4.+Democratic+Theories

=**Basics:**=
 * This section includes a variety of information on the culture industry, the new public sphere, and materialism. The section also includes several analogies and explanations to further exploration the relationships within the concept of Democratic Theories. Horkheimer and Adorno's 'Culture Industry' explain how mass produced media and other forms of production lead the population to passivity and are especially critical of mass media.**

=__Imagined Communities in HipHop__=

What are imagined communities?
"Imagined Community" is a concept proposed by Benedict Anderson in //Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism.// To better explain his position, Anderson proposes this definition of the nation: "it is an imagined political community – and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign" (283). He then proceeds to more precisely detail his definition as laid out below.
 * "[The community] is //imagined// because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion" (283). Members of these communities feel a sense of connectedness with one another, as they each identify with the same imagined community, even though they may have never met nor will ever meet.
 * "The nation is //limited// because even the largest of them, encompassing perhaps a billion living human beings, has finite, if elastic, boundaries, beyond which lie other nations" (283). Anderson further explains that all of mankind cannot live within the same nation, the way it is possible for all mankind to adopt a religion (remember we're talking possible, not probable). Nations have their boundaries, which separate them from other nations.
 * "[The nation] is imagined as //sovereign// because the concept was born in an age in which Enlightenment and Revolution were destroying the legitimacy of the divinely-ordained, hierarchical dynastic realm" (283).
 * "[The nation] is imagined as a //community,// because, regardless of the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in each, the nation is always conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship" (283). Anderson argues that this concept is what makes men willingly die for their countries. This idea is similar to the concept of the equally achievable "American Dream" for all of America's inhabitants. For hundreds of years, people of all races, religions, etc., have come to America or have lived in America, striving for the ideal of the American Dream. However, it is evident that not everyone reaches that goal due to inequalities and discrimination.

Anderson notes that successful revolutions throughout history have taken part through a national scale. For instance, The People's Republic of China, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, all are founded on a sense of nationalism. Anderson points to situations where communities sing national anthems as exhibiting the imagined community stating, "no matter how banal the word and mediocre the tunes, there is in this singing an experience of simultaneity" (p. 288).

Simultaneity is a crucial component of the imagined community. Simultaneity means that you know there are other people in the community doing similar things as you. To exemplify this, Anderson uses newspapers and novels. While reading a newspaper the reader is consciously aware that others are replicating the experience of reading the paper, even though the reader knows nothing about them individually. Anderson also points to the novel and the newspaper as an exemplar of "the kind of imagined community that is the nation" (p. 284). There is also a "moral grandeur" tied up in dying for your country. There may be other groups you are heavily associated with, but none of them would command the same respect as laying down your life for the imagined national community. Some groups refer to their nation using a vocabulary of kinship, the motherland for example. Just as you don't choose your kin, you don't choose where you will be born.

Imagined Communities Applied
Given what we know about imagined communities, our wiki group (Meagan, Sara, and Roth) chose to apply this to other aspects of life. Anderson mentions the feelings of connectedness when singing national anthems. We have applied this to hip-hop. The East Coast/ West Coast feud could be extended as an example of an imagined community. Below you will find a link to an annotated Google Map that details what area rappers claim, and a youtube clip of some of the East Coast/ West Coast feud. Are people who identify with West Coast rappers like Tupac part of an imagined community? Or when California Love comes on the radio in the Southeast U.S and you find yourself singing along are you now part of the West Coast imagined community? Did Biggie and Tupac die for their imagined communities?

[|East Coast Vs. West Coast at the '95 Source Awards]

[|See annotated Google Map.]

