As you might have surmised, this blog has been part of a class on Pop Culture. The posts were either assigned short blog posts or summaries of other longer assignments.
I feel that I understand the concept of pop culture a great
deal more now than before I took this class. I had a vague idea of the implications of theories like
rituals, myths and heroes, but not a clear enough understanding to apply it to
my daily life. I think it was more
that I took these things for granted and didn't really recognize how these
could affect me and my understanding of things. I believe that I will be more conscience of pop culture as I
encounter it.
I have enjoyed exploring the field of politics and political
humor more though our topic papers.
This is a field that is very interesting to me. Believe it or not I would someday like
to do stand up comedy. I have done
some amateur stuff but I am still working on material and timing. My own approach is very satirical and
sarcastic, so this research has helped me to understand the success of those in
the field.
I would like to think that I am not affected by stereotypes,
and I don't personally consider any to be universally true—for race, for
gender, for orientation, for any difference. I have never understood the concept of casting a net over
any group of people and considering them all the same catch. I do, however, strongly believe that stereotypes
play a large role in our career success.
I have chosen a more technical field in IT, so being female has been a
challenge, and being older might be an issue for me should I try to change
careers or move to a new company.
Look around places of business and sometimes you notice that
the staff is not diverse at all, and, in fact, they might be a carbon copy of
the boss. Sometimes people like to
hire folks who are very close to their own personality and values. I don't even think it's a conscience
choice most times. Some people are
just more comfortable being around other people just like them. That situation, providing a single line
of thought, can be a death sentence for ideas and innovation.
During the class I have found the joy of writing again. I have been technical writing for so
long in my job I almost forgot how to craft an essay. Through our research and reading I have identified a number
of pop culture artifacts that I want to explore further. I have also read essay pieces in our
books that were outside of our reading assignments that speak to pop culture in
preserving the past responsibly and to creating a good self-image.
I am a member of my company’s Diversity and Inclusion
Council and work to make sure that all of our employees are an equal part of
our team. Concepts that we learned
about stereotypes will help me to understand thinking patterns by some of our
less diversity-acclimated staff.
I also want to find a way to be a better role model for my
daughter and to monitor who she idolizes to make sure they are worthy of hero
status. I want her to find
positive and enriching heroes that inspire her to follow on a path of great
deeds. I will extend this to work
as well and work harder to lead by example. I work in the industry that provides the world with
celebrities and faux heroes, so I want to help my fellow employees to recognize
the difference between celebrity and hero.
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