Just another example of how talentless people can make it in America while the rest of us are stupid enough to support their careers.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Creative Blog numero deux
Sorry this is the LAST time I'm going to talk about conformity:
But I wanted to talk about how conforming the music industry is. During the early 20th century, artists had to rely on their talent and not their overall image in order to gain success in the music industry. But thanks to technological advances in society such as television and the internet, musicians have to focus on having a certain look and because of this, being talented appears to be less of an issue especially since computers can make anyones voice sound decent. While true musicians have to work hard just to get a record deal or even to be heard in front of an audience, lousy singers can gain instant stardom by simply posting a YouTube video. I find it sad that we pay so much attention to people like Rebecca Black (who can barely hold a note even with the help of a computer), we tend to ignore true singers and songwriters.
I know you're wondering, where does the conformity fit into my post? Well, here's my point: Having an image is actually conformity because an artist has to be who they think society will gravitate towards in order to capture an audiences attention and make money. And in my opinion, the biggest conformist of them all is Lady Gaga. She appears to be the most nonconforming person in the world because of all the bizarre outfits she wears but she only does this in order to gain attention. And it works perfectly. If she were to be who she really is (aka Stefani Germanotta) without all the costumes and wigs then she wouldn't be nearly as popular as she is now. Hell, we probably wouldn't know who she is today. The sad part is that she's a really talented girl underneath it all. But sadly the music industry isn't ready to embrace a soulful brunette girl from New York. So she must continue conforming to what todays society wants.
But I wanted to talk about how conforming the music industry is. During the early 20th century, artists had to rely on their talent and not their overall image in order to gain success in the music industry. But thanks to technological advances in society such as television and the internet, musicians have to focus on having a certain look and because of this, being talented appears to be less of an issue especially since computers can make anyones voice sound decent. While true musicians have to work hard just to get a record deal or even to be heard in front of an audience, lousy singers can gain instant stardom by simply posting a YouTube video. I find it sad that we pay so much attention to people like Rebecca Black (who can barely hold a note even with the help of a computer), we tend to ignore true singers and songwriters.
I know you're wondering, where does the conformity fit into my post? Well, here's my point: Having an image is actually conformity because an artist has to be who they think society will gravitate towards in order to capture an audiences attention and make money. And in my opinion, the biggest conformist of them all is Lady Gaga. She appears to be the most nonconforming person in the world because of all the bizarre outfits she wears but she only does this in order to gain attention. And it works perfectly. If she were to be who she really is (aka Stefani Germanotta) without all the costumes and wigs then she wouldn't be nearly as popular as she is now. Hell, we probably wouldn't know who she is today. The sad part is that she's a really talented girl underneath it all. But sadly the music industry isn't ready to embrace a soulful brunette girl from New York. So she must continue conforming to what todays society wants.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Creative Blog numero un
After writing my essay on the topic of conformity, I've learned a lot about love and different people's views on it. For example, I interviewed my grandfather about the conformity in love and marriage and what he told me was very interesting. People during my grandpas felt pressured to get married at a certain age and work standard 9-5 jobs while people from my generation feel less inclined to follow such standards. But still conformity exists and will continue to exist unless there is a massive resistance. The same message can be applied to Kafka's Metamorphosis. Gregor Samsa's conformist ways are what ultimately kills him and if his younger sister Grete doesn't learn from Gregor's mistake, she too will suffer the same fate. The cycle will continue itself unless she stands up to her parents and society by deciding to be an individual.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Intro for essay
Conformity is everywhere. From school settings to at home, we can't escape the pressure society puts on us. In fear of being an outcast, we're forced to conform to what society wants us to be. This is definitely true when it comes to love and marriage. Love used to be the main reason people get married. But now, wealth, connivance, and pressure are factors that convince two people into getting married despite being in love or not. In Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, Elizabeth and Darcy coming from two different classes had to suppress their love for each other in order to maintain social normality. The more we conform, the more we lose our identities and our rights to love whomever we want. Even if we don't want to get married and start a family, society forces us to feel guilty for making that choice. Thanks to outside pressures such as family, religion, and society, marriage appears to no longer be a choice but an obligation one must fulfill in order to gain acceptance.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Conformity in the classroom
I feel like one of the main places where conformity easily spreads is in the classroom. We're all forced to look the same and follow the same set of rules. In a way, we even think the same. Teachers mostly feed us the answers that eventually we end up regurgitating in an essay or discussion. Even this post is somewhat repeating everything that was said in our class discussion.
Conformity starts at such a young age that by the time we reach college, we're too blind to realize that we're just sheep. Speaking of college, parents, faculty, college counselors, and pretty much most of society pressure us to want to go to college. So much so, that we sacrifice our sanity in order to get the best grades and test scores possible. If someone were to say that he didn't want to go to college, he would be looked down upon. What society wants us to be and who we really are deep down inside are two contrasting ideas battling each other. I think schools should focus on the students coming up with their own ideas and answers instead of hearing the teacher's opinion which is often one-sided. This country needs more free thinkers and less like mindless drones.
Conformity starts at such a young age that by the time we reach college, we're too blind to realize that we're just sheep. Speaking of college, parents, faculty, college counselors, and pretty much most of society pressure us to want to go to college. So much so, that we sacrifice our sanity in order to get the best grades and test scores possible. If someone were to say that he didn't want to go to college, he would be looked down upon. What society wants us to be and who we really are deep down inside are two contrasting ideas battling each other. I think schools should focus on the students coming up with their own ideas and answers instead of hearing the teacher's opinion which is often one-sided. This country needs more free thinkers and less like mindless drones.
Essay Idea
My essay is going to focus on conformity in terms of love and marriage. Society pressures us to want to get married at a certain age and have children. If one chose not to want any of these things, he/she would be considered weird. I also want to mention how people tend to date and marry people in their race, social class, and/or religion. For me, love has no race, gender, social status or religion. But I'm sure for others, they feel pressured by their family and society to conform and marry who they are supposed to love. (I'll probably talk about arranged marriages and stuff...) I think I will interview people of different backgrounds and age groups in order to get diverse answers.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)