Assignment 1-4-3: Written Analyses-Anaylsis 2

The Walking Dead is a show based on a zombie apocalypse.  Although there aren't many rituals observed during the show, there is one important ritual that is depicted.  The important ritual that is observed during The Walking Dead is the burial of the main group's members that pass away.  Although the show is about zombies, who are already "dead", this ritual is more about burying loved ones.

In the show, there is one group that has been together for most of the show and consider each other family.  Throughout the show, some members of the group have died and each one has been buried by the remaining members of the group.  By doing this ritual, the group ensures that the member of the group that has passed is remembered.  

The ritual also seems to be the only way out for members of the group.  Earlier on in the show, the group learns that whatever is causing the zombie apocalypse is in them all; when someone dies, they will turn into a zombie.  Instead of letting this fate of theirs come true, when a member of the group passes another member will shoot them in the head (making sure they won't come back as a zombie) and then they are buried.  A small service is usually followed so everyone in the group can say something about the recently passed member.

I believe this also gives everyone in the group a sense of normality.  These people's lives have been turned upside down and there is nothing that they can do to change it.  They now have to learn to live off of whatever kind of food they may stumble upon, they have to keep moving from place to place so no zombies will find and kill them, and they have to learn how to defend themselves and their families.  The ritual of burials is the only thing that the group seems to be able to keep, wherever they go.

Assignment 1-4-2: Written Analysis 1

            My popular culture topic is The Walking Dead television show.  It is a television show on AMC about what the world would be like after a zombie apocalypse. Although I don’t believe that zombies exist, some people do and there are even books that are available that tell you how to survive a zombie apocalypse.  There are many different myths that are related to zombies. 

One of the biggest myths that come up with zombies is that a zombie is your biggest threat.  “Humans are a much greater threat in a zombie plague than the undead horde itself. Zombies don’t possess a human’s ability to think, plan, plot, scheme, double-cross, negotiate, or cheat” (Top six myths about zombies).  If a zombie apocalypse were to happen, it would be ideal if everyone could be trusted, but in reality everyone would be looking out for themselves and their family; they would do anything to survive.

This myth is shown in The Walking Dead many times.  There is one example from the show that shows what someone will do in order to help their family survive.  One of the characters gets shot and needs some medical supplies from the high school nearby in order to survive.  Two other characters go to the high school to get the medical supplies, but come to find that the high school is overrun with zombies.  One of the characters at the high school ends up shooting the other character in order for him to distract the zombies and get away with the medical supplies.

Although zombies don’t exist, I feel like this show has given me a lot of insight as to how to survive if zombies did exist.  If it came down to it, I’m not sure that I could do what the character from the show did; but then again, I haven’t been put in that situation and I wouldn’t know what I would do until I was in that situation.

Icon Analysis

When I think of icons, I usually think of a person.  The three icons I chose to analyze are Betty White, Marilyn Monroe, and the Simpsons.  All three of these icons have a huge, cult-like following.  They are icons to me because they have had such a big influence on today's culture and have paved the way for others similar to them.

My first icon is Betty White.  She has been of several different television shows and is still currently on television.  She has had roles on many different popular shows, such as the Mary Tyler Moore Show, Golden Girls, and many different game shows like the $100,000 Pyramid and Password.  Even today, at 90 years old, she is still acting on the show Hot in Cleveland.  I believe she paved the way for other female comedians because she was one of the first on television.  Even today, she surprises everyone with the sometimes raunchy jokes she makes! But she is a legend and will be remembered for years to come.

My second icon is Marilyn Monroe.  Marilyn Monroe was an actress, singer, model, show girl, and major sex symbol in the 1950's.  Although she passed away in 1962, she is still a household name.  She was born in 1926 as Norma Jean Mortenson and spent most of her childhood being raised in foster homes.  When she got married, she worked in a factory and was photographed by the Army as part of a promotion to show women on the assembly line, contributing to the war effort.  She was asked by a photographer to take other pictures and by 1945 was known as a "photographer's dream".  She was linked to many famous figures, such as Joe DiMaggio and President Kennedy.  I believe she was most famous for her relationship with President Kennedy and her famous rendition of "Happy Birthday" to him.

My third icon is the Simpsons.  The Simpsons first aired in 1990 and was an instant success.  The show made fun of anything and everything, often offending people.  The show was the first of its kind and is still airing new episodes to this day.  It has given us many catch phrases such as "Doh!", "Eat my shorts", and "Don't have a cow, man".  From the show came movies as well and many awards.  What started as a family-oriented show evolved to one with more crude humor and many celebrity appearances.  It has controversial language and jokes that have made it so popular that it is an iconic show.

These three icons have all been the first in their kind.  Betty White was one of the first female comedians, Marilyn Monroe was one of the first average-sized models that was ok with the way she looked, and the Simpsons was one of the first animated shows with crude humor.  They have all defined and dictated our culture in their own ways and have changed people's views on different issues.

Popular Culture Blog

1. What is popular culture, and what does it mean to you?

Pop culture is the impact that the latest trends have on us.  To me, pop culture plays a very important part in the world today.  Everyone wants to have the best and newest thing out there.  Recent popular culture artifacts can even help people communicate and stay in touch, help students learn, or even allow employees to access important information.  There are many different benefits to today's popular culture and with the constantly updating technology today, hopefully popular culture artifacts will be able to do even more.

2. Why is an understanding of popular culture relevant to you in a business environment and in your present and future career?

An understanding of popular culture is relevant in a business environment because every company needs to be able to market itself to its consumers.  Understanding how to reach those consumers and what makes up their popular culture can help to increase profits.  Likewise, not taking advantage of learning about the current trends can possibly decrease profits for a company.  I currently work at a hospital as a Pharmacy Technician.  In order to access a patient's medication lists, we use fingerprint technology.  I believe if we didn't have more updated technology in the hospital, many privacy laws could be broken with people accessing a patient's records inappropriately.

3. What would you consider to be an example of a pop culture artifact? And why would you choose it? 

I consider the television show The Walking Dead to be an example of a pop culture artifact.  The Walking Dead is a television show on AMC about a zombie apocalypse.  Although zombies aren't real (hopefully!), this show does a lot more than just teaching people how to kill a zombie. It shows how important relationships are and the importance of having rules in order to survive.  It is currently in its third season and is the most watched series on cable television for adults.