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.

Mind Over Mass Media/Music

The essay we looked at this week focused on the change in technology but specifically social media. The author, Steven Pinker, argued that the the easy access to various media outlets in order to gain various information has developed our minds to focus on what may be important or focal. He asserts the idea that mass media has morphed things to make it easier for people to retain more information than before. The essay Pinker presented formulates the statement that new technology, specifically mass media, has made information gathering more efficient.
Our group had a very long discussion on this essay and how it pertained to music. We looked at how technology has changed over time just as music has. Just as how mass media has made it easier to gain or implement facts, thoughts and ideas out to others globally like music has done to people of different genre or even background. Don’t get me wrong, it was pretty difficult at first to develop some ideas on what to write about for our blog post but we came up with the idea of change in music and mass media as a good thing. I wanted to add a twist to this blog post while keeping the topic about music and mass media, so my main focus will be the stereotypes that follow both ideas.

First of all, let's start off with the definition of stereotype. For those of you who don't know, a stereotype is a fixated idea of a person or thing. Let's start off with an easy example, if I met a guy with a colorful Mohawk, I would most likely believe he may be a fan of heavy metal. Another example would be that if I noticed someone likes to take a lot of selfies or food pictures, I would assume they would be more into the app Instagram than Twitter. Cadwallader states that "[w]e use social media to communicate with each other in greater ways today" (Cadwallader 1) than we ever did before. The old timers don't really understand that because of their perception in taste whether it's music or technology. Jeff Balke summarizes this perfectly in his article about music and stereotypes by saying "If you think country music is bad, you may never hear a great country song and you’ll likely pass that belief onto others – your children, your friends, your family – despite the fact that your belief is likely inherently flawed simply because of your perception rather than your actual study of the genre" (Balke 1). So go on Facebook, go on Twitter, go on Snapchat or +Google and express yourself while watching others express themselves. You might break a stereotype or two by the end of the night. You might find yourself agreeing with Pinker or Cadwallader or Balke or my composition group that change may be a good thing.

Works Cited

Cadwallader, Sunny. "Study Looks at Music and Stereotypes." Broken Record. Linkedin.com, 6 May 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.

Balke, Jeff. "Study Looks at Music and Stereotypes." Broken Record. Broken Record, 25 Feb. 2008. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.

What We Eat/Music

"What We Eat" About Music

                  "What We Eat" is a short article arguing that the fast food industry has altered what Americans eat, and that its methods and values have become the country's chief export (Schlosser). Schlosser states "fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American society" (Schlosser). Anything we eat is affecting us as a person and becomes a part of us; no other industry offers that (Schlosser). So what is it that makes us determine what to eat.
                 I thought of a few things that can help answer this. What affects the things that we eat? After some long research I finally found a topic that I can work with. So I ask these questions: How does music alter what we eat? How can music affect the speed that we eat? My goal is to show you all just how deeply things can change what you consume.
                An article from the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab states that not only does the food differentiate a fast food place and a fine dining restaurant, but the music and lighting make a big difference (O'Sullivan). "If a restaurant is playing heavy metal on repeat you may want to eat your food quickly," O'Sullivan stated in the article (O'Sullivan). To prove all this, they conducted a study to see if they were to change the lighting and music, what kinds of things would change. Consumers were randomly put into either a normal fast food setting or the altered setting. They were then asked some questions and had data collected on the time they were there and what they had all ordered. They found out that by changing the atmosphere, it can increase food intake and the rating of the food (O'Sullivan). So I feel that companies would benefit if they dimmed their lights and played some softer music.
                This wasn't the only article that had stated these same facts about the atmosphere of restaurants, they all lead to the same conclusion. What we eat can be changed very quickly by the setting of the restaurant. After all, food becomes a part of us and who we are so shouldn't we enjoy it while we can.

 O'Sullivan, Christina, and Sandra Cuellar-Healey. "Music and Light." Music and Light. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2014.

Schlosser, Eric. "What We Eat." 2001. Back to the Lake. Ed. Thomas Cooley. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2012. 667-74. Print.