=__Materialism in Music and The Culture Industry __= Music is a clear connection to materialism and the value of possessions prevalent in our culture. Many songs not only call attention to, but also contribute to, materialistic values. Very few songs advocate awareness of or rebellion against materialism in comparison to the copious amount that advocate or promote it. As a result, our culture tends to associate the possession of such material items with happiness. Owning nice or expensive things makes people feel more worthwhile or fulfilled. Consumption is encouraged by other members of society who appreciate one’s possessions, and people tend to gain more respect with the more they own. The desire for these material objects is a reflection of our culture and what we value as a society. Here, we will discuss materialism in music, how it perpetuates class stratification, and also how it relates to The Culture Industry’s idea of culture as a form of political and social control.

Although our examples include a variety of music, the majority of songs promoting materialism tend to belong to the rap genre. While materialistic references are not limited to this type of music, they are usually most obvious here. Rap music seems to exploit consumerism to the fullest, showing rappers living extravagant lives. Lyrics and videos celebrate and display materialism in explicit ways. In our mainstream culture, brands serve as symbols of wealth and high status. Rappers reference material items, such as jewelry and watches, clothes, drugs and alcohol, cars, and other items, in an attempt to signify their status. They also mention the large quantities of money they have and the ways in which they spend it. It has become almost an industry standard to mention these things or else risk looking unsuccessful and losing fans. Name brand items or objects with a well-known value mentioned in rap music are not just things, but representations. Both rappers and consumers may not know a lot about these items or what is behind them, but they know that it is a desirable brand or object to possess.

Rappers’ materialistic references can be seen as an attempt to show others how great their lives are that they can afford all of these things. They show how these items are things everyone should be jealous of and send the message that material objects can complete one’s life. While consumers see materialism as a good thing and often lust after a lifestyle similar to these rappers, in reality, many people can never obtain this. Listeners usually come from urban, low-income backgrounds from often listen to rap music because they can relate to rappers that came from similar places and situations. However, these audience members tend to be the ones suffering the most economically in our society. Instead of putting the focus on what could arguably be more important aspects of life, rappers make them want material things. Listeners watch rap videos and buy items in an attempt to replicate rappers’ styles or own similar possessions. They fantasize about rappers’ lifestyles and try to duplicate them. Consumers desire the same lavish lifestyle rappers portray in their music. In an attempt to keep up, they often try to obtain the materialistic things they see rappers with. Many people will pursue items they do not need and may not have the finances for because rappers promote them and extend their idealistic value. But it does not matter how many fancy things someone has, this will not correct the economic disparities they are suffering within society. The possession of a large number of material items may cause a person to gain respect among their peers, but it can hurt them financially. By buying these items, people may have more things and more respect, but they do not go up in social class.

The Culture Industry (TCI) asserts that culture is not controlled so much by governmental systems, but by culture systems like music or other media. Everything is manufactured for class stratification and culture is related to politics and domination in society. Using TCI as a lens, we can see how culture is a form of political and social control by looking at how the music industry uses materialism to perpetuate class stratification. Consumers waste money they might not have on material items that really do not enhance their lives in many ways. For example, what real function in life does a $2,500 set of 26 inch spinners have, or an expensive gold chain and flashy clothes? And rappers are not the only ones making money off of their music. While rappers are clearly profiting, the large record companies and other corporations in the music industry are the ones making far more. Even further, by featuring certain brands or items in their songs, rappers are providing free advertisement for those things and influencing consumers to buy them. These large companies already have lots of money and are only earning more. Music, then, not only keeps the poor poor, but helps the rich stay rich. By perpetuating this materialism, music is helping to maintain class stratification.

This influence and control music has on our culture is only growing as our society keeps developing. In his discussion on the development of art around the means of production, Benjamin discusses how the ability to reproduce works of art impacted culture. Our new technologies in modern culture make it even easier to reproduce and share music. This means that more people can be influenced by the same music in more places. So even though the average listener may not be directly exposed to the kind of lifestyle rappers live and all that comes with it, they see it daily in rap music. This aspect of facilitated reproduction and sharing makes the ideals included in music widely available to us and very influential on us. By listening to rap music, we are made aware of these things we may have never been exposed to before. We now want things we never knew we wanted or never even knew existed.

