Group 2 Michael Chung Blog Post

 The picture below shows NBA superstar Lebron James wearing an over sized hat. The hat may look like an over sized Fedora to others , but it is actually called a vivienne mountain hat. This hat was first popularized by the musician/designer Pharrell Williams.It is about 8 inches tall and has a 2.5 inch brim.  After Pharrell wore this hat to the 2014 Grammy Awards show the mountain hat became instantly popular.

 

            The hat itself looks ridiculous to me but celebrities such as Lebron James and Jay Z have become fans of the mountain hat. The hat has been known as the Pharrell hat to many people. Pharrell has been known to be a very fashionable person. He created his own clothing lines called Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream. He has made it his signature piece in all of his outfits and has worn it in a variety of different colors. He has been wearing this hat for the past 4 years but it has only become popular as of recently. Pharrell has been known to have an outgoing and flashy fashion sense. The hat looks  ugly to me and I think it crazy how many people have followed this trend just because Pharrell wore it. People who wear the mountain hat believe they are just as fashionable as Pharrell. Now that someone as popular as Lebron James wore it on live television it has become even more popular. The influence celebrities such as Lebron James and Pharrell have over society is amazing. Anything these celebrities wear will become popular no matter how ridiculous it looks.

            I have seen the mountain hat being worn in upscale fashionable places such as in the Soho Section of New York City. The mountain hat is typically common among people who are into the latest fashion trend and styles. More specifically hipsters, hypebeasts and other sorts of fashionistas have become fans of the mountain hat. It will be interesting to see how long this mountain hat is in style for. I have yet to notice NBA fans wearing the mountain hat because of Lebron James. The hat will always be known for being fashionable because of Pharrell, but it is because someone as famous as Lebron has followed this trends shows how much influence Pharrell has on the fashion world.

 

           Pharrell put the hat he wore during the Grammys up for auction in March 2014 and was bought by the fast food chain Arby’s for $44,100. The proceeds went to the charity he founded called From One Hang to Another. This will also make Pharrell more popular and more well known in a public relations standing. Arby’s bought it because it looks similar to the hat in the Arby’s logo. It has become popular on social media because it now has it’s own twitter account. The hat would never have become popular if Pharrell didn't showcase it at the Grammys. 

           Will Pharrell continue to have more fashion trends that people will follow? I think that his influence stems from his rise in popularity over the past few years. He was featured on the songs Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke and Lucky by Daft Punk. The general public knows Pharrell for his recent songs he has put out and been featured on even though he has been making music and designing clothes since the early 2000s. As he continues to become more popular and the more he is on T.V the more people will notice his wardrobe and fashion sense. Pharrell will continue to bring out unique accessories and pieces of clothing that will become popular just as the mountain hat did.

            Why is society so influenced by celebrities? People look towards celebrities as role models. Many people admire celebrities because of their personalities and feel like they have some sort of connection with them. The majority of people who follow celebrities are the youth in our society. The younger generation of society still doesn’t know exactly what they want to be when they grow up, so they can align themselves with becoming famous one day or becoming known. They may imitate the actions, behaviors, and styles of celebrities in hopes of one day becoming one. The overall portrayal of celebrities and celebrity’s lifestyles in society alters the youths’ desire to have the same lifestyle. 

Sustainability

Greg Klyachman
EXP201
Blog Post


Sustainability and climate change are two growing issues that have caused a large amount of discussion. On one side, environmental activists are pushing for harsher environmental laws, business standards and incentives for sustainable energy. However, on the other hand, some claim that climate change, more commonly referred to as "global warming," is a myth.  While humans have advanced society, several sources are dedicated to proving the negative effects that humans have had on Earth.

Sustainability is defined as the practice of harvesting or using a resource in a way that does not deplete or permanently damage that resource. This mindset can be applied to non-renewable resources like fossil fuels, but also to renewable resources like water and many minerals. The broad nature of sustainability is perhaps its best aspect-- it can be applied to almost all parts of life. 

