Do It Alone

A rather popular artist Kid Cudi has had influence on modern day teens from every type of house in America and around the globe. He is popular because he is talented and is different from the usual hip hop artist. He thrives off of being different and having different views from other rappers. He seems to think he is some rap god lately, even though his music has gone downhill since his first album in my opinion. One of his older mixtapes is called Kid Cudi: Demo Tape and contains some old music that didn't quite make it to his albums. Cudi quit smoking marijuana in the past year, but most of his music prior to him quitting was revolved around smoking dope and not caring what others think - songs like "Marijuana", "I Do My Thing", "Rollin'", "Call Me Moon Man", and "Maui Wowie" all express his love for weed. But one song off of Kid Cudi: Demo Tape called "Do It Alone" really embraces how different he views himself from the world.

If you know Kid Cudi, he calls himself things like "Moon Man" or "Man on the Moon", which has a double meaning. It refers to him being high most of the time (high as the sky, or in his case up to the moon), and how he views himself as an alien. No one understands him. The song "Do It Alone" really embraces this. It starts out with some high pitched outer space-like sounds. Then the music comes in slowly and you can tell pretty quickly that it is a sad song. His lyrics tell the story of him being afraid to go into the real world because he fears he won't be accepted - that no one will understand. He says "Man, I'm so comfortable here. Why should I head to a place where people live in fear?" and "But see, I'll never get why the earth is a puzzle that I'll never fit. I'm not of their world. So why should I leave my sanctuary? The whole thought of that is scary. How do I know that their kind will truly hear me out? Will they understand I'm flying from a different route?"

Although Kid Cudi does not affiliate himself with any religion, we can see by these lyrics that he is scared of being different from the real world, much like many of us are afraid of being different from the Empire. I think many of us, especially those of us that grew up in a very Christian town or went to a private Christian school, are scared to go outside of our bubble and take on the Empire. Kid Cudi describes his frustration by saying the earth is a puzzle and he'll never fit because he's not of their world. He doesn't want to leave his sanctuary - where he is comfortable. But I think to find a real glimpse of the Kingdom, we need to fight against the Empire. I have wanted to run away from these problems that cause so much anxiety in me, but I know to become stronger in my faith, I need to fight. And I believe God will give me glimpses of the Kingdom when I do this. Luckily, unlike Cudi, I don't feel like I have to do this alone. We have brothers and sisters in Christ to walk with.

Questions:

When have you felt that you are alone in this world and no one understands? Was it faith related?

Have you ever tried to run away when you feel like you're alone in this world? What has the outcome been of running?

Supernatural

The second cultural artifact I have decided to choose is the show Supernatural. Supernatural first aired september 13, 2005. The Story is about two brothers named Sam and Dean Winchester. The episodes are about these two brothers as they hunt demons and other monsters that are of the supernatural, hence the title. This show portrays evil in hell is not locked by heaven anymore. Demons and monsters are on our world. The human purpose as we know is to live in Christ’s image, but on this show the human purpose is to be destroyed by the demons. Evil is always around the Winchester boys. I think that they are not being influenced by the empire, because the empire wants the perfect American life. You go to school, get a job, get married, have kids. But This life can never be for the Winchester boys. They know what is actually out there. and their destiny is to fight of the evil. Dean has always struggled with religion he does not believe in god, and if he did he calls him a “big kid with a magnifying glass, and i’m the ant.” But in the later seasons dean is a mess he keeps reliving all of his horror that he has done in his past, what he has seen, he prays to God for redemption to cleanse him, to ask for help. In the later of the episodes they interact with angels and these angels are angry with the Winchester boys, because they stopped the apocalypse from happening when it was supposed to. The angels also say that God has gone away. they do not see him anymore, almost as if he had given up. But i believe something extraordinary is going to happen. I sometimes feel that a lot of us feel that way. When we are in need and something that we ask for does not happen, or when we are in despair, we feel like god has gone away and doesn't care about us. but we know as Christ followers that is simply not true. God is always with us. This show does a good jib of showing the evil the good and the redeemed in our world today.

1.Do we sometimes feel that God has left.