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Below is the full playlist of songs that both promote, and speak against materialism. media type="custom" key="22253152"

__**Songs Speaking Out About or Against Materialism: **__ Fifty dollars for a T-shirt - that's just some ignorant bitch (shit) I call that getting swindled and pimped (shit) I call that getting tricked by a business That shirt's hella dough And having the same one as six other people in this club is a hella don't Peep game, come take a look through my telescope Trying to get girls from a brand? Man you hella won't We want what we can’t have, commodity makes us want it So expensive, damn, I just got to flaunt it <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Got to show ‘em, so exclusive, this that new shit <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">A hundred dollars for a pair of shoes I would never hoop in <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Look at me, look at me, I’m a cool kid <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Say you don't need no diamond rings <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">And I'll be satisfied <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Tell me that you want the kind of things <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">That money just can't buy <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">I don't care too much for money <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Money can't buy me love
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">"Thrift Shop" by Macklemore **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.5;">"Wings" by Macklemore **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">"Can't buy me love" by The Beatles **

**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">"Like a rolling stone" by Bob Dylan **
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and things <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">But you'd better lift your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">You used to be so amused <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">So, stick by his side <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">I know his dude's balling but yeah that's nice <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">And they gone keep calling and trying <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">But you stay right girl <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">But when you get on he leave your ass for a white girl
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">"Gold Digger" by Kanye West **

**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">"Lifestyles of the rich and famous" Good Charlotte **
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">I'd like to see them spend a week <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Livin' life out on the street <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">I don't think they would survive <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">If they could spend a day or two <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Walking in someone else's shoes <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">I think they'd stumble and they fall <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">They would fall