What We Eat and Listen to Makes Us Who We Are

Halloween is over and we all had our fair share of mini size snicker bars and recess butter cups. But with November comes even colder weather, the sun setting at 6 pm, and my favorite, Thanksgiving. I can deal with the chills and darkness all month for one day of warm sweet smells of succulent food cooking up in my home. I’m sure we can all relate this to our relationship within music. Every other day I wake up early for my 8 a.m. class, forget my snack, and no time to take a breather all day, but I can deal with it as long as I have two things, my music and headphones.

In Eric Scholsser’s What We Eat, he evaluates how fast food industries can be located anywhere in the world. Not only is it everywhere, it’s a constant in American society. Eric explains how American’s have grown accustomed to “a plastic tray full of food wrapped in colored paper and cardboard” (668). Mcdonalds is the number one fast food chain out there.  Many people question the kind of things they put in their food, if it’s healthy, and even blame it for America's obesity. Have you ever heard the phrase, “you are what you eat”? Well Eric’s way of saying that is: “A nation’s diet can be more revealing than it’s art or literature” (688). Someone could tell a lot about a person if they went through their playlist contained with emotional songs like Green Day’s Good Riddance or Coldplay’s Yellow. We can assume if one listens to sad loves songs all day that maybe they’re heart broken and that maybe eating fast food is bad for you.

Countless of times I’ve heard that the pop music playing on the radio is trash, screamo music makes you a bad person, and/or rap is a bad influence on a person’s character. If I order a Juicy Quarter Pounder with cheese and a chilly Reese's Butter Cup Blizzard for dessert is that bad for me? It may not be my healthiest meal, but who is to say we all can’t indulge in our favorite foods. When I listen to my favorite tunes to sleep or to work out I get into a trance and it brings me into a whole other world. Doesn’t matter what kind of genre I’m listening to. It’s the lyrics, beat, and melody that makes the experience. Just like eating a Krispy Kreme, i’m not thinking about the calories and statistics. I’m thinking about how something so simple can be so sweet and with every bite is a step closer to finishing the donut. Afterwards, I am left with sugary glaze on my fingertips to lick off for my ending enjoyment.

The next time you see someone rocking out to screamo music or eating a Big Mac ask yourself, can we really make the same judgement that different genres of  music is bad for us like fast food industries?

By Sheng Vang 

Works Cited

Colombo, Gary, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Boston: Bedford  of St. Martin's, 1992. 667-74. Print.

"Top 10 Global Fast-Food Brands." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/pictures/feji45ihfj/top-10-global-fast-food-brands-3/>.

Vincent, Alice. "Lady Gaga: 'pop Music Is like Junk Food'" The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 29 May 0014. Web. 06 Nov. 2014. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopmusic/10447619/Lady-Gaga-pop-music-is-like-junk-food.html>.

Thoughts on Mercy with Music

Taylor Tschida

Lora Strey

Composition 101-12

9 October 2014

Some Thoughts on Mercy with Music

        "Some Thoughts on Mercy" is an article or a memoir if you will about some stories of  this black man's life and how he still has to deal with racism in present day. There was one story that I always wondered if it really happened in the real world, it was a story where Ross Gay got pulled over for a reason he did not know. But anyway Ross told himself that he wouldn't be scared when the police officer came up to his window unlike normal because it's always a tense moment when a black man has confrontation with a police officer (Gay). Ross goes in depth about the routine stop but then the cop continues to ask if he any drugs or guns in the car with no real reason at all, except that he a black male. What Ross is saying is that he a respected associate professor at Indiana University and why must he be subject to general racism for a random stop. Also why are not only cops but other people still holding black people to a lower standard in this day and age.

       Reading about Ross has brought up a few questions of how this same standard could be the same in the music business. They're a lot of black people in the music business like producers, artists, and musicians. So the questions I asked were: Do black rappers think they get treated unfairly with the law? How are black musicians treated differently than white musicians? and Does being black or white have an effect on sales?

          There was an article I found about what rappers think of the criminal justice system. It says that although rappers use lyrics that portray cops as the enemy and how they exercise their power, that those communities are subject to more profiling and unfair treatment from the justice system (Wade). But blacks are more likely to be arrested and sentenced rather than whites, regardless of crime rate.