2. How can we fight the evil in our own life's.

Dinner Dance Partner

For my second cultural artifact I attended the January Series lecture on Tuesday, where I was enlightened and humored by owner of Polyface Farms, Joel Salatin. After hearing this lecture, watching Food Inc. in class yesterday, and now reading more about this alternative farmer, I have thought a lot about food and where it comes from. In his lecture Tuesday, Joel addressed the issues of food and how it is viewed in society today. He claims that we have "pulled away from the dinner dance partner" and that it has been replaced with McDonalds, Tyson, Kraft, Taco Bell... and so on. We now view food as mechanical versus biological. We see soil as inert, something that holds up the plants, but really soil is full of a living community of microorganisms that support life. The disrespect of the soil has also turned to the disrespect of animals- we want them bigger, fatter, faster, and cheaper. These distorted views of God's creation goes even further, where our view of humans becomes the same as that of the animals and creation.
Joel Salatin has committed his life to a "land healing ministry." He claims, "I am a caretaker of creation; I don't own it." He believes it is his responsibility to step into creation as land stewards and redemptive embassadors and embrace it as a dance partner. We need to appreciate our invisible dependent creation. This statement is so applicable to many aspects our lives. This includes the invisible microorganisms in soil, the invisible trillions of cells in our bodies, to the invisible God that created the universe. We don't realize the tremendous power and creativity of our Maker until we study what he has created. We are called to take care of this earth and enjoy it in its natural original beauty. This is what God called us to do, he cares about His creation. In the words of Joel Salatin, "God is interested in the pigness of the pig."
Studying this cultural artifact has sparked an interest in this topic of caring for creation. There are many practical ways, that we as Christians, can participate in a system that does good and allows us to participate in the Kingdom.

Discussion Questions:

• In what ways does the distorted view of creation and animals extend to our view of other humans?
• Where else in creation do we witness the amazing design of our Creator?
• What are ways we can be stewards for God's Kingdom?
  

Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow is no stranger. Over the past year, Americans have become very familiar with his face, his style, his stats, and also, his faith. Some fans are refreshed by the character that Tebow brings to the NFL – namely, his outspoken and unforgiving belief system otherwise unfamiliar to the game. Still, others exemplify great disdain for this Evangelical, questioning the legitimacy of his faith and ridiculing his over-the-top antics. So what's apocalyptic about Tim Tebow?

For one, there's no questioning his ability to play football. Many sports fans will disagree with me, arguing that ultimately quarterback (insert name here) is better than Tebow. I don't wish to argue that and seeing as I don't know much about the NFL you're probably right. Nonetheless, Tebow is a professional at what he does, a title that cannot be stripped from his talent insofar as he continues to play. The point is, this quarterback can and is pushing his body to its limit. Throwing a ball 80 yards into the hands of another player involves a technical set of skills. As we admire Tebow's ability to QB we are offered a very unusual and unique glimpse of God's image. In addition, Tebow is very involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, spending entire days with mentally disabled fans and their families. Argue all you want, but the fact is that this celebrity hasn't completely checked out, yet. Tim Tebow is an apocalyptic figure in more ways than one.

However, that's not the end of the story. Ironically Tebow's very public attempts at spirituality are what make me less convinced of his sincerity. In fact, after all we have learned in this class, that Tebow has to nerve to thank God for defeating another team in the middle of a stadium and a career literally fueled by the empire (consumerism) seems a bit hypocritical. The Jesus of the NFL is a Jesus who doesn't care about the poor. The Jesus of the NFL is a savior of "our sponsor." The Jesus of the NFL is more concerned about signing $11 million contracts than helping the homeless man outside the stadium. If Tebow wanted to send a Kingdom message he could start by being a voice or reason during lockout season (an exceptionally terrific example of consumerism and greed). With the type of power he has, Tebow could be an incredibly influential voice and Christian example in calling the Empire into question, particularly in his job-field. I guess all we can do is keep waiting for that to happen.

Thus, with a grain of salt and a measure of grace, I have to conclude that Tim Tebow may not be as good a role model as society has dressed him up to be. While I applaud his volunteerism and commitment to the Gospel(s), it seems like he is stuck in a pickle between the Christ of the poor and the Lord of the market. In an attempt to squeeze in both he has diluted one and the expense of the other. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to watch how he continues to integrate his faith throughout the rest of his career.

Discussion Questions
1. Do you think the act of "Tebowing" (bowing your head and taking a knee in prayer) is appropriate in end zones? What does such an intentionally public act reveal about Tebow's motives (for better or worse)?
2. Do you think cultural icons of faith should announce their religion publicly? Do we need to label Tebow "Christian" in order to appreciate the good that he does?

