Happy end

This is a very short and happy semester. I have learned a lot in pop culture class. This is a very good class, not only learn the pop culture in American, but also share the pop culture knowledge with classmates. That is really very helpful for me. Although this class is over now, I will never forget the thing I have learned here. At the last time, I just want say:' goodbye and see you."

Pop Culture in my culture-kung fu

Wu shu, the chineses
martial art form
known as kung fu in
the west, embodies
the national traditional
culture in martial art.
Chinese Kung fu
is a very important
and unique form of
Chinese culture.
Kung fu films have popularized traditional Chinese martial arts throughout the world. We have own flim like American films that can spread successfully.

Chinese pop culture websites

http://www.chinatoday.com/culture/a.htm

Globalization vs. Americanization

The author’s friend says Globalization is the same as Americanization because American culture has affected us a lot in many aspects. He says everyone will be eating at McDonald's, listening to Madonna and shopping at mega-malls. He thinks it will be absolutely awful. But the author thinks that globalization is not the same as Americanization.
The author grows up in Vietnam during the war. He believed every word that his country tells him. After the war, his family leaves Vietnam to the other country. Now he is an American journalist and writer and his family has lived in many other countries. Because technology improved a lot, the world is smaller now. No matter how long distance between us, we can talk each other easy and travel to other country easy. This is a symbol of globalization. Globalization has made a deep and strong effect for us.
After the cold-war, America has become the supreme country. It guide the global economic and technology. The American culture has influence the other culture. This is why we can see McDonald's everywhere in the world. But the American culture can’t change the other culture. Many other original cultures and languages and traditions continue to thrive. The author shows us that Globalization is stronger than Americanization.

Reflection for Music

In this unit, we are focus on music. We spend a few weeks to research what is the American music about and how to learn it. We have learned the genre of American music, some famous music and music singer, and analysis how to learn the song.
I find out learning English song is different to learn Chinese song. Because we have a total different culture, it makes it have a very big difference between them. I learned this by researching the internet information and the handout information. I learn about the song, the singer and the lyrics. Before I learned this, I don’t even know there are so many kinds of genres in songs. This is helpful for me. I learned the DJ, FUNK, BLUES, HEAVY METAL, CLAM, POP DISCO, SOUL MUSIC, PROTECT SONG, COUNTRY WESTERN, REGGAE, BLUES AND GRUNGE. Song can show the culture in an easy way. We should learn how to analysis the song, and then connect it to the culture. This can be a good way to learn pop culture.
This unit is very interesting and helpful for us. We should spend more time to research it. I like the songs, and I also like the English songs.

Punk Music

Song analysis

Airplanes
Today I will introduce and analysis the song Airplanes. The song was released to urban radio on April 27, 2010. The singer of the song is Bobby Ray Simmons. He is better known by his stage name B.o.B. He is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. The music and chorus were written by Kinetics & One Love . The song is not only singing by B.o.B himself. He sings this song in collaboration with Hayley Williams who is a famous American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist of the band Paramore. This song reached number one in the United Kingdom, and as well as the top three in the United States. This collaboration led to a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.
The song likes a beautiful dream and wish. In the song, he dreams he could be airplanes that fly in the night sky just like the shooting star and he wants to use a wish.
This song is divided to two parts, the first part is singing by Hayley Williams. This is a short part that talks about a dream, and he dreams he could be an airplane that flies in the night sky just like the shooting star. This part is like a traditional pop music. It makes us have a quiet and dreamy feeling. Then the style suddenly changes from a pop style to a hip hop style. The singer of this part is B.O.B. This rap part makes me have an active and passion feeling. This part is talking about a small narrative about the hopeless time, but he still has a wish that everything can change.
He makes the airplane like a shooting star, because people always make a wish when they see the shooting star.
From the lyrics, I find out that he want tell us life seems so much better in the past. when things were simple (or so it seems)and when you look back, you miss it and wish you could go back because now life seems to be leaving you behind.
Airplane is about how Hip-Hop and Rap today is different from the past.

Favorite song

Airplanes
B.o.b. and Hayley Williams

Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now (wish right now, wish right now)
Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now (wish right now, wish right now)

Yeah
I could use a dream or a genie or a wish
To go back to a place much simpler than this
Cause after all the partyin' and smashin' and crashin'
And all the glitz and the glam and the fashion
And all the ( ) and all the madness
There comes a time where you fade to the ( )
And when you're staring at that phone in your lap
And you hoping but them people never call you back
But that's just how the story unfolds
You get another hand soon after you fold
And when your plans unravel
And they sayin' what would you wish for
If you had one chance
So airplane airplane sorry I'm late
I'm on my way so don't close that gate
If I don't make that then I'll switch my flight
And I'll be right back at it by the end of the night


Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now (wish right now, wish right now)
Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now (wish right now, wish right now)


Somebody take me back to the days
Before this was a job, before I got paid
Before it ever mattered what I had in my bank
Yeah back when I was tryin' to get into the subway
And back when I was rappin' for the hell of it
But now a days we rappin' to stay relevant
I'm guessin that if we can make some wishes outta airplanes
Then maybe yo maybe I'll go back to the days
Before the politics that we call the rap game
And back when ain't nobody listened to my mix tape
And back before I tried to cover up my slang
But this is for the Cada, what's up Bobby Ray
So can I get a wish to end the ( )
And get back to the music that started this sh-t
So here I stand and then again I say
I'm hopin' we can make some wishes outta airplanes


Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now (wish right now, wish right now)
Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now (wish right now, wish right now)

http://youtu.be/kn6-c223DUU

Movie Poster

Film Festival

In the film Festival, I have seen a Chinese movie-Buddha Mountain. This is a very good movie that show Chinese culture.