__** Songs Displaying or Promoting Materialism: **__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> The majority of rap songs today display a theme of materialism by rappers’ references to money, possessions, or other expensive things. Lyrics of these songs attempt to show rich rappers are by explicitly mentioning brand name items or objects with a well-known value. The music videos display luxury cars, extravagant jewelry, expensive clothing, good-looking and scantily glad women, and other visual imagery to signify wealth. These items have taken on certain significance and have come to be symbols of high status within our culture. The following are some examples of rap songs that display or promote materialism. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> In his song “Work Hard, Play Hard,” Wiz Khalifa talks about earning his money, but spending it too. He mentions not only his wealth in money, but also material items. He sings, “Diamonds all on my ring nigga; Gold watches, gold chain nigga; Hundred thou' on champagne nigga; Yeah my money insane nigga” to reveal to listeners that he not only has money, but he shows it visibly though his possessions and purchases. He continues on to emphasize this point, “My nigga uh! I got so much money I should start a bank; So much paper right in front of me it's hard to think; Buy so many bottles it's gon' be hard to drink.” These lines are his way of saying he has more money than he knows what to do with. While the music video for the song mainly shows average people working, it also has some visual imagery to represent this materialism, such as stacks of money and liquor being poured at the club. An interesting twist to the video is that it shows Khalifa wearing several items with stars and stripes, including a scarf and a bandana tied around his head. In several scenes he is even wearing the actual American flag around his neck or draped on his back. This is likely a reference to American dream, or the ideal that one has the opportunity for prosperity and success if they work hard enough. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> “Look At Me Now,” by Chris Brown and featuring Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes, is yet another example of rappers showing off wealth and material possessions. The premise of the song is Brown showing off by saying “Look at me now, look at me now; Oh, I'm getting paper,” with “paper” meaning money. He is basically shouting, ‘see how rich I am, let me show you.’ The song mentions a variety of material items by saying “Yellow bottle sipping; Yellow Lamborghini” and “And my pockets right, and my diamonds white.” The ‘yellow bottle’ is a reference to the expensive Armand de Brignac brand of champagne, better known as "Ace of Spades," that is sold in opaque gold metallic bottles. The ‘yellow Lamborghini’ refers to the Italian luxury sports car, known for its high quality and even higher price value. While not necessarily a brand, the image of a diamond is recognized as a valuable commodity, especially when it is free from impurities - or as Brown calls it ‘white.’ Materialism is represented in this music video by the appearance of the yellow Lamborghini and other cars, a man wearing a gold face mask, and large chains and other extravagant jewelry worn by the rappers in addition to their stylish clothes and accessories. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> Fabolous’ song “Throw It In The Bag” featuring The Dream is a clear showcase of wealth and materialism through spending. Early in the song he mentions “Aye man, I got that black AmEx with me; A.K.A. that "Throw it in the Bag" card.” The “black AmEx,” formally known as the American Express Centurion Card, is a high-end credit card that is only available by invitation. It signifies a high status due to its $5,000 initiation fee, $2,500 yearly fee, and required minimum spending of $250,000 annually. The average cardholder has an income and assets into the millions of dollars. Fabolous’ reference to this card is an attempt to signify his status and wealth. He then moves on in the rest of the song to say that because he has so much money, price doesn’t matter. He references all of the things he buys by brand name and downplays his purchases by saying he just ‘throws them in the bag’ without looking at the price. This is also a reference to shoplifting, which we see in the video with a woman stealing and being arrested by the FBI. He asks, “Look at price tags, where they do that at? Heard that in A-T-L, when I'm in A-T-L.” This line shows that he can’t imagine somewhere where people actually look at price tags on the items they buy (or steal), since he does not have to do that himself. He addresses several brands in the song when he says, “I keep her in Louboutin, Louis Vuitton, Gucci down to her feet, yup, just like me” and “They keep that Gucci and that Louis on my labi-el's.” He also says, “A couple Benzes, black, white, gray C.L; Got niggas looking like, "Did we miss a Mercedes sale?"” He tries to say here he buys so many Mercedes-Benz cars that people can only assume he got them at a discount price, when in reality he has so much money that he can spend it on them regardless of what they cost. In the video we see several material references, including well-dressed women, luxury cars, rappers wearing stylish clothes and expensive jewelry, and cell phones. The video is also set in a high-end retail store. