Response to What is this world coming to?!

This is a response to Marica's post What is this world coming to?! which can be viewed at http://marica-christianityandpopularculture.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-is-this-world-coming-to.html


I completely agree with Marica's point that violence has completely integrated into contemporary society. It is almost impossible to not to come across some form of violence when we watch t.v. or movies. Violence is even in cartoons. My favourite cartoons to watch when I was a kid was Looney Tunes. I loved Bugs Bunny. However, Bugs was constantly trying to running away from Elmer Fudd, who happens to have a shotgun. Other characters on the show such as Wild E. Coyote, and Yosemite Sam, were always carrying some form of weaponry. Although the aforementioned characters always fail comically, shooting guns and throwing dynamite at other creatures is a form of violence nonetheless.

But what about violence in religion? Throughout history, there have been many instances of violent religious acts. From the crusades to suicide bombers, these violent acts are conducted in the name of God. Trothen makes the argument that the Christian religion is founded on an act of violence. Yet, we see little complaints of violence in religion. When a movie is too gory, we slap on a R-rating. But when a "preacher" call for the burning of the Qu'ran, or for the death of "infidels", we can see children attending the sermon. I think it is much more likely for a person to conduct violent acts with a religious motivation than it is to conduct that same act based on a tv show. Would a child be more likely to steal a car because of a video game, or would this child be more likely to hate on someone who does not share his beliefs because "the other person works on behalf of the devil"?

I am Weebus, God of Azeroth

This is a semi-response to Elona's post "Jersey Shore and Dustin Kidd" which can be viewed at http://ekhoy.blogspot.com/2011/01/jersey-shore-and-dustin-kidd-normal-0.html

I call this post a semi-response because it's not really a response to Elona's post. I was reading her post on the links between Jersey Shore (which I am addicted to, but I think The Real World has more drama now) and the Dustin Kidd article when I got inspired to talk about the religious effects of gaming. Most popular games such as Call of Duty and Halo are extremely addictive and have even spawn professional leagues (http://www.majorleaguegaming.com/). However, I am here to talk a about a game commonly referred to as 'WOW', World of Warcraft. WOW is a massive online multiplayer game where there is estimated 12 million subscribers to the game. Another game which can be put in the same category as WOW is Couter-Strike, commonly known as CS. Counter-Strike is a first person shooter that is primarily played online. I can confidently say that CS is the number one reason why teenage boys started video gaming all night. Similar to Harry Potter, WOW and CS has also significantly affected the gaming world without contributing much to society as a whole. I will try and apply Kidd's theory to these two games.

Creating Norms: When I was a child, hanging out would mean going outside to play with your friends. With the advent of CS, hanging out was soon relocated to the internet cafe, where kids would spend hours playing CS online with their friends. I think I've played de_dust so much I have the map ingrained into my brian. I still remember all the best camping spots. More importantly, I think these games have made gaming more acceptable. Popular Hollywood stars such as Mila Kunis admit that they play World of Warcraft.

Maintaining Boundaries: As an ex-World of Warcraft player, I can honestly say that I could strike up a conversation with anyone that played WOW. Sometimes when I tell non-WOW players that I play the game, I would often receive "Oh, you're one of those" responses. Video game players are often labeled as anti-social and nerdy or geeky. Furthermore, these games have developed slang that only gamers use such as gg (good game), and camping (a spot on the map where it is hard to kill you but easy to pick off enemies).

de_dust

Developing Rituals: Similar to people bonding while watching a tv show or participating in sports, gamers bond virtually, and if you're playing with friends, you can bon in reality too! In WOW, there are events called "raids" where anywhere from 5 - 30 characters participate. Before each of these raids, every group goes through the same ritual: checking that all gear is repaired, and developing a game plan. It is similar to pre-game rituals seen in hockey or football.

