Feminist Is a 21st Century Word and Music

Erin Liebl
Composition 101-12

Feminist

             This article is a very strong and opinionated one written by a very intelligent woman, Robin Morgan. She is discussing how much the word "feminist" has changed through the years and cultures. But she feels that one thing has always been the same: feminism is freeing a political force (Morgan). She wants everyone to know what it means. 

            As I relate this to music, I thought of the women entertainers in the music industry. So many of these women claimed to be feminists, but I asked myself, do they really know what it means to be a feminist? This blog will help identify what these women need to be a true feminist. 

             An article stated that Miley Cyrus was only called the biggest feminist in the music industry because "she took her clothes off and shook her ass" (Bowen). But when Beyonce did the same thing, she was labelled as being non-feminist. Even though no one can agree who is and isn't a true feminist, it is getting that "f" word out in the world and more and more people are becoming aware of it. 

            There are many critics out there who call these entertainers out for doing things that aren't feminism. Like Annie Lennox calling Beyonce out for twerking (Lennox). Her along with others feel that Beyonce is just trying to sell albums, but this is not the way to go about it. Beyonce needs to reevaluate what exactly it means to be a feminist and show us all that she can be that woman. 

           I myself after reading Morgan's article feel like I now know what exactly being a feminist truly is, and I don't think that these female entertainers know what it means at all. They are just trying win over a crowd of people to buy their songs and create more publicity. 

Morgan, Robin. "Robin Morgan on Why 'Feminist' Is a 21st Century Word."Time. Time, 17 Nov. 2014. Web. 09 Dec. 2014.

Bowen, Sesali. "Katy Perry, Miley And Lorde: Did 2013 Move Feminism Backward?" News. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.

Lennox, Annie. "Annie Lennox Slams Beyonce For Fake Feminism." The Inquisitr News. N.p., 22 Oct. 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.

Inspiring Brain Megaphone

Sheng Vang

In The Braindead Microphone, George Saunders sets the story at a party where a guy with experience and intelligence that can be less than most of the people attending arrives with a megaphone. Everyone has their own thoughts and opinions on everything. Since the guy with the megaphone has the loudest voice, people’s views begin to alter around what this guy has to say. In the music industry, the gossip and publicity artists receive from it is like the guy with the megaphone. Taylor Swift is always in the gossip spot life about her songs representing her ex boyfriends and who Taylor Swift will be dating next. Instead of letting all the bad rumors of her dating life affect her career, she uses the negativity and makes money out of it. One of her hit singles, “Shake It Off” there’s lines, “Cause the players gonna play…And the haters gonna hate…Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake I shake it off, I shake it off” stating she will continue to be herself and anyone who thinks otherwise isn’t going to bother her. In this case, I believe Taylor Swift took the megaphone and became Inspiring Brain Megaphone instead of letting Braindead Megaphone change her. She recently was named women of the year for 2014 Billboards (Billboard Staff). With all the publicity from her success and gossip, she has a large megaphone. The great thing about Taylor Swift’s message is to be who you are and don’t let people and words hurt you. 

Work Cited

""Shake It Off" Lyrics." TAYLOR SWIFT LYRICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014. <http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/taylorswift/shakeitoff.html>.

"Taylor Swift Named 2014 Billboard Woman of the Year." Billboard. N.p., 10 Oct. 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6281490/taylor-swift-2014-billboard-woman-of-the-year>.

Feminist 21st Century/Music

Taylor Tschida
Lora Strey
Composition 101-12
9 December 2014
                                                       Feminist 21st Century/Music

This article is talking about the progress of the word feminist and how it evolved throughout all the years that it went through. what some of the women had to go through if they defined themselves as a feminist or dealt with feminists. Back in the day as everyone knows women did not have the same rights as men did and were treated poorly at times. Towards the end of the article it wrapped it into how we live in a popular type culture and celebrities just associate with the word feminist because that is what's cool at that time and will just move on to something different when another cool thing pops up.

Now relating this to music, mostly rap music where women are normally treated like a piece of property and not equals. we see it as a normal way of life or a regular ol music video when women are seen dancing in the background while the male is singing in the front, just like this picture is portraying even though Miley has a successful career of her own. The article says that the real meaning of feminism doesn't exist in this day and age just like racism isn't a thing. the thing is that they both are and women today still don't get paid the same wage as a man in the exact same position. Our group talked about this topic for awhile over text and some of the girls had some pretty strong opinions on what they thought of feminism. We came to the conclusion that women still do not get treated fairly and I personally don't think that it will change for decades to come. Just like racism wont stop for decades because people don't want to give up power to anyone ever. Which is a huge problem because then nothing will end up changing and this world will get no where soon.