Reflection for Movie

Reflection for Movie
During these few week, we are focus on film. We have learned some knowledge of movie, Hollywood and Oscar. We have learned many main genres of movie. We also join the Film Festival and see a new movie in the cinema. We also learn many other things about movie. Why we need study the movie? Because movie is one of the most important way to show the culture. From a movie, we can know people's custom and the difference from other country. The movie shows their favourite things. It is very easy to let us understand it by seeing film than looking a book. This is why we have to learn it. It is very important for us.
Before I learn this unit, I don't know there are so many genre movies. I always think movie is movie. After I go to learn the drama movie, I understand we should learn learn to discriminate them. Movie is not that simple. After I learn this unit, I want write a bumper sticker with, if you want adapt to a new culture, see as many movies as you can. We like see a movie better than just read a book or listen a radio. It is the most relaxed and interesting way to learn a culture. The more movies we see, the better we understand the culture.In this unit I follow the way that read,think,seek,do and reflect. It makes me learn it easier with this five steps.I have learned why people like horror movie. In fact, I really don't like horror movie. The horror movie makes me feel so scare and hard to sleep in the night. After I learned this, I think I can have a try to see some. I want know the kind of feeling that so many people like.
Movie is our favourite thing. It help us to learn many things that I don't know. Without a movie, our life will become boring. In the new culture, we should see many movie to help us adapt to it. I like movie very much.

Film reflection

For me, film is just like a kind of culture. Different country make different kinds of film that show their culture. From the film, we can know what the people like or dislike to do in different culture. The film is just like the thought from diferent people. They show their thought to us and let us know how good it is. The film is a better way to show somethings than a book. You can hardly find some deep emotion among many word. But from the actor's action and expression, we can understand what they want show us very easy. It is a better way to show their culture. From the film I have learn many things that I don't know before. It help me to understand the culture all around the world.

Outside study

We have gone out of the school to study the pop culture.
There are four main things that we are study.
The object is tour bus on street.
The people is Marilyn in Michigm Ave.
The event is chicago film festival.
The place is millenninum park.
We also interview two people about pop culture.
Outside study is also a very good way to study the pop culture.

Reflection For Popular Culture

Reflection For Popular Culture
This month,we are focus on pop culture. We are learning what pop culture is. Different from culture. Pop culture happen among a large number of people. That means many people know that or do that.It is just like our everyday life.
Popular culture is made up of four things. They are objects,people,events and places. With learning this. We research the fad during 1950s and 2000s. This makes me know what people like do in different years in America. Another thing we research is the pop star.We find our favourite star and try to understand their life. We research why they are famous in the world.
The thing I am interested in is the video that on blackboard.Stephen Sewell rails against the social effects of consumerism, stating that modern pop culture serves to “enslave” people in a endless cycle of insatiable desire. “Popular culture isn’t culture at all,” argues Sewell. “It’s commerce.”The opposite way of thinking about pop culture let me know our world not good enough. The pop culture make us feel it is good for us anytime and anywhere.In fact it is not, A child starves to death every 5 seconds while McDonalds throws out enough food every day to feed the entire planet.We need understand the truth.
After all, I want say how to understand the pop culture? I think we don't need go to understand all of them. Not all of them are good for us. We can try to find something that we like and then go to learn it.
We should go to learn the pop culture.Maybe it is not easy. But if we know it .It can help us to fit the society better. We can make less mistake and we can make more friends. The pop culture is really very useful for us.

Reflection for Culture

Reflection for Culture
After I learn this unit, I have understood that culture has many different meaning.Culture can be a way to show a people such as their favourite movie,music,art,food and star. From this you can truly understand their personality and character.By the gloger, I find culture is totally different among all the people.Culture can also show the differences between different countries. Such as the difference between America and China.In China people are crowded around the bus.In America people will go into a line.In China people like throw their garbage on the road.In America people will throw their garbage into dustbin.All this differences show us different countries have different culture.Culture can also show the race.With looking at their face or skin color,maybe you can find the general idea of a person. Even in a same country,such as in America,the Black American are totally different with White American,not only the color. Black American are alway want to try their best to show them and let everyone remember them.From these we can find culture is very hard to define and it can be everywhere.
The Aha moment for me is the iceberg model of culture.At first I didn't know how could iceberg connect to the culture.After I saw that zigzag line, I totally understood that.Because that was just like showing my life in America.I have came here for one more year.AT first I felt so exciting that I could go to other country.Then I found the culture is totally different for my country.I couldn't adapt to the new circumstance.After a few months, I felt I can change me to adapt to the country. After one year, I felt so terrible because I found it still a long distance between me and the native America.But now I know I shouldn't think to much about that. I can't change my culture.Just go to find the balance between the two culture.
If let me create a bumper sticker. I will say how to adapt to a new culture? We should find the disadvantage of our own culture and learn the advantage from the other culture.Try to find the balance between the two culture.
Before I came to America, I always think the black guy is very fearful just because of their skin color. But after I come here I find I am totally wrong. We can't judge a person just by their appearance.That is unfair. We should talk to them and understand what they like. Ask them about their culture and tell them yours.No matter where he come from or what they look they like ,use the culture to understand them.Everyone can be a friend.

My VOKI

My Culture Identity

New semester with new blog

Ok， this is the second time for me to use this blogger :~)