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> Jermaine Dupri’s song “Money Ain’t a Thang” featuring Jay-Z is yet another example of spending money on material items with no regard for their cost. Lyrics from the beginning of the song read: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> “In the Ferrari or Jaguar, switchin four lanes <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> With the top down screamin out, money ain't a thang <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> Bubble hard in the double R flashin the rings <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> With the window cracked, holler back, money ain't a thang <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> Jigga, I don't like it if it don't gleam gleam <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> And to hell with the price cause the money ain't a thang” <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">He references the expensive luxury car brands Ferrari, Jaguar and Rolls Royce, or “double R.” By saying he doesn’t like it “if it don’t gleam gleam,” he is saying he doesn’t like the car if it doesn’t shine, a reference to it being new. His comment of “And to hell with the price cause the money ain't a thang” points out that he is so rich, he doesn’t have to check the price tag for things. The majority of this music video is set in front of a large mansion with luxury cars parked at the entrance, or also on a road with the rappers driving these cars. Scenes feature them shaking, counting, or throwing stacks of money and flashing glitzy looking jewelry. This visual imagery plays up the idea of possessing so much that one is no longer concerned about the value or worth of material items. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> “Get Like Me,” by David Banner featuring Chris Brown and Yung Joc, is explicitly about the display of material possessions as a sign of wealth. The standout line of this song is “Stuntin-stuntin is a habit, get like me.” ‘Stunting’ is the act of exhibiting one’s wealth by showing off jewelry, cars, and other expensive items. He displays his ‘stunting’ by talking about his possessions and their value throughout the song. He sings, “Got diamonds in my mouth, got some Gucci on my seat…Got a freak on my arm, got a charm around my neck.” These are material symbols of his wealth – “diamonds” or the grills rappers wear on their teeth, the Gucci brand name, and his chain necklace. He continues on, “Shorty can throw anythang at me I'm gonna bag it; When she see the karats, for real just like a rabbit.” Here he basically says he has enough money to buy ladies whatever they want, such as jewelry. “Karats” refers to the unit of mass used to measure diamonds, and he uses wordplay to show he consumes diamonds to great quantities, much like a rabbit consumes carrots as food. One more example in the song are the lines, “My money stack to the ceiling; Gettin in my Chevy's like climbin up a buildin, them 28's on deck; 37 on my wrist, a hundred five on my neck.” Here he references his high quantity of money and how he shows it. The “28’s” refer to the tall size of the rims on his car, and the “37” and “hundred five” refer to the thousands of dollars he spent on a watch and necklace.This video includes explicit visual references to material possessions. Luxury cars and other tricked out cars with large rims are shown with women dancing around them, and the rappers wear expensive looking clothes and jewelry. Banner even wears a chain with money bag charms, and all of the rappers flash their large necklaces, watches, rings, and other items. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> In Lloyd Banks’ song “Beamer, Benz, or Bentley,” featuring Fabolous and Juelz Santana, he talks about his ownership of expensive cars and other material possessions. Banks references three very expensive cars: the “Beamer,” which is a BMW, the “Benz,” short for a Mercedes-Benz, and “Bentley,” a car by Bentley Motors. He also talks about his jewelry in the lines “Wear my ring and my confetti, I'm Kobe Bryant ready” and “Platinum band, platinum bezzie, make a straight girl out a lezzie.” He mentions other recognizable brands throughout the song, including Smith & Wesson firearms, “Got my S-S-Smith and Wessie to protect me so respect me” and several expensive clothiers, “if it ain’t the Gucci or the Louie than its Polo or its Rugby.” Not only does he mention his possessions of these brands, but he also states that he is better because all of it is new when he says “I’m calm I’m cool, everything brand new.” This music video displays luxury cars and some of their features, scantily clad women, and the rappers dressed in expensive clothes and lavish jewelry. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> While Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite” is not explicitly about possession, it is still hard to avoid the aspect of materialism in the lyrics. This immediately emerges in the very beginning of the song when he sings “I hit the floor 'cause that's my plans, plans, plans, plans; I’m wearing all my favorite brands, brands, brands, brands.” This music video features material items such as luxury motorcycles and women dressed in nice clothes. However, what is also interesting about it is that Cruz, while dressed nicely, does not have any apparent brand markings on his clothes and is wearing no visible jewelry. The video is also set in a junkyard and not a club. These things provide a contrast to the brand reference and some of the other imagery.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> “Work Hard, Play Hard” by Wiz Khalifa **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">“Look At Me Now” by Chris Brown (feat. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes) **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">“Throw It In The Bag” by Fabolous (feat. The Dream) **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> “Money Ain’t a Thang” by Jermaine Dupri (feat. Jay-Z) **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> “Get Like Me” by David Banner (feat. Chris Brown & Yung Joc) **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">“Beamer, Benz, or Bentley” Lloyd Banks (feat. Fabolous & Juelz Santana) **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">“Dynamite” by Taio Cruz **