Sustainability is fundamentally reducing, reusing and recycling Earth's resources. Sustainability relates to ecology, society and the economy. Ecology is the science of organism’s relation to one another and their physical surroundings. Sustainability is prevalent in this science because with proper action and more knowledge humans can affect the Earth in a less harmful way. Many of our practices endanger the Earth and leave a lasting mark on it. Practices like hydraulic fracking are also dangerous to other members of our society. And finally, businesses must be held accountable for their community and all of the people that are stakeholders in the company.

After watching Chasing Ice, a documentary that follows the melting of ice caps in the Arctic. This film shows picture evidence of the melting of ice caps and glaciers. The disappearance of these giant ice sculptures into the ocean shows that the temperature in the Arctic has been increasing over the years. 

 

Debatably our most important resource, fresh water, has been melting into the ocean and becoming undrinkable. In addition to effecting humans, the melting of these glaciers effects wildlife like bears and seals in the area. 

Another film, Gas Lands, focusses on hydraulic fracturing, a new method for extracting natural gas and oil from the ground. While this practice has driven the price of gasoline down to below 3.00/gallon in some areas, "fracking" is devastating for the environment. Gaslands shows the effects that untreated and dirty water left behind from the process does to the people and animals living in the area. Mostly filmed in Pennsylvania, some people's water faucets catch flame when run near a match, countless wildlife dies, and the drinking water nearby becomes contaminated and poisonous. 

These films not only question each person's contribution to climate change and the deterioration of Earth, but also analyze business's role.  These films question the ethical implications of profit and attempt to show that environmental effect should be just as important as revenue in the business world. These films are showing a shift in the popular culture's thinking. Now, rather than debating the existence of climate change, people are taking initiative to inform others and practice more sustainable means of living. 

Sustainability, clean energy and "going green" has become a trend among many people and is starting to become adopted by businesses like Chipotle, Whole Foods and Cisco. In a market where profit and revenue dominate self-interest, sustainability is opening up a whole new way to analyze and rank companies. A shift from a focus on profitability to sustainability is a growing trend in the world's market. 

Kyle Robert | Blog Post

Kyle Elizabeth Robert

EXP 201 – 012

Professor O’Dell

Blog Post | Analysis of Frozen’s “Let It Go”

            “Let It Go” is the most popular song in Disney’s very popular animated feature film Frozen, which came out in November of 2013.  The song was composed by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, who are a husband-and-wife songwriting duo.  The original version of the song, the version created for Queen Elsa, the film’s main character, is sung by American actress and singer Idina Menzel.  A second version of the song, a pop version which was played at the beginning of the closing credits for the film, was also composed by the couple and was performed by singer Demi Lovato.

            The song is about one of the main characters in the film, Queen Elsa, who has just abandoned her kingdom after her magical ability to create and control ice and snow is exposed to the public.  She goes to the mountains, far away from her kingdom and the people who now know her secret, and she realizes that she no longer needs to hide her powers, which she has done since childhood.  She rejoices in letting go and creates a giant snowman that is living and an ice castle because she can now use her powers without any limits.

            “Let It Go” was extremely popular with audiences, and received huge acclaim from film and music critics.  Young children and adults alike have a sort of “obsession” with the film and the song itself.  The song has won many awards, including an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Song.  It is the first song from a Disney animated musical to reach the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 since “Colors of the Wind” hit number four on the chart in 1995.  As of August 2014, the song has sold 3,430,000 copies in the US.

            Although the target audience for the movie and the song is young children, specifically young girls, they seem to appeal to so many more people than that!  I think the fact that Frozen and “Let It Go” are such a big phenomenon means that the genre of children’s musicals is quickly rising in pop culture.  Disney movies are no longer just for little kids; it is now acceptable for people of all ages to enjoy films like Frozen.