Innovation: CS and WOW both made gaming acceptable in the mainstream. Furthermore, within the gaming world, both these games are extremely innovative in the way they have developed gameplay. CS for its multi-player online first-person shooter, and WOW for its subscription massively multi-player online role playing game.

Social Change: As stated above, both CS and WOW have helped gaming to the point where there is a professional league which is sometimes show on Sportsnet. WOW has even made and appearance on South Park. Furthermore, some slang such as noob (slang for newbie) are now commonly used.

WOW is designed so that it is almost a reflection of the real world. Within the virtual world, we can find different organizations (guilds) with people from all socio-economic classes from all over the world. I once met a Ph.D. student on WOW who was doing his thesis on the similarities between the WOW economy and the economic structure of the "real world". By applying effective real world economic theories on the WOW economy, he actually managed to make alot of money. This just goes to show how immersive the game can be. Events such as raids, create a sense of community and a develop strong emotions similar to those experienced during a sporting event. No joke, I have witnessed families breaking up because of World of Warcraft.

Response to Jesus is my Facebook Friend

This is a response to Dan's post "Jesus is my Facebook Friend" which can be viewed at http://lambgd.blogspot.com/2011/04/jesus-is-my-facebook-friend.html

              I really liked Dan't article on Christians and the internet. I had no idea that there was something called "Godtube" or Christians only dating sites. Without going to the site, I would assume that Godtube would be a website some crazy Christian nut made in his basement, but it is actually surprisingly well done. There are even ads before videos similar to what happens on Youtube when you try and watch VEVO videos. Except these ads are for Christian music instead of Old Spice or GM (as soon as I write this an ad for Liberty University pops up on Godtube). While I'm on the subject of Christian music, I can see some parallels developing between the trend of Christian websites and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). In Brian Schill's article, he describes the formation of the CCM genre as a way to stand out from the mainstream. However, because of the characteristics of the music industry (e.g. trying to become as popular as possible), there will be a point where CCM will be accepted into the mainstream, defeating its original purpose. I can see the same thing happening with Christian websites such as Godtube, which was created as an alternative (or the Other) to popular video sharing sites such as Youtube or Vimeo. At what point will these websites join into the internet mainstream? But at the same time, there is also a fundamental difference between the music industry and the internet, and that is the economics of the respective industries. It is much cheaper to maintain a domain of the web than a record company. Because of this, it is not necessary for websites increase visitors (although it might be better for them to do so). Therefore, a niche website such as Godtube may never become completely mainstream, just popular within the niche its designed for. And speaking of niches, here is a random video of Justin Bieber I found on Godtube.

Is Pop Culture Based on Music?

This is a response to Kathleen's post which can be viewed at http://lifeisbetterinblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2011/03/response-to-dianas-commit-crime-do-time.html.

I agree that Hip Hop has become increasingly violent in its lyrical content. However, as most rappers will say that the content of their music is based on their life experiences, is their music a reflection of our culture today, or does their music dictate our culture? I would argue that these 'gangsta' rappers are just giving the public what they want. If the world was not interested in sex and drugs, then why would they listen to these songs? There is no doubt that the world is more liberal than it was 10 or 20 years ago. Music videos on tv today would be banned 20 years ago. And here is an alternative view on music history. In the 70's and 80's it was all about "sex, drugs and rock'n roll", now its been changed to "sex, drugs and hip hop". Yet, for some reason, rap has been taking all the blame. Most of the time, its from the same people who indulged in the rock and roll culture back in the 70s, 80s and 90s. One of the greatest rock musicians of all time, Kurt Cobain, died from a drug overdose, yet the masses are up in arms when Snoop Dogg raps that he "gets high everyday"? This seems like hypocrisy at the highest level. And if these 'gangsta' rappers are telling the truth (which I doubt), then isn't there something wrong with our society when people can carry guns, pimp women, and take drugs without repercussions?