__** Notes from Class Discussion: **__
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Mass produced media contributes to our commodity fetishism. We work harder to earn the money to buy the things we want. This keeps the engines of production going. We not only support the music industry, but other industries as well - ex: fast food because we are working too hard to cook for ourselves. We are also too tired to unite, our lives are taken up by this process. We only have time to work, eat, and sleep with little time for cheap entertainment and maybe religion.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Positives of music:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Wouldn't sell if people didn't like it
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Creates some jobs
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Good representation of blacks in popular culture versus older media; went from showing clear class divisions to where they had to stay whereas now there is that hope and the possibility of moving up
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Pseudo individualism: The internet has lead to the rise of independent media. Do people listening to or creating alternative/not mainstream music escape this? Yes and no. In creating music, they are still bound by production and distribution channels. It also fights to be heard against more mainstream music - economy of attention. In writing music, they may write their own and be original in that sense, but their lives are still influenced by the culture surrounding them and they cannot avoid incorporating it into their music. By pirating popular music, they may be taking money away from the music industry, but they are still listening to mass media and are influenced to want and buy other things.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Image of upward mobility - has spread even more thanks to new media and globalization; but actually provides very little, doesn't change the whole system

-//Tierney Gallagher & Roth Smith//

Fashion and the Culture Industry
TIME magazine contributor, Terri Pous, offers a [|brief history] of what she calls the "democratization of fashion." It traces the creation and distribution of fashion from "haute couture," or high culture, to "fashion for all." It dubbs social media the "great equalizer" of fashion. Fashion that was once unattainable (Issac Mizrahi, Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang) can now be found at Target. Thinking about this in terms of Horkeimer and Adorno (The Culture Insdustry), is "fashion for all" even fashion?





Posted by: Sara

Obama: Humanist Change
As Senator Obama and now as President Obama, his spiritual background was never a secret nor was it kept as an unknown MO from U.S. citizens. Not only did he bust through the ever-glass ceiling of attaining the highest political position in the country as a Black man, but he did it without proclaiming a strong Christian background. Instead, he comes from a Muslim background but (as the ad exclaims below) he also doesn't come from a religious-driven home life. Suddenly, our country is no longer being led by a white, Christian male figure, but by a member of two minority backgrounds. For a country so diverse in culture based on race and religion, this was the humanist change that the U.S. was in desperate need of.

-Posted by Maddie

**The Culture Industry Application**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7f_6yGiI-g

[|The Culture Industry: You Tube]

As a proud member of the cultural industry, I enjoy mindless amusement including reading cover to cover every week People magazine. I found this video interesting in that it took Adorno and Horkheimer's ideas and brought it into our generation. A recurring theme of music artists and film stars as duplicates of the past are one's which are followed daily and praised for their novel ideas and reaching a new generation in People magazine, E! network, and the like. The images presented alone are surprising when viewed side by side.

- Posted by Lauren

**Birth of the New Public Sphere**
Dean argues in her article that the net is not a public sphere but is instead a place where multiple realities converge in one place. While this may have been true in the past I am not so sure anymore. The net has evolved into more of a virtual meeting place for people all around the world. This is no truer than in the social net scene of Xbox Live. Xbox Live has become an older environment with the main audience growing older and the sharing of ideas has expanded with the maturing of its main audience. In this place people can physically talk to people and spread ideas with people that they have never met from halfway around the world. This is becoming a new form of the public sphere.



Humanism
Colleen and Elizabeth's Teaching demo Materials [|Prezi Presentation] [|Are You a Humanist Quiz] <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Gays rights article]

media type="youtube" key="XiN-MW-CP0A" height="315" width="420"

Humanism Pinterest [|Pinterest]

Below is a YouTube Channel that includes a compilation of songs that define what humanism means. Each of these songs embrace the different types and describe the basic tenants of humanism. The songs meaning and lyrics captivate its listeners to understand what it means to be a humanist both by addressing the non-religious foundation, togetherness, personal growth, and freedom.
 * Soundtrack to our Humanist Ways- Colleen**

[|Soundtrack to Our Humanistic Ways]

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 * XtraNormal - Habermas vs. Dean**

**Amid ACTA Outcy, Politicians Don Anonymous Guy Fawkes Masks - Dongni**
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<span style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">Members of Poland's Parliament hold up Guy Fawkes masks, symbolizing protests by Anonymous, to protest ACTA. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">While protesting for Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), a treaty that seems to carry echoes of SOPA and Internet censorship, members of Polan's Parliament hold up Guy Fawkes masks. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> Is this another round of protest which call for the real democratic? Or is this just for fun? Typically, the Guy Fawkes Masks were worn by participants all around the world in protests against politicians, banks, and financial institutions. code <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLq7Hr9zw6lLXqCd5jiEzukG3gEvMqflV8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen> code