                        There are so many reasons why this song has gained so much popularity, one of the most obvious being that adults, teenagers, and children alike can all relate to the theme that the song is tapping into.  Everyone has a reason to feel shame and fear, and in this song, Elsa overcomes both of these feelings, in exchange letting her unique power out and accepting that she no longer needs to live in fear of what she has been dealing with for her whole life.  People everywhere can relate to this positive message of learning to love oneself just the way you were made, and learning to overcome life’s challenges.  It doesn’t matter the situation, everyone can bring their own interpretation of the song to action in his or her own life, and this is one of the reasons for the overwhelming popularity of the song in today’s modern culture.

The message of this ballad resonates well with almost everyone.  Kids who are hiding their differences in order to be accepted by others, who want to let go and show the world who they really are, or better yet, find out who they really are, can look to this song for guidance.  People in the Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender community who have yet to come out and let the world know about the secret they have been hiding in order to feel more “normal” or accepted can use the lyrics of “Let It Go” as a reminder that it is absolutely okay to be who you truly are and to show it!  The lyrics “Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know/Well now they know!” speak to the LGBT community in saying that now is the time to “let them know.”  This song has been seen as an extension of the popular “It Gets Better” videos in which a member of the community who has “come out” tells members who have yet to “come out” that it is okay and that their lives will eventually “get better.”  These videos are a comforting outlet for LGBT people who have not yet “let it go,” and “Let It Go” has been powerful in spreading the message that these videos are sharing even further.

I think that the hype for this song has a relation to the hype for other famous pieces and musicals, such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Wicked,” “High School Musical,” and other movies and shows that have had huge followings over the years.  I think that in each of these shows and movies, there is are songs that have risen to the top, and they are usually about overcoming obstacles.  For example, in “Wicked,” the song “Defying Gravity” received so much acclaim and a huge following because it is about being yourself and not being afraid, which is the same message that Frozen’s “Let It Go” wants to give the audience.

Frozen "Let It Go"

Wicked "Defying Gravity"

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Gabi Kahn Blog

Eating disorders affect women all over the world. Women are so concerned with body image and the unrealistic idea of beauty that it directly affects the way women eat. The problem is, women are constantly looking in the mirror and thinking that they are not thin enough and need to do something drastic to be thin.  Unfortunately, this leads to eating disorders.  Whether it is Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa, women find some life threatening way to try to be thin.

The two main eating disorders that affect women are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.  Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder in which a person obsesses about their weight and the food that they starve themselves and exercise constantly. Usually, it is obvious if a woman is anorexic because she is underweight and looks sickly.  Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder in which a person binges and purges.  That is, eats unhealthy amounts of food and then forces themselves to vomit afterwards. Women who are bulimic are not necessarily as obvious as anorexic women because they vomit in secrecy. However, both eating disorders are life threatening.

In the eyes of the women with eating disorders, what they see in the mirror is not the same as what we see them as.  They see something large, fat, and what they would call obese.  Meanwhile we see a skinny, boney, and unhealthy looking woman.  It is discerning that they cannot see what they truly look like and continue to harm themselves to be the thin woman society pressures them to be.

 Beauty and being size 0 thin has brain washed many women today.  The unrealistic idea of beauty has led to a rise in eating disorders.  Eating disorders are the most popular among teenagers and young adults since they tend to be the most subjected to the unrealistic idea of beauty. This unrealistic idea of beauty consists of being model thin, wearing pounds of makeup and having perfect hair. To these women, starving themselves or purging is there way to reach societies idea of beauty.  Though it may be unrealistic and unfair, these women take on the extremes of dieting, starving, and purging because society has put a label on what a beautiful woman should look like.  What is scary is that these women are so desperate to fit into the idea of beauty that they hurt themselves to get there.  This clearly shows that the unrealistic idea of beauty has taken over the minds of many women and has caused them to harm themselves.

