to have. He added that when he got diagnosed with Leukemia, his perception of time changed. He said, "Time is something that cannot be bought,  it can not be wagered with God, and it is not in endless supply. Time is simply how you live your life." I think what he meant by this is that people fail to realize that time isn't the issue; and that the issue is that people aren't valuing the time they are given. Everyone only has so much time to live for, and it's their choice to choose if they're going to use that time or not. I think perseverance is best shown by people who don't let time affect the way they choose to live their life, and I think Craig Sager did just that.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/07/craig-sager-espys-jimmy-v-award-speech

Carr and Shirky

Nicholas Carr's article "Is Google Making us Stupid" emphasizes the effect of media on our thinking and learning skills. He argues that this form of technology, specifically the internet takes away the aspect of clinical and cognitive concentration. Another author by the name of Clay Shirky responded to Carr's article in a negative way. Even though they both agree that media affects thoughts, Shirky believes the article doesn't focus on thinking or learning, but culture. He explains that the article focuses the effect of media on each generation. An example is when he says how many more people are reading these days due to more access of info compared to the generation of people reading in the 1970's. It is this type of media technology that impacts the ways we live our life.  

Stuart Scoot Espy speech 2014

  Stuart Scoot's a journalist from ESPN. Giving the espy award to a journalists presents that sports is not just about those stars and athletes, but the whole industry as well. Journalist is a great part of sports on how they broadcast and presents sports to all over the world. Those people has won our respect as well as the athletes, as did they for espy awards. They had became a great part of sports culture and contributed greatly to it. Stuart Scoot’s been doing amazing jobs on broadcasting all these years, even after he got a cancer—he chose to fight rather to bent. He still worked out a lot and worked hard on his program. He lived the best way a man can and had been positive on finding a way to regain healthy. He encouraged people all around the world a lot and his impact are still emerging. The event of he’s getting the award was selected as one of the greatest event in 2014 by google. In his speech, he’s still being humorous and positive. He mentioned “never give up” for many times. I think that’s really important value in our society. It emphasis on live the best we can and never give up, while working together on this with other people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOWM_VuxxQ0

Craig Sager's ESPY speech

Craig Sager was a NBA sports broadcaster for TNT, and TBS. If you have ever watched a primetime NBA game you would see a man in a bizarre colored blazer that would be interviewing players and coaches at the end of half, and the end of the game. He was diagnosed with leukemia in the fall of 2014. The ESPY award that he received was the Jimmy V Perseverance award. Cancer did not stop his love for the game of basketball, and broadcasting it. His "never give up" and "do what you love" mentality really inspired a lot of people including me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01BMPwDUO74

Sport Post

For our discussion of gender, sport, nationalism, and the rhetoric of sports. While you watch, think about how Jenner frames her experiences in terms of the language of sports. Can you connect the vocabulary and ideas presented in lecture to Jenner's speech? How does she seek to persuade and connect to her audience? Pay particular attention to the various aspects:

·      Sport as a common language

·      Sport as a diversion and escape

·      Sporting subcultural practices

·      Sport as a business 

·      Teamwork

·      Building character and confidence

·      Fairness (fair play, being a “good sport”)

·      Strategic planning

·      Maneuvering

·      Stratification of sports is decided in economic terms and therefore social status

·      Athletes are commodities

·      Encourages hard work to get ahead and achieve monetarily

·      Encourages conspicuous consumption

·      Is a vehicle to advertise goods and commodities

·      Embodies the rhetoric of winning or losing

·      Creates imagined opponents

·      It creates dramatic conflicts that are resolved, which people can vicariously live through

·      It acts as a cultural resource to connect to other people

·      Vicarious involvement  

     Ritual and pageantry

·      Fans take “sides”

·      Patriotism and nationalism is inflected into the practices of the game

·      Sport teams are (often) segregated in terms of gender

·      Sport is a site of common ground across ethnicities and cultures

·      Sport is a site of gender indoctrination

·      Athletes are often seen as role models

 

ESPY Speech of Caitlyn Jenner:


 http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/espy-awards-caitlyn-jenner-accepts-arthur-ashe-courage-32482615