Ian Taylor

Kids Speak Their Mind About Race-Music

The video Kids Speak Their Mind About Race was a study on kids from two age groups 6 and 13 and how they interpreted different pictures. They would look at a photo of a white boy standing over a black boy and be asked if they thought the two boys were friends. Then they would be shown a picture of a black boy standing over a white boy and be asked the same question. Their answers were recorded for analyzation and the purpose of doing this study is to see what happens when race is involved in a situation and how that can affect the meaning for young kids.

Race plays a big part in the music industry from the singer and producer all the way to the listener and audience. Race determines how music sounds and race determines who the individual listener will be. With my group we asked how race and music could possibly relate to children. Then together we came up with the question, how does music change over time and what connections does it have to racial views? In order to answer this question we have to look at how race affects music first.

I start my research by looking at one of the most cultural icons of the 20th century and how he became the king of rock and roll. Elvis Presley was born January 8, 1935 and began his career as a singer at the age of 13. Elvis became famous for his upbeat tempo of the fusion of country music and rhythm and blues his biography says “In 1955, Presley began to develop a following with fans being drawn to his unusual musical style, provocative gyrating hips and good looks.” (Biography). When he first became popular many people thought he was black because there was no television and his music and voice sounded so African American. So how could a pasty white Mississippi boy be mistaken for an African American? The answer lies in the evolution of music. As time goes on music changes and certain genres are preferred by different people and so we create generalizations to categorize our music. Elvis’s style was made to be preferred more by African Americans because “Rhythm and blues (R&B), which combines soulful singing and a strong backbeat, was the most popular music created by and for African Americans between the end of World War II (1941-45) and the early 1960s. Such Georgia artists as Ray Charles, Little Richard, and James Brown rank among the most influential and innovative R&B performers.” (Cahoon). The evolution and change over time is how music gets categorized and generalized that’s why music gets different racial views.

This new understanding helps me understand what happened during that study. The kids interpreted the situation the way they did because of prior experiences, it was how they were raised or how the kids believed in generalizations/stereotypes they previously had. The answer to my question is the evolution and change over time that music goes through is how it gets categorized and generalized that is why music gets different racial views and generalizations. However that does not mean these stereotypes and generalizations are always true, because sometimes they never are.

http://www.biography.com/people/elvis-presley-9446466#related-video-gallery

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/rhythm-and-blues-music-overview

Cahoon, Brad. "Rhythm and Blues Music: Overview." Rhythm and Blues Music: Overview (2013): n. pag. New Georgia Encyclopedia. University of Georgia Press, 4 Dec. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.

"Elvis Presley Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.

"Kids Speak Their Minds about Race." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.

Ian Taylor

Mind Over Mass Media-Music

In the article Mind Over Mass Media Steven Pinker talks about how technology has advanced to allow humans to retain more information. He says that mass media has made it especially easy to gather information more efficiently. He also talks about how this technological advancement and how it is changing humans. He says that humans have learned the ability to sort through information faster and tell what information is most relevant through evolution and advancements in our mental processes.

There is no doubt that humans mental processes have changed within the last 100 years. Not only that but the way we search for information and entertainment have also changed. With my group we decided that a good question to ask would be how has Itunes, smart devices and Apple products changed the way humans listen to and purchase music and how is it a benefit.

Humans have changed the way they listen to music from records in 1925, to cassettes in 1962, to CD's in 1982, and finally the Ipod in 2001. The way we purchase our music and the way we listen to our music has changed significantly in the last 100 years. In an Apple ad Jacob Ganz states “Over and over, technology has changed both the way we record sound and the way we listen to it.” (Ganz). Apple is a corporate giant who owns Itunes and posses complete control over the manufacture Ipods and Iphones.

Yet how is this technological advancement a benefit for humans? The answer is convenience. Itunes allows the customer to buy unlimited music from the comfort of their home. On top of being able to purchase hundreds of thousands of songs from your computer, consumers can always keep a purchased song in their own personal Itunes library. Itunes has eliminated the need to have multiple CD's because now users can play hundreds of songs by using their smart device. On top of convenience these devices are affordable and have large storage capacities. “The company will never tell, but the 2012 iPod nano, available only in a 16GB capacity for $149.” (Frakes). A 149$ is a good deal considering how many CD's you would have to purchase to be able to have the same music library as you do on your Itunes account.

This research has helped my understanding of the article because previously I hadn't considered what it was like without Apple products. I hadn't thought about the inconvenience of CD's and previous technology and how that affected consumers. To answer my question advancements in musical technology has changed the way we listen and purchase music and benefits the consumer by offering convenience and affordability.  

http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012/02/24/147379760/what-mastered-for-itunes-really-means

http://www.macworld.com/article/2011740/review-ipod-nano-7th-generation-combines-the-best-of-its-predecessors.html

Ganz, Jacob. "What 'Mastered For ITunes' Really Means." NPR. NPR, 5 Mar. 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

Frakes, Dan. "Review: IPod Nano (7th Generation) Combines the Best of Its Predecessors." Macworld. Macworld, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014

Pinker, Steven. "Mind Over Mass Media." Norton Publishing, 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

Ian Taylor

What We Eat-Music

The article what What We Eat is about consumerism in America and our relationship with fast food. The article talks about how fast food has become almost an everyday thing in American society. In the article it talks about McDonald's and how one in eight US citizens have at one point worked at the fast food corporation. It also talks about how fast food comes in different types of forms but can be found wherever there is a customer.

