Jackie Johnston
Assignment 5-1
HUMN 341 F2WW

This week I chose society’s obsession with cell; phones. I thought that this would make a nice topic for pop culture class, because it’s an item that almost everyone has today. I think that cell phones have become an accessory. I found an interesting article that discusses people’s obsession with cell phones. Currently we are relying on cell phones too be more than just a phone. Now cell phones function as a planner, and a means to the Internet. Cell phones seem to be going everywhere today, the other day at work someone was talking on their cell phone in the bathroom. I just wonder why we think we have to take cell phones everywhere and constantly be talking on them. In the article, Jay Pope says, “Cell phones convince us we can do two things at once when in fact they dilute both. It is impossible to do anything excellently while on the phone, for one is neither "here" nor "there” (Pope, 2007). I defiantly find truth in this, there have been many times when I thought that I could cook and talk on the phone at the same time, or shop in a store and talk on the phone. It’s actually harder for me to do that, and I’m not accomplishing two things at once, actually I’m slowing myself down. The article also talks about how our relationships are cheapened because how can you miss someone that you talk to constantly? (Pope, 2007). While cell phones certainly have their advantages especially in the case of an emergency, I’ve just noticed that they are everywhere, and sometimes in most inappropriate situations.


Pope, Jay. (2007). Bad connection: cell phones symptom of America's obsession with isolation. Retrieved on October 28, 2007, from http://www.fresno.edu/scholars_speak/jay_pope/04_10_2007.asp

Jackie Johnston
HUMN 341 F2WW
Assignment 4-1


I chose this week to discuss the NASCAR. I thought that this would make a good topic because of the presence that NASCAR has on our society. I think that NASCAR is now being considered a sport and is just increasingly drawing more and more fans. I think that NASCAR exemplifies a lot of elements of pop culture. A lot of society likes NASCAR because they like the thrill of the racing and they also may consider some drivers their heroes. One author’s opinion on why NASCAR is so popular now is because the drivers are people that you can relate to. Author Mark Spoor says that it’s possible to picture yourself at a party drinking a beer next to Jeff Gordon, but trying to relate the same scenario to Barry Bonds just isn’t the same (Spoors, 2005). The author suggests that since NASCAR fans watch races each week they see the drivers’ families and hear them talk all the time (Spoors, 2005). This helps fans picture drivers as someone they know or can relate to. I also think that NASCAR involves a big stereotype when it comes to its fans. I also believe that NASCAR is a good topic in pop culture because it involves stereotypes. NASCAR fans are stereotyped and most often are associated with being a redneck and beer drinkers who just sit around and watch a car go around a track 500 times. I used to think to believe in the stereotype of a typical NASCAR fan being a redneck. I believed this until I went to see an actual race, and saw that there were all types of people there, and that watching a car go around a track is a lot more exciting than I thought it would be. It’s pretty fun to watch in person and I can see why it attracts so many fans.

Spoor, Mark. (2005). NASCAR Remains a Sport for the Average Joe. Retrieved on October 21, 2007, from http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/opinion/01/13/spoor_nascar/index.html

Weekly Analysis
Jackie Johnston
HUMN 341 F2WWAssignment 3-1

This week, I decided to write about Brittney Spears. She’s been in the news so much lately, concerning her parenting abilities and allegations that she is an unfit mother. I wanted to do my analysis this week on her because she is in the news or on the Internet constantly. The main issue with her from the public standpoint is, if she is an unfit mother. News stories and shows like Entertainment Tonight seem to be following her every move trying to figure this out. There are numerous reasons that Britney’s abilities to handle and correctly care for her children are in question. There are reports from her former bodyguard that she abuses drugs, engages in reckless behavior, and even put a hit out on former husband Kevin Federline (Friedman, 2007). Currently, Britney and Kevin share joint custody, but Kevin is pursuing full custody because of Britney’s party habits and lack of parenting (Friedman, 2007). She’s also been seen out on the town at early hours in the morning when she should be with her kids, and she’s also been seen driving her car with one of her sons' sitting on her lap, instead of in his car seat.
I thought Britney Spears as a topic this week would pertain to pop culture because she’s everywhere. Standing in line at the grocery yesterday, I saw that she’s all over the magazines and her behavior and custody battle are making headlines on shows like Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood. I remember when she used to be so popular in a good way, and everyone thought that she was so wholesome in the beginning. It does make me wonder what happened to her, and if Hollywood and fame make someone lose it, and potentially lose what’s important like one's own children. It also makes me feel sorry for her, because there are infamous people who go through this everyday, and they aren’t in the public eye. I don’t think that it excuses her behavior, but it does make me think she’s dealing with a lot of depression to make her behave in those ways.