Josh Sweeney 2015

In 2015 Josh Sweeney wins the first ever Pat Tillman Award for service and selflessness. Sweeney who has no legs below the waist was an Olympic Gold Medalist in 2014 during the Paralympics and Purple Heart Recipient. In 2009 he was deployed in Afghanistan, which is where he got injured. On October 28, 2009, he stepped on an IED which is what severed both of his legs, while injuring his left hand and arm. During his speech he recognized the many troops fighting for our country. Other nonprofit organizations like Operation Comfort, and Home for our Troops were also recognized by Sweeney during his speech. Those organizations help out people like him who have been injured while taking part in the war, so those types of organizations have a special place in his heart because he understands where the other troops are coming from.


http://www.espn.com/espys/2015/

Jim Valvano's Espy Speech

In 1993 Jim Valvano accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award and gave one of the most impactful powerful speech's in the history of the Espy's. Valvano, who was fighting cancer at the time and used this speech to do two of the most powerful things that one can do in speech. He first inspired everyone with his advice of what one should do. He said that everyday people should do three things. They should laugh, they should think and they should cry. He talked about how everyone should live each day to the fullest and he would use whatever remaining days he has to enjoy his family and all the people around him. Finally he announced the creation of the Jimmy V foundation to raise money for cancer research. Cancer research was being severely under researched at the time. Since it's founding the Jimmy V foundation has raised over $170 million for Cancer research. This is the power that sports have. If Jim Valvano was a normal person, he and his foundation would never be able to have that kind of fundraising power, but he is a sports figure so he is able to do so


.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuoVM9nm42E&t=12s

Devon Still ESPY Speech

Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still's daughter Leah was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma stage 4 cancer in June 2014. As a developing young player in the NFL, Devon took time away from the game to take care of his daughter and help raise awareness of her cancer. Starting without much money from transitioning to college to the NFL, Still didn't have the funds to help with everything funding Leah's treatment. The community behind the Bengals, jersey sales of Devon and other factions of the NFL helped contribute the funds to Leah's treatment. At the 2014 ESPYs Devon spoke on the perseverance of his daughter and how it felt at the time. Since this speech, Leah has been cleared of cancer and is going on two years cancer free. Devon has returned to the NFL and has bounced around teams. Yet, the struggle him and his daughter went through has been a defining part of his career.

Michael Sam ESPY Acceptance Speech

In 2014, Michael Sam received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPYS. The award was in recognition of spending the vast majority of his collegiate career hiding his sexual orientation from his teammates, going onto be one of the top lineman in the Southeastern Conference. Prior to the draft, he came out, risking his stock and millions in the upcoming draft. He ultimately became the first openly gay man to ever be taken in the NFL draft. A shared cultural value that is prevalent in this speech is the fact that Michael rose above adversity. It makes these athletes, who we view as being almost divine, as being relate able and human. Throughout professional sports, there is a taboo to homosexuality, and Michael Sam, as an elite athlete who is openly gay, was able to break that taboo and was praised by many for it.

LeBron James ESPY Acceptance Speech

In 2016, LeBron James won the ESPY award for "Best Male Athlete." His speech was representative of several of the cultural values that we associate with sports and good sportsmanship. The first people he thanked in his speech were his teammates--implying that his success as "Best Male Athlete" was not a solo effort, but greatly depended on teamwork and the help of others, which is an ideal our culture greatly values and praises. Next, LeBron thanked his team for their "hard work and sacrifice." In American culture, an ideal is that if you work hard and make tough sacrifices, you will be successful and have good fortune. LeBron and his team exemplify this ideal--they worked hard physically and sacrificed time away from home and their families, and as a result became national champions. Furthermore, LeBron says that this is "...an unbelievable time for our city." Americans often express pride in their city or state by being a fan of their local sports teams--LeBron demonstrates this concept by stating that winning the championship has been a positive experience for the city of Cleveland as a whole--not just for him or his team.

