Assignment 1-3

Gay TV and Straight America,
A journal analysis
In a world of offense and political correctness I will attempt to cover this controversial topic without offending anyone. However, opinions do vary and mine may very well be different from yours. Since the essence of this topic is about accepting people who are different, please accept me for my opinion as well. I have always made it clear to anyone who knows me that I am strictly against the idea of the gay lifestyle and certain rights that they fight for. The areas discussed in this journal are the opinions of someone who has read the book written by Ron Becker titled “Gay TV and Straight America”. It is unclear to me whether or not the writer of this journal agrees with the issues at hand. He seems to be merely stating things matter-of-factly. Although the book and the book review appear to focus on the political aspect of the television programs changing to attract the gay community, I believe that there is a much more crucial moral battle taking place here. (Catapano, 2007)
It is my opinion that the overwhelming amount of gay media that is being forced upon us from every media vehicle possible is intended to do nothing more than desensitize the world to an immoral behavior. The more gay material they can saturate the world with, the more likely future generations will be to accept their lifestyle. I was witness to a married man standing up in front of a church congregation that included his wife and daughter to inform all that he had been “fighting” feelings of pursuing a gay lifestyle for years and had recently made the decision to leave his wife and child to do just that. Naturally his wife and daughter were devastated and embarrassed to the point of moving to another state to escape the familiarity of their surroundings and start over. She of course blames herself partially and will suffer psychological issues for a long time if not forever. Years ago my best friend’s brother stood up at the dining room table just before Christmas dinner to tell his entire family that he was gay which of course ruined the entire family’s dinner and holiday season.
Society dictates what behavior is acceptable and what is not, what is moral and ethical and what is not. I think society is clearly saying that this is immoral and unacceptable behavior when they refuse to give marriage rights and other political and social rights to this group. Yet we continue to get inundated with gay material by television, movies, advertisements, newspapers, etc. There are many books available that are targeting early grade school children to teach them about children having two dads. Do an internet search for “two dads” and look at the information that comes up. Some of the book reviews on amazon.com are from grade school teachers telling about using these books to educate children. They are teaching our children that the gay lifestyle is okay and normal. How does this happen when society is clearly saying that they don’t agree with this? Home schooling has become a very popular means of educating one’s children because of issues like this one. Legislation is attempting to be pushed through allowing this kind of curriculum under names that disguise their true agenda. Names such as “health learning standards” and “family life education” are being used to get people to vote them in without reading them. (Montez, 2007)
I am sure most of you have formed an opinion on this issue and have based your decision on everything you know about right and wrong. I encourage you to vote your opinions when the time comes. Every supporter of gay rights is sure to vote when given the chance but those of us who oppose the issue seem to sit home and voice our opinions of disapproval but never make it to the voting booths to ensure the moral and ethical soundness of our future generations is kept intact. There is a plethora of information available online about the aggressive way these liberal groups are pushing their agenda to get this immoral curriculum forced into legislation and into your child’s school. Do your part and research this topic to prevent your children from being taught that immoral behavior is okay.


References:

Catapano, P. (2007) The Journal of Popular Culture, Volume 40, issue 1, p. 172-174
Retrieved on January 20, 2008 from the Lexis Nexis database.

Montez, J. (2007) Family News in Focus, Pro-gay curriculum sneaks into D.C. schools. Retrieved January 22, 2008 from the web address http://www.citizenlink.org/fnif/A000005864.cfm.

Assignment 2-2

Contemporary Icons

The three contemporary icons I chose for this assignment are; Jesus on the cross, cell phones, and the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness. Jesus on the cross can be seen everywhere from churches, to books, to the wall at Grandma’s house. It comes in many forms such as paintings, sculptures, stained glass, etc. Cell phones are everywhere. Five years ago you wouldn’t see a cell phone on children and it was something of a status symbol. Now parents give them as gifts to their kids at Christmas and life is considered unimaginable without one. Some phones even have a satellite tracking device in them to keep a watchful eye on your children when they are away. The pink ribbon for breast cancer is popping up everywhere in the form of magnets, window clings, pendants, tee shirts, and many others. All three of these icons have impacted the lives of millions of people in our age.
I chose these icons because each of them is somewhat timeless in the scope of their influence on society. Some icons are simply fads that exist for a period of time and fade away, but not these. Jesus on the cross will not disappear until the end of our existence, cell phones will not go away anytime in the foreseeable future, and until a cure is found for breast cancer we will continue to see the pink ribbons all around us. These things are not only modern and distinguishable now but will continue to be for generations to come.
Each of these has personal meaning in my life. I believe in God and his son Jesus. Anyone who has seen the movie Passion and believes in the Bible can’t help but envision the pain and suffering every time you see the symbol of Jesus on the cross. My cell phone is how my wife and daughters stay in touch with me when I can’t be with them. In case of an emergency friends and family can usually reach me within minutes on occasions of emergency situations that I may otherwise have been uninformed about for hours if traveling. I have known women who have had breast cancer, some of whom have lived and some have died. I am sure we have all known of someone who has suffered from this disfiguring and sometimes fatal disease.

Harley Davidson is on the move!