       Another article that a group member found was from the L.A. Times about how The NAACP's best estimate is that black recording artists are responsible for generating 25%- 30% of the total revenues earned by the recording industry. It also goes on to talk about how the blacks buy 11.4% of the records, tapes and music videos sold annually, according to the report (McDougal).
      
       So clearly the racism is still a very big part of the music industry and I don't think it is changing anytime soon. I always hear about stories of how police officers try and aggravate black people when it is simply unnecessary and unneeded. It's not right how black people in music and just black people in general are treated unfairly in their life when people know it's wrong but do nothing about it.


Gay, Ross. "Some Thoughts on Mercy." N.p., n.d. Web.

McDougal, Dennis. "Racism In Music Industry Alleged." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 1987. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.

Wade, Lisa. "What Rappers Are Actually Saying About the Police." Mic. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.




 



               

Next Time Someone Says Women Aren't Victims Of Sexual Harassment, Show Them This/Music -Priscilla Yang

The post we looked at this week was a comic strip geared towards women being victims of sexual harassment. The comic strip focuses on how women are victims daily but people just don’t seem to notice it because it has become a social norm. The author of the strip talks about how sexual harassment towards women are both done physically and verbally and how most power in society is claimed by men. The comic strip gives many examples of it in the work force, relationships, public property ownership and even in common jokes made popular today. It also focuses on the power inequality between men and women today. The comic strip says an issue with mens’ attitude towards women is that men “choose to insult challenging or uncooperative women by dismissing their attractiveness” (Tickld). The real problem that the author was trying to get at in this comic strip was that the real problem is not only the men who treat women like this, but also women who allow this to happen to them or other women. The author’s main purpose was not to accuse anyone of sexual harassment towards women but to simply give notice about the growing problem.

My group and I said that we see this epidemic problem growing in the music industry. We questioned how many female singers do become successful without the use of sexual or physical appearance and whether or not songs that objectify or portray women as lesser become more popular than songs that don’t. Without doing any research, my group and I believe that there is a correlation between women being victims of sexual harassment and music itself today.

How many people honestly see ugly female singers today in the music industry? The biggest and most renown female vocalist are beautiful and sexy women. Let me give you a few examples of females who come to mind when I talk about beautiful, sexy, successful women: Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey, Madonna.. Should I keep going? When you think of a female artist you think of an individual who is strong and beautiful but what if I talked about Susan Boyle? She’s not the most attractive looking and successful artist but she is most definitely known or used as a comedy joke because of her looks. Sadly, some people only know of her because of her looks. But on the other hand, how many female singers use their looks to have become successful? An online blog post said that “if a female singer isn’t completely ugly, then labels and media take that and run with it” (Carroll). Lana Del Rey was shown in a magazine cover fully nude only covering up with her own body parts while four other male artist were fully clothed.

Popular songs have an impact on what our culture defines as beautiful/ugly or in this case, right/wrong. The message that the popular song portrays is usually seen as cool because it’s popular due to a lot of people enjoying listening to it. An article written in Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter states that, “It forms the background of car rides and social gatherings, and it also informs the adolescent about the adult world through the lens of the artists’ lives, language and role modeling” (Brown). Teens at a young age learn that harassing a girl about her looks becomes normal because it was in a popular song. In Chris Brown’s song Loyal, the hoes (females) weren’t loyal so they gain the title of a hoe. Which for many girls in any context is not a pleasant name or term of endearment. Young girls learn that it seems ‘cool’ to dress like women in music videos because that video or song was popular. Thus the vicious cycle of sexual harassment continues, especially in the music industry.

Works Cited

Brown. "New research explores effects of rap music on adolescents." Brown University Child &

Adolescent Behavior Letter 19.6 (2003): 1. Academic Search Elite. EBSCO. Web. 16 March 2010.

Carroll, Grace. "Women in the Music Industry: Chewed up and Spat Out?"GIGWISE.com.

Gigiwise.com, 14 Nov. 2014. Web. 02 Oct. 2014.

Tickld.com. “Next Time Someone Says Women Aren’t Victims Of Harassment, Show Them

This.” Tickld.com. Tickld, 09 Aug. 2014. Web. 02 Oct. 2014.