2016 ESPY Awards

In 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers received the ESPY award for best team and LeBron James gave an acceptance speech for the team. LeBron focused on the city of Cleveland and how despite their struggles of poverty and rough neighborhoods they are still able to "give a sense of hope" to their city. He emphasizes how this is not just true with sports, but with everything in life (specifically in Cleveland). LeBron ends the speech by saying that this award if for everyone in Cleveland. This city has suffered a lot of crime issues and many people have lost jobs over the years. LeBron aims to point out how this team, the Cavaliers, gives these citizens something to believe in, when they need some hope. It is not just a game or just a team for this city, it is a way of life. This lifestyle continues to give them faith and optimism for the city of Cleveland. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOxZWs9hSVc

Kobe Bryant's ESPY Speech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZV6Ucm8toc

In this video, Kobe Bryant is accepting an ICON award at the ESPYs. During his acceptance speech he has a powerful message to all of the young athletes and young people in general. He wants all of the young people to have dreams and to follow them without giving up. In his speech he even quotes one of his high school teachers when he talks about not giving up on achieving those dreams.
Another cultural value that Kobe Bryant portrays in his acceptance speech is that it does not just take talent and ability to achieve a goal it takes a lot of time, effort, and hard work. So overall the message that he is trying to give is to the young people, saying that if they work hard and not give up they can achieve their dreams and do anything in life.

Abby Wambach's Espy Speech

In this video, Abby Wambach is accepting the ICON award alongside fellow top athletes Peyton Manning and Kobe Bryant.  Wambach is the highest all time scorer for the national team and also has the record for most international goals scored than any female or male soccer player. Just her representing women and soccer by standing beside two of the biggest names in football and men's basketball, I think really gives female athletes hope for the future, which is what her speech was about. She may have only spoke for a minute, but she really brought people's attention to the problem of women not being treated equally in sport, and more importantly how far we've come in equality. Wambach said "We're willing to be true to ourselves and speak up when there's something to say, whether its about equitable pay or equal opportunity for female athletes, or any issue involving fairness and injustice".

Abby's Speech

Team Hoyt ESPY's Speech

https://youtu.be/_P4b44DZY6k

The ESPY's speech that I chose is the speech that Team Hoyt gave at the 2013 ESPY's after receiving the Jimmy V award for courage. The overall message of the speech is that people with disabilities need to be given equal opportunity to participate in athletics. I think it is particularly moving to hear Rick Hoyt deliver the speech through his voice box. Dick and Rick Hoyt are a father and son running team, the father pushing the son in his wheelchair. Rick was born with a severe form of Cerebral Palsy and doctors said he should be institutionalized. However, Dick Hoyt would never accept institutionalization for his son. One day his son asked if he could run in a marathon, to which Dick Hoyt replied, "Yes.". This is a story of a father's love for his child and how powerful that emotion can be. Their story is truly inspirational and I recommend watching the following video if you would like to find out more about the story behind Team Hoyt:

https://youtu.be/xBXy1EH4nYc

Espy lebron, carmelo, dwyane, and chris

LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade are all superstars of the NBA. During the beginning of the 2016 ESPY awards, they delivered a speech about standing up to racism, police brutality, and injustice. This speech had a huge impact around the nation and many people had different reactions to it. Around the time of the speech, injustice against African Americans were at an all-time high. The culture started to sway against whites and races were being divided. What makes this speech so important is how the media used sports to relate to the subject. They used some of the most influential people in the world and biggest names in sports to talk about how to stand up to racism. They also talked about how we should help change the way we see racism and to protest it in a nonviolent way. By using the biggest names in sports to talk about the subject, our culture and society can relate to the change that needs to happen.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCjMvEdPi30

Comic Strip Analysis

 This satirical comic is displaying a play on words with its message “Don’t shoot!” As it’s being said by both the citizens and the cop. The Ferguson Shooting was a shot that was heard nationwide, that is of course once the media got a hold of the story. This comic is symbolizing how media is one of the most dominant cultural medium’s in our society, and the sway it has on has on how our society views everyday prevalent issues. The real world issues this comic is emphasizing is police brutality, and this ongoing movement of black lives matter. The media as shown in this comic resembles a very unemotionally attached by stander of the situation that’s happening between the cop and the citizens, while the cop and citizens are emotionally affected by the what’s going on. I think this is portraying that media is always going to display what’s going on in our society, especially since media is one of the major contributors to what makes American Pop Culture what it is today. However, it’s the people within this society that’ll ultimately judge what the reaction will be.