Harley had a 23.7% share of the motorcycle industry in 2004, second only to Honda at 27.4%. From 2002 to 2006, ownership by females has risen 2%. The number of bikes shipped to dealers in the US alone has risen from 212,000 in 2002 to 273,000 in 2006 (2007 information is unavailable as of this date). Internationally, Harley has shipped over 349,000 bikes to dealers in 2006 alone! Out of 543,000 bikes registered in the US for 2006, 268,400 of those were Harleys. That is a market share of 49.4% for 2006.



Reference:
Retrieved January, 16 2008 from the website http://investor.harley-davidson.com/demographics.cfm?locale=en_US&bmLocale=en_US

Assignment 2-1

Teen sex and popular culture

The topic of teen sex is a very scary topic for me since I have two daughters ages ten and fourteen, but I figure education both for myself and for my daughters is an important issue. Two years ago, a girl in my oldest daughter’s class became pregnant at age twelve and made me open my eyes and thoughts to the impending possibilities. I don’t think my daughters would ever do such a thing at such an early age, but neither did the parents currently facing teen pregnancy issues. I think the best way to get any important issue across to people in a way that they can understand and grasp the actual impact is with statistical facts.
Janice Crouse reports on this increasingly prevalent issue in her article on the Concerned Women for America website. She reports that roughly 20% of teens thirteen to sixteen are sexually active according to different polls. This does not include the large number of teens who don’t think oral sex is actually sex. Only 15% of parents polled think that their teen is engaged in activity beyond kissing while 30% of all teens polled admitted going further. Only 67% of teens say that they used a condom every time. When parents were asked if they had talked to their teens about sex, 85% of them claim they had while only 41% of the teens recalled such talks. About 40% of teens who are sexually active become pregnant out of wedlock and around 8000 teens per day contract some form of sexually transmitted disease! Sexually active teen girls are shown to be three times more likely to commit suicide from depression than those who are abstinent while boys are eight times more likely. More than two-thirds of teens admit they wish they could go back to innocence again and wish they had waited. Wake up parents and have talks with your children about this escalating problem! (Crouse, 2005)

Reference:
Crouse, J. (2005), Concerned Women for America, Young Teen Sex: Hottest New Pop Culture Concern. Retrieved January, 16 2007 from the website http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=7352&department=BLI&categoryid=femfacts

Assignment 1-4

The “Crocs” Fashion Trend

We have all seen them in public on the feet of everyone from men and women, toddlers to the elderly, and everyone in between. There are even pictures online of George Bush wearing them with black socks! What in the world are they thinking? These shoes have got to be the ugliest version of a fashion statement I have seen in years. I know, they are very comfortable, right? I’m sure sitting on a bag full of jello would be more comfortable than the plastic chairs we all use in school but you don’t see anyone doing that. Fashion just has to have some limits and I think these things have crossed the line!
Here are some astounding figures for you to consider. Crocs started in 2002 with a final gross profit from sales of $1000. By the end of their 2006 business year, they were selling in over 40 countries and grossed over $200 million in sales! The author of an article from Slate magazine stated these very interesting analogies; “the exquisitely ugly shoes known as "Crocs" have spread around the world like a Paris Hilton sex tape” and “they're the closest thing to religion that the foot has experienced”. (O’Rourke, 2007) I still don’t get it.
There is a website dedicated to those who “just don’t get it” like me. It can be found at http://www.ihatecrocs.com/. On this site they torture the crocs for our entertainment with such methods as chopping them up in a blender, pouring gasoline on them and lighting them, and cutting them up with scissors. While these guys may have some serious underlying issues, they are very entertaining. There is a link on this site for a video of an episode of “The Daily Show, with Jon Stewart” where Jon says that anyone wearing crocs is apparently soliciting incredibly depraved gay sex. Now that is funny.



Reference
O’Rourke, M. (2007) Slate magazine, The Croc Epidemic, Retrieved January 11, 2008 from the website http://www.slate.com/id/2170301/.

Popular culture questions

What is popular culture? It is the object, idea, or thing that is part of the culture of the vast majority of the pupulation. How does popular culture relate to business? It is important to understand popular culture for business purposes because the effectiveness of your advertising and marketing will be less fruitful if not directed at the mainstream of pupular culture. Why did you choose this artifact? I chose this artifact because Harley's are no longer for the outcast law-breaker, they are now in the garages of doctors, lawyers, men, and women everywhere. You can't drive around on a sunny day without passing a Harley, and even more interesting, a woman on a Harley. If you don't currently have or want one, the first time you ride a Harley it will be on your christmas list. Naughty or nice, you will love the experience!

Knees in the breeze!

I went for a four hour ride yesterday from Athens to Pomeroy (in Ohio) and back. WOW! 75 degrees in January! There were other bikes scootin' around everywhere I went. I can't wait for Spring!

V-rods are a different breed of Harley

Once you have ridden a V-rod, nothing else in the Harley line up can compare to the power and acceleration! My bike has an upgraded fuel rail, power commander, and Rinehart Racing pipes. These mods produce 130 horsepower at the rear wheel on the dyno. A lot of older Harley fanatics turn up their nose at the V-rod. They think liquid cooled bikes are for sissies. I think Harley has made a revolutionary piece of art that is steadily growing in popularity.