Andrew Neuber Post

The moment Miley Cyrus took the stage in her nude latex costume and “twerked” upon Robin Thicke, her image was forever changed. Miley the Movement became evident to the general population when she shaved her head, bagged the good-girl look and spoke openly of her drug use. The media has since followed her every step, documenting what they refer to, as her downfall. However, the current debate over America’s sweetheart is whether this is just growing up, or the inevitable downfall. There seems to be a relatively accurate formula for the “good-girl” persona that is put in the spot light; they rise to fame at an early age, go through puberty and grow up in their early years under the watchful eye of not just their parents, but the whole world, and soon enough, without fail, they break.  While Miley’s twerking is unsightly to some and she needs to learn to keep her tongue in her mouth, she is not breaking car windows with umbrellas (Britney Spears) or getting continuously arrested for drunk driving.  While referring to herself as a “movement” can come off narcissistic, Miley wants to separate herself from everyone else, showing the world that she is breaking away from this stereotypical portrayal of a good girl gone bad and revealing the true “bad bitch” she really is.

While Miley populated twerking, twerking was actually born out of New Orleans' bounce music scene. It is a hip hop sub-genre centered around call-and-response vocals and the endlessly sampled Triggaman beat. The first reference to twerking in a song is DJ Jubilee's "Do the Jubilee All" in 1993, which features him telling the crowd to, "Twerk baby, twerk baby, twerk, twerk, twerk." Much like twerking, the bounce music scene has been getting more national attention over the last few years (Fuse).

Girls now a days see twerking as a way to grab attention and show off their bodies or even to do it as a profession. Recently a 22-year-old pre-kindergarten teacher out of Orlando, Florida began her twerking career by posting short videos on vine with herself twerking. She was so good at it that she now has more than two million followers and more than 673 million views. As a result she has now quit her job and solely relies on twerking for a living, making a six figure salary by having brand products in her videos and making appearances for promoters. Her philosophy on quitting is as follows; “What I make in six seconds would take me like four months to make as a pre-K teacher.”

https://vine.co/v/MYLbqYWQVDI

https://vine.co/v/ML7EaIql9pl

Fabian Garnier Analysis Post

The Power of the Internet

The internet has changed the way everything works in the modern world allowing people to obtain any kind of information within seconds of typing it in a web browser. It has become humanities reservoir for information and news. Despite having many positives, the internet has made people much more gullible and acceptance of information or news without any research or questioning. This has brought a trend of people creating fake or misguided advertisements, news stories, or even manhunts where many people fall into the mindset of “since many people believe it then it has to be true” which is one of the main problems when it comes to the internet.
Although these lies are usually harmless, there have been instances where people have been targeted by big internet forums for something that they did not do. The clearest example that I witnessed was when the tragedy of the Boston bombing occurred. People started to look for the culprit due to the images that the media had released of the possible suspect. When someone posted a picture of someone that looked similar to that of the video released by the media, the internet forum of reddit and 4chan went into full attack mode. People started to post personal information of the person that was thought to be the culprit and even sent death threats to his families. This put an incredible amount of stress on the person who was being targeted and drove him to commit suicide. The internet becomes a very dangerous tool when everyone feels that their actions have no repercussions because you don’t have to show your face or voice when you say something. This is one of the more severe instances where the crowd mentality and acceptance of false information has led to suffering.
In the case of the tragedy of the Boston Marathon Bombing, there was a single picture that was linked to a missing Brown student that was said to be one of the main suspects of the crime. There was only physical resemblance, but absolutely no evidence indicated that he was one of the criminals. After internet forums started to theorize that he was guilty, the media started to report on the "information" that was being posted online as fact and news. It even got to the point were people were saying that his  name was heard in the police radio when there is no evidence of such. The picture was a screenshot of a video and showed a man in a white cap carrying a backpack.
On the lighter side there is the instance was when someone spread misinformation by posting a picture with her head shaved and a poster stating “I support Justin Bieber” “#BaldforBieber”. This immediately started to spread through news sources and other internet forums and people started to shave their heads in order to support Bieber’s cancer when in reality he was in perfect health. Thousands of pictures were posted of fans with shaved heads even of movie stars such as Matt Damon. It only takes a couple of people to get something to go viral especially if those people  are able to spread that information to thousands of people like a media source or a YouTube sensation with thousands of subscribers.
In this cancer hoax, two users decided to shave their heads and hold a poster stating that they were shaving their heads to support bieber and his fight against cancer. Very quickly the pictures started to spread, and other people started to follow the trend in order to support bieber even though they had no idea if the information was true or not. They went with it just because two other people said it was true. The media even started to report on it as if it was fact and several movie stars also shaved their head in response to the misinformation that was being given.
This trend of believing anything that is posted on the internet will lead to no good and more circumstances were people will be hurt and will fear for their life. It is necessary for people to realize that anyone can post anything on the internet and everything should be questioned several times before it is accepted as a fact.