Sounds of Christ

I love music. Whenever I'm feeling happy or sad or angry or disappointed, I listen to music. I enjoy all genres but my favourites are house and hip hop. Although the links between these two genres may not be as obvious as a genres such as rock, there are some Christian content in house and hip hop. The emotions experienced during a rave and a techno concert can be compared to the emotions experienced during a sporting event. The same sense of euphoria and community can be felt during a rave or at a packed Swedish House Mafia Concert. Instead of 30,000 people packed into a stadium to watch a few men beat each other up, raves are smaller, but the one DJ (or multiple DJs depending on the event) is located on a raised stage, almost like an idol or a supreme being, dictating to movements of the people below him/her. At most of these raves, there is copious use of drugs, meant to induce a sense of euphoria, a sense of transcendence.

The group Justice, whose logo is a cross

On the other hand, hip hop, has a strong connection with the Christian tradition. Most hip hop artists come from a Christian background. The roots of hip hop is blues, which is also strongly rooted in the Christian tradition. Hip hop has been criticized by some mainstream media for being overly violent and degrading to women. Unfortunately, it is the small 5%-10% that draws the criticism. One of my favourite songs in by a group called Blu & Exile titled "The World is...(Below the Heavens)". (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKhA5aaCb-Y). The song talks about Blu's upbringing in a Christian household, and his ideas of Heaven. One of the most inspirational songs I've ever listened to.

"Hell is what you choose to call the present, that's why you're going through it, I just choose to call it stressin', to tell you fools the truth I don't feel that why I'm destined, so you can call it hell but bro, I'll just say I'm below the heavens"

Religion: New and Improved!

Although this topic was discussed in class a long time ago, for this post, I would like to talk about advertising. In class, we learned that advertising had its roots in Christian culture, as most people who get into this industry are Christian men. However, with advertising aimed at our spiritual senses and brands have almost a cult following (Apple), advertising is employing more and more religious tactics to spread their message. But what about religion using advertising for their own gain?
In a society where freedom of religion is not only tolerated, but encouraged, there are going to be a very diverse field of different religions and sects to choose from. How do you pick which church to go to? Is it by distance from your house, or is it by how many of your friends go to that church? There are examples of mega-churches where there can be 10,000 people attending a sermon. How did the congregation get so big? There must be some form of advertisement for that church. Even word-of-mouth is a form of advertising. During televised sermons on Sundays, on some channels, there are advertisements for various local churches or even religious products such as books. Often, on these Christian programs, the pastor throws in an ad about his book or some type of product that he produced. To be honest, even atheists have hopped on the advertising train (or bus to be exact)

Response to In the name of Kevin, the Nick, and the Holy Joe: Purity Rings Amen!

This post is a response to Arianna's post "In the name of Kevin, the Nick, and the Holy Joe: Purity Rings Amen!" which can be viewed at http://across-the-christian-universe.blogspot.com/2011/04/in-name-of-kevin-nick-and-holy-joe.html

I think Arianna's post brings light on another pop culture phenomenon that originated from Christian traditions: the purity ring. I remember when purity rings (or promise rings) were all the rage when celebrities such as the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus conspicuously wore them to various events. As Miley once said, she wears the purity ring to "promote Christian values and chastity". Although abstinence is promoted as an alternative to contraception, is abstinence a viable solution to preventing teen pregnancies in this day and age? A quick search on google for "jonas bothers purity ring" or "miley cyrus purity ring" will yield a large number of results....most of it from 2008. What about the purity rings now? Are they still wearing them?

According to the celebrity blogs I found, one of the jonas brothers is married, so he took it off. But apparently one of them stopped wearing his after dating an actress (link: http://www.hollyscoop.com/joe-jonas/joe-jonas-ditches-purity-ring-for-ashley-greene_25053.aspx) And Miley's purity ring (according to most tabloids) is highly suspect. It seems that abstinence is not very effective to combat teenage hormones. A more effective way to decrease the amount of teenage pregnancies is through sex ed, and practicing safe sex. And on the subject of purity rings, did you know that Britney Spears had one?