Friedman, Roger. (2007). Sources: Britney Spears Will Temporarily Lose Custody of Her Children. Retrieved on October 14, 2007, from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297107,00.html

Assignment 1-3

Jackie Johnston
HUMN 341 F2WW
Assignment 1-3

“Say Goodbye to Hollywood”: Popular Music and Mythic Deconstruction in Shampoo


The main points of the article are the idea that most movies are made with the intention of giving people what they want and that it is very typical in Hollywood films. One of the points made is that most Hollywood films give people what they want for entertainment value, rather than the movie being historically accurate. The article also discusses the use of music soundtracks in movies and how they can play a big part in giving the reader a more detailed look at what a specific time period was really like. The author describes several scenes in the movie Shampoo and how the accompanying soundtrack signifies what’s going on during the 1960’s. Some of the main themes of the sixties were: free love, loose sexual morals, civil rights, and rock and roll, the author is trying to express that some movies like Shampoo express the truth in these themes very well through their soundtracks
The author’s key idea throughout the article is that the soundtrack of a movie can provide a better look at what a certain time period was actually like. The author expressed that most times a movie’s soundtrack romanticizes or re-configures the way things actually happened or were at that time. The author uses the 1960’s and the movie Shampoo as the example used throughout the article. In particular, a scene and a song from the movie are used to illustrate that point. There’s a scene in Shampoo where the two main characters are cheating on their significant others and the song “Wouldn’t it be nice” is playing in the background. It was used in this combo to show the irony in the lack of domestic bliss going on in the country in the 60’s.
I think that the author does effectively support the point that a movie’s music soundtrack can ultimately enhance the viewer’s idea of what the time portrayed was actually like. There were many examples in the article about how Shampoo’s soundtrack influenced many of the movie’s scenes.
Initially, I chose this article because I thought the title looked interesting and that’s what caught my attention. The article was different than what I expected. I think this is because I had a harder time with the article because I wasn’t familiar at all with the movie or soundtrack. The degree that I agree with the author was hard to decide. I’ve never seen the movie Shampoo to fully understand or experience how the soundtrack does add to explaining the experiences of the 1960’s; however, based on the article itself, I think that the author does support his points very well by using specific examples of scenes and the music used and how it represents the times.


Tayyar, Paul. (2005). “Say Goodbye to Hollywood”: Popular Music and Mythic Deconstruction in Shampoo. Americana: The Journal of American Pop Culture (1900-present), Volume 4, (Issue 2). Retrieved on September 30, 2007, from http://www.americanpopularculture.com/journal/articles/fall_2005/tayyar.htm

Assignment 2-1

The topic that I chose to talk about this week for my blog is the show Desperate Housewives. I found an article by Jennifer Williams, titled “ABC’S ‘Desperate Housewives’ reinforces stereotypes of gender and race.” Jennifer’s article discusses the stereotypes on gender and race found throughout the show’s episodes. She suggests that there are different examples of this found through last season’s episodes (“Williams,” 2006). She talks about one example in particular, she points out that the only African-American family that has been on the show ended up to be very violent and involved in murder and rape on the show (Williams,” 2006). At the end of one episode, the African American family just leaves in the middle of the night, leaving viewers to wonder about what happened, and to leave them with the impression of this black family as being violent (“Williams,” 2006). The article then goes on to discuss “Bree”, who is a main character in the show, and her battle with drinking and compulsive cleaning (“Williams,” 2006). Bree’s marriage failed and all she did was clean and drink wine all day, the author points out that this is a poor way to show how to deal with a failed marriage, and that the show could have had her character do something more beneficial to society (“Williams,” 2006). The whole idea behind Jennifer William’s article is that shows like Desperate Housewives are putting off the wrong message and are stereotypical on gender and race. I don’t know that I agree with the author here, I think that people recognize for example that compulsively cleaning and drinking wine all day, isn’t a good way to deal with a divorce. I know that people say that what we watch on TV influences us a great deal, but from my own personal experience, just because I watch something on TV that’s entertaining doesn’t mean I would model my life after a character or something they’ve done. I think most shows are just for entertainment value.

Williams, Jennifer. (2006). ABC’s ‘Desperate Housewives’ reinforces stereotypes of gender and race. Retrieved from http://www.dailyorange.com/home/index.cfm?event

Assignment 2-2

The three icons that I chose are Charlie Brown, Barbie, and the McDonald’s arches.

I chose these icons because they are highly recognizable and have been around forever, but are still very popular.

Charlie Brown has always been a favorite of mine. I used to watch it on TV, and still to this day have the DVD of Charlie Brown Christmas, Halloween, and Thanksgiving specials. Barbie was one of my favorites when I was a little girl and she is still very popular in stores today. When I see the McDonald’s arches, I know immediately what they represent. I can remember some of the McDonald’s jingles "I'm lovin it", and the commercials. McDonald’s restaurants are everywhere and even overseas. I chose these three because they represent things that I grew up with that I've never forgotten.