first response paper for pop culture class
Someone from the belly dance community wanted to actually read the crap i turn in as writing, so I decided it would be better posted here on my own silly page than taking up space on the belly dance site. the question for the paper was, what is pop culture and how do you relate to it? as of day two of the class, i'm not sure what i'm gonna gain from it...the text book is a coffee table conversation starter, like a written version of I Love The 80's Strikes Back or something...hopefully the class will get better next week.
okay, here's the thingy i wrote:
"The Daily Pop Culture Life of a Belly Dancing Punk Feminist"
August 24, 2004
Pop culture is one of the reasons I wake up every day. Every morning that I get out of bed, one of my first activities is to turn on my Winamp (a true artifact of computer pop culture) and immediately turn on some favorite Irish punk songs to start my day. I soon trip over the beaded hip scarf that I use to teach belly dance here in town, clumsily confirming my membership in this sect of popular culture. I climb into my anti-Bush be-stickered car, and head off to school.
Many aspects of my daily life are somehow related to popular culture. First, allow me to hint at the incredible amount of impact belly dancing has on my relation to pop culture. To be blunt, it’s pretty much its own pop culture. I just had a party at my house this past weekend after our performance at New West Fest, and although there were many other people in attendance, I spent most of the time giggling and blabbing with the other dancers - all about belly dance! Part of this lifestyle involves the music, which is itself a facet of popular culture. We joke about some of the traditional instruments, trade CDS, and complain about the prevalence of certain artists or songs in the community. There is also a staggering amount of politics that goes into belly dance, mostly in the form of interpersonal conflict, but also on a larger scale (the tribal style dancers hate the cabaret dancers, and vice versa). We keep each other up on the news, as well (Did you hear that the women in Turkey are now dancing in high heels? Are you going to the Aradia workshop in Cheyenne next month?). There are even various “underground” subcultures that exist within the belly dance community. Although I am a full time college student with plans to go far in life, it is clear that currently my standing as a professional belly dancer is the main influence on my relation to popular culture.
Another aspect of my personality that defines how I relate to popular culture is my identity as a punk and a feminist. Being punk does not just influence your choice in music or personal appearance, although that is a huge part of this subculture. Political punk has had an astounding boom in prevalence and power since the follies of the Bush administration began, and there has seen been a backlash of Conservative Punks to counteract this phenomenon. Feminism, as I’m sure you’re well aware, shapes the way I view the news, and more particularly, politics. Feminist artists also make up a number of the tracks on my Winamp, once again influencing my daily life without me even planning on it.
Although there may be many other features of my life that tie into how I relate to popular culture, I feel that my lifestyle as a belly dancer and a punk ladyist are the most important characteristics, at least lately. No other two traits are as influential in how I listen to music, how I present myself, or how I tune into news and politics. I am excited to learn more about popular culture in this class and hopefully contribute to discussions the perspectives I have gained from these two subcultures.
copyright ME i guess ;)
thanx
okay, here's the thingy i wrote:
"The Daily Pop Culture Life of a Belly Dancing Punk Feminist"
August 24, 2004
Pop culture is one of the reasons I wake up every day. Every morning that I get out of bed, one of my first activities is to turn on my Winamp (a true artifact of computer pop culture) and immediately turn on some favorite Irish punk songs to start my day. I soon trip over the beaded hip scarf that I use to teach belly dance here in town, clumsily confirming my membership in this sect of popular culture. I climb into my anti-Bush be-stickered car, and head off to school.
Many aspects of my daily life are somehow related to popular culture. First, allow me to hint at the incredible amount of impact belly dancing has on my relation to pop culture. To be blunt, it’s pretty much its own pop culture. I just had a party at my house this past weekend after our performance at New West Fest, and although there were many other people in attendance, I spent most of the time giggling and blabbing with the other dancers - all about belly dance! Part of this lifestyle involves the music, which is itself a facet of popular culture. We joke about some of the traditional instruments, trade CDS, and complain about the prevalence of certain artists or songs in the community. There is also a staggering amount of politics that goes into belly dance, mostly in the form of interpersonal conflict, but also on a larger scale (the tribal style dancers hate the cabaret dancers, and vice versa). We keep each other up on the news, as well (Did you hear that the women in Turkey are now dancing in high heels? Are you going to the Aradia workshop in Cheyenne next month?). There are even various “underground” subcultures that exist within the belly dance community. Although I am a full time college student with plans to go far in life, it is clear that currently my standing as a professional belly dancer is the main influence on my relation to popular culture.
Another aspect of my personality that defines how I relate to popular culture is my identity as a punk and a feminist. Being punk does not just influence your choice in music or personal appearance, although that is a huge part of this subculture. Political punk has had an astounding boom in prevalence and power since the follies of the Bush administration began, and there has seen been a backlash of Conservative Punks to counteract this phenomenon. Feminism, as I’m sure you’re well aware, shapes the way I view the news, and more particularly, politics. Feminist artists also make up a number of the tracks on my Winamp, once again influencing my daily life without me even planning on it.
Although there may be many other features of my life that tie into how I relate to popular culture, I feel that my lifestyle as a belly dancer and a punk ladyist are the most important characteristics, at least lately. No other two traits are as influential in how I listen to music, how I present myself, or how I tune into news and politics. I am excited to learn more about popular culture in this class and hopefully contribute to discussions the perspectives I have gained from these two subcultures.
copyright ME i guess ;)
thanx