Beyonce's "Run the World"

Beyoncé has always been someone that I looked up to and respected to a certain extent as an artist. She not only has the amazing looks but she has the talent too. The artifact I chose was her album, 4. There are 12 tracks in the album and it was released on June the 24th of last year. Her main hit was ‘Run the World’ and the whole album just portrayed her self-confidence. People were questioning her ways and calling them ‘improper.’ The fact that this album talks about women and them ‘running the world’ is not a bad thing but the way she represents this in her music video can be considered inappropriate. There are so many other ways that she could have portrayed this in her video. In her big hit ‘Single Ladies’, she beams with self confidence and nothing is inappropriate about her video – it just is her telling us ladies that we should be proud to be single. It was interesting to think about this and with her song ‘Run the World’ there were several thoughts that popped up in my mind. At the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, Beyoncé does an amazing performance of her new hit and the whole performance opens up with a lot of stars, her parents and even the first lady herself talking about how wonderful Beyoncé is and how she is a role model for all girls today. The only thing is her music video doesn’t really portray this in the best way it could. The whole album just shows her self confidence and show how much she has grown as an artist but it is pretty much her selling herself. Some questions that I found I was asking myself were how can women be aware of the way that other women are portrayed in the media? How can we resist this? Is it wrong to watch music videos and listen to music that is considered inappropriate according to the kingdom of God? Or is it ok as long as we know what we’re doing? 

Nintendo Power

Yesterday afternoon my parents mailed me my copy of the latest issue of Nintendo Power, which is a magazine dedicated to bringing the latest news on everything Nintendo, the largest video game company in the world. I've been reading NP for 12 years now, and it's substantially different now than it was then. When I first read this magazine, it had many different creative and interesting sections. There were previews, guides, hints, activity sections, contests, an advice column (for gamers), letters to the editors, polls, and more. The pages themselves often had artsy backgrounds and trivia bits on the side, and each issue had a bonus such as a poster, a demo DVD, or a soundtrack. There were around ten pages of advertisements in each issue, and eight or nine of them were video game-related. The magazine was fun and wonderful, and when I was younger, I looked forward to reading every issue I got. A decade ago, the editors loved their job, worked hard at it, and cared about their readers.

Saying that the editors are now uncaring and greedy may be going too far; however, the magazine has undoubtedly declined in quality in favor of saving time, reducing work, and especially cutting costs in its production. The guides, hints, advice column, activities, and contests are all gone, the other sections are stripped down, and the artsy touches such as the page backgrounds and trivia are replaced by solid colors and empty margins. Posters only come once every 3 or 4 issues, and any other bonus is virtually nonexistent. The worst of it is the previews, which have essentially become extended advertisements for upcoming games. They made up around 15% of the magazine when I started reading it; they now comprise roughly 75% of it. Even though I don't play games as much now, I presently find myself wanting to buy Nintendo's products more often than I did as a child. Though I'd like to believe it's because the games are better, I know it's because the previews are trying to make every game look as appealing as possible with fancy descriptions and shiny screenshots.

Nintendo Power is still a good magazine, but it's become so cheaply produced and so infused with advertisements that it's easy to see that making and saving money is a much larger part of the editors' tasks than it was a decade ago. This is likely true for all magazine editors, but it's still not a pleasant thought. What happens when magazine editors (such as those at NP) need a pay raise again? How many more corners can be cut in a magazine's production? Is there anything readers can do to fight these changes?

The Graduate

The Graduate is one of the most highly celebrated films of the 1960’s.  In the film, Benjamin Braddock, a recent college graduate, is trying to figure out his life.  He has no idea of what he wants and just stares at inanimate objects all day.  Benjamin is seduced by Mrs. Robinson, the mother of one a friend who he happens to like.  This relationship turns into a full-on affair and sucks everything out of Benjamin.  When Elaine, the daughter of Mrs. Robinson comes back into town, Benjamin falls in love with her.  Once she gets wind of the affair she cuts all ties with Benjamin, who pursues he an eventually convinces her to marry him. 

Simon and Garfunkel’s song The Sound of Silence, made famous by The Graduate and heard a couple times in the film, is a perfect example of our society.  Towards the end of the song there is a line that goes, “And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made.  And the sign flashed out its warning in the words that it was forming. And the sign said, ‘The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls.’”  This is a clear demonstration of our consumerism society.  We are comforted by all the flashing signs telling us to buy and what to buy.  Our reality is portrayed as corrupt by bowing down and praying to false idols.  The Sound of Silence is known for being in The Graduate, as well as The Graduate is famous for playing The Sound of Silence.  We see humans as pleasure-seeking robots, who have no regard for consequences.  Evil can stem from the most innocent of places, like Benjamin before the affair.  Elaine forgave Benjamin in the end and married, so we see that redemption and forgiveness can come to those who don’t deserve it. Life in the empire is portrayed as care free.  Benjamin sneaks around his parent’s backs, Mr. Robinson’s back, and Elaine’s back to attain a life that will be no use to him in the long run. The Kingdom of God is shown when Benjamin is forgiven by Elaine.  Just like God had no reason to redeem us, Elaine had no reason to redeem Benjamin. 

Does The Sound of Silence truly fit with this movie?

Can we view Elaine as kind of a Messiah figure?