The Meme: The Internet's Instant Philosopher? - Group 1

Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” Philosophical phrases such as these often inspire people to think about life’s deeper meanings. Today, people can take pleasure in questioning things in a more light-hearted manner. One of the most common ways of doing so today is through the use of Internet memes. The slang word meme comes from the actual word meme, which, according to Merriam-Webster.com, is “an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture.” Internet memes are images, photos, videos, and other forms of media with text or captions added to them. They generally use the same base picture but with variations in the text and captions. People commonly use memes as simple sources for quick comic relief, as it only takes a few minutes at most to create a new version of the same meme. With the strong want for instant data nowadays, memes are a great way to spread bite-sized bits of humor instantaneously. However, certain memes can also bring up interesting points about society and other “serious” matters, giving them a use other than simply comic relief. Some casually question the world in a sarcastic way while others remain quite thought-provoking.

A common meme that often makes someone stop and think is Philosoraptor. The meme generally contains an image of a velociraptor with one of its claws touching its chin in a thought provoking pose. The caption around the picture usually is an intriguing “What If?” hypothesis that questions why something with a general understanding is the way it is rather than being another way. Take this Philosoraptor for instance: 

There is probably a scientific reasons as to why photos from cameras pictures come out rectangular despite the round lenses. However, an initial read of this caption would probably confuse someone unfamiliar with the detailed knowledge of how cameras work. As such, the meme has fulfilled its purpose by making someone really think about something that may or may not be trivial yet still addresses something not common knowledge.

Another common meme, especially about college students, is Sudden Clarity Clarence. The meme depicts a crazy college party setting, with one student standing out in the picture. The one student standing out at the center of the photo appears to be having some sort of fanatical revelation. As such, most variations of this meme have captions parodying common “revelations” college students would have when they are drunk, like this example:

 

While the likelihood of Simba actually wanting his dad dead just to be king is highly unlikely considering the G rating of the film, such a bizarre thought could be something a heavily intoxicated person could think of since their mind is not in the right place.  However, to someone who is also intoxicated, perhaps the idea does not seem quite as crazy, hence the reason the Sudden Clarity Clarence image is used for this caption instead of the image for similar memes.

Creating and sharing memes like Sudden Clarity Clarence and Philosoraptor has become a common trend for people wanting quick ways to make their minds think hard and for those who want to mess with their peer’s heads. Through social media like Facebook and Twitter as well as “meme specific” websites like 9gag, hundreds of thousands of memes spread across various parts of the Internet on a daily basis. They allow people to address thought-provoking, somewhat serious concepts in a more humorous way to attract younger audiences to more serious ideas. However, thought-provoking memes like Sudden Clarity Clarence and Philosoraptor often can sometimes contain explicit, suggestive, and sometimes racist ideals, which can often make them appear vulgar and immature to older crowds rather than entertaining ways of insightful questioning. 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meme

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/philosoraptor

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sudden-clarity-clarence