Fast food is a service that too many Americans purchase and it is creating a health problem. America is becoming heavier and heavier and the related health issues with obesity are increasing to. Consumers buy this food to eat on the run or they bring it home and eat it in front of the TV as an easy meal to prepare. People are beginning to care less and less about their health and it is becoming one of America’s biggest issues. Consulting with my group we thought can music increase your digestion health?

Music is an art that comes in many different genres designed for thousands of different situations. As it turns out listening to music while eating can be healthy or unhealthy depending on the type of music; “Eating dinner while listening to Mozart helps to improve your metabolism and food digestion. When you eat while listening to the pop or rock music you automatically start eating faster. As a result you swallow bigger pieces making it harder for your stomach to digest the food.” (Music Can Help). This works on a biological level “How it helps: Music works on the autonomic nervous system - the part of the nervous system responsible for controlling our blood pressure, heartbeat and brain function - and also the limbic system - the part of the brain that controls feelings and emotions. According to one piece of research, both these systems react sensitively to music. When slow rhythms are played, our blood pressure and heartbeat slow down which helps us breathe more slowly, thus reducing muscle tension in our neck, shoulders, stomach and back. And experts say that apart from physical tension, music also reduces psychological tension in our mind.” (Coleman). By simply listening to classical music while we eat our body subconsciously eats slower, releases chemicals and improves our mental health status.

The research I did did not help me with the reading but it did bring me a new knowledge of the benefits of music. Our bodies react to music in different ways in different situations. When you listen to music when you work out it puts you in a mental and hormonal state that prepares your body for your workout. When you listen to classical music while studying it increases retention of information during studying. Listening to classical music can even increase digestion health by making you slow down and chew your food. So to answer my question can music have health benefits the answer is yes but if you listen to the right genre. Certain genres of music increase unhealthy habits and other genres increase healthy ones.

Coleman, Naomi. "Why Listening to Music Is the Key to Good Health." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.

"How Music Can Help You Burn More Fat." - Weight-Loss. Boxingscene.com, n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.

Kids Speak Their Mind About Race/ Music

Kids Speak Their Mind About Race/Music

 

 

The video we had to watch was a report of how kids at the age of 6 and at the age of 13 thought of a picture where it was a white kid standing over a black kid with books all over the ground and they would state their opinion. Then they showed them the same picture but with a black kid standing over a white kid with books on the ground and asked if they are friends. The point of it was just to portray how different kids would respond to an image with race involved in it.

 

Race is a huge part of the music industry as well, there are very successful artists that are all different races. But most of the time people would portray rap music with black people even though there are just as many white rappers that are just as popular. In fact in an article that me and some of my group members found, they point out that white musicians actually profit from mocking hip hop. They give Lorde's song "Royals" as a good example, because at the time her song was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 7 weeks and her song was specifically mocking the tropes of hip-hop when she sings about rejecting “Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece / Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash.”(D'Addario). so it is very ironic that with her successful hip hop song where she is mocking hip hop she made millions of dollars.

My group had a long discussion about this topic because the answers that these kids provided were pretty much directly related to their parents thoughts on race or where they grew up. The video also went on to ask kids if it would be ok for a black female to bring a white kid home to their parents and of it was ok for a white boy to bring a black girl home as well. There seemed to be a double standard on the matter which isn't fair to the kids who have this mindset that is drilled into their brains by their parents. For me personally I don't think it would matter too much if I brought a black female over to my house or had dated one but that's just because I wasn't raised in that racist of a household. For the music industry I think it is a little different, like my parents didn't like me listening to rap when I was a kid and that was pretty much the same for all my friends at the time. In an article I found it talks about the positive and negative side of letting kids listen to rap. The negative side obviously had more to say like there is "profanity, violence and references to sex. At times it objectifies women to a very degrading degree. And it can glamorize the “gangster” lifestyle of glitz, sex and drugs"(Kiplinger). Which is probably the reason my parents didn't want me listening to it when I was little.

To sum it all up, kids perspective on race is based mostly upon what household they grew up in or how their parents view racism. it showed in the video that the black kids didn't think anything of what they saw in the picture but the white kids figured the black standing over the white kid was being bullied. It is just how they were raised and racism is still a huge part of today's society and it starts with the kids. If parents can train their kids to think and do the right thing about race it will make this world a much better place to live in.

Works Cited

D'Addario, Daniel. "Pop Music’s Race Problem: How White Artists Profit from Mocking Hip-hop." Saloncom RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.


Kiplinger, Anne. "Should You Let Your Kids Listen to Rap Music?" Latest and Greatest from Chicagoans. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.