Adele

Four years ago I got onto iTunes just to browse at their growing selection. Being Dutch, I inevitably found myself on the “free download” page. The song that was up for this weeks discovery download was the song “Hometown Glory” by an unfamiliar British girl of 19 years old, Adele. I listened through the song once and immediately found the tune captivating and her mature voice ringing through my ears. Over the years, Adele has found her spot at the top of numerous music charts and become a pop culture icon with her soulful melodies; it’s almost hard to believe that this woman is only 23 years old.

Adele shows a great deal of contrast in the wild world of music now a day. With synthesizers and heavy dance beats, Adele really breaks through with her emphasis on simplicity. Not only does she show that she’s got the talent for what she is doing, but also she has an incredibly positive outlook on herself. Adele doesn’t fit the so-called “norm” of what society expects for this industry. “I like having my hair and face done, but I'm not going to lose weight because someone tells me to. i make music to be a musician not to be on the cover of Playboy." I think that in the obsessive world of Hollywood and in the music industry we can lose sight of where the real talent is because the face that comes with the performer hinders our views. It’s very clear to see that Adele truly cares about herself and the amazing talent that she has been given. After watching and discussing the film America the Beautiful and talking about the issues with appearance in class, I can really understand how having a very successful, and beautifully proportioned woman representing some of the best that pop culture has to offer can make a huge difference in the world’s views on what is truly beautiful.

Questions:

1. What has caused the music industry to change to dramatically over the years to focusing primarily on the visual and the presentation of the performer?

2. Where can we see brokenness and evidence of the empire in music and artists of today when every person has their own opinion and different taste? Is this "broken" or just something that we are not used to?

Think Before You Eat

Although I had not thought of food as pop culture before, after the class discussion today and more recognition of it, I can now see how the empire permeates the entire food industry.

Yesterday at the dining halls, there were many vendors presenting their various foods in order to have us vote and hopefully be chosen to be featured in our dining halls. This was a very interesting experience. As soon as I walked into Commons, I could feel it in the air, something different: competition. Admittedly, I was drawn in. The smells, the sights, the sounds - it brought me into a new atmosphere, and rather than going to line one, picking what looked the most tasty and sitting down with my plate and drink, I skipped the like and headed straight to the booths that were giving away free food. Quickly I realized I would not be able to carry everything that was given out, and I grabbed a tray - for the first time this year. I also had no problem grabbing as many samples as possible, even some milk (I don’t even like milk). It was not until I was sitting down that I realized how much I had actually taken, most of which I ended up not eating, and how much trash it generated. It was fun, but...

But how? How did these vendors suddenly make me want to take more, eat more, consume more?

But is it worth it? Is all of this interesting food worth the trash, trans fat, and harm to the environment?

But - we fell for it. There was a line at every table, we all ate it, we all talked about it, even the nasty protein milk (which the vendor explained “isn’t even dairy until you open it, so if you put it your backpack and it warms up, you can just chill it again”)

But, there is also an alternative, which we must remember. There is a way to combat this idea of consuming without thought. We all make mistakes, but we can also all take steps.

Discussion Questions:

1. Does the hype of food take away our rational thoughts of what we are eating?
2. What would happen if we as a country chose a better way? Would we be able to fight the big companies that control the industry at this moment?

music and life

For my cultural artifact post I wanted to do something music
related, but I didn’t want to go through a cd. Instead I tuned to a website
called 8tracks.com. on this site users can compile playlists of their favourite
artists and songs and share them with other users. The particular playlist I used
is called “Punk Rock Prom Queen”, and is a combination of artist like
blink-182, sum 41 and other punk bands.

These particular songs I found dealt mostly with
relationships. To these artists in these songs evil originates from a
relationship that either breaks, or when the two people don’t end up together. Redemption
is found when one accepts the other back (usually the guy accepting the girl)
or if the relationship is successful. I suppose this says quite a bit about
what the empire wants us to focus on. All these bands are not groups who would
not be considered Christian, nor do I believe any of them to profess to be
either. That being said, the empire likes to put the focus of our attention a
perfect relationship. If the empire can get us to focus on a relationship, then
it is easier for them to trap us with advertisements that show us that true
happiness can be found with two things: a) a woman on our arm and b) whatever
product they’re trying to sell.
However, I think that if we look into some of the songs a
little deeper we can find some Kingdom meaning in them. God desires that we
have a good, strong relationship and I personally feel that these songs can
give a view of what we are looking for, especially if we are not sure ourselves.
For me, being very word oriented, and gifted with a vivid imagination, I find
that I can imagine what these artists are singing about, then more easily apply
that to my own life.

1)
If you have a girlfriend, or girl you would like
to be in a relationship with, is there a song that you can hear, and then you
find yourself thinking about her?
2)
What are other things that songs can help us imagine/get
us through?