Culture

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Jawline (2019)

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Jawline (2019)

Jawline (2019) is an intimate look into young men aspiring to social media fame. Profiling a number of “influencers,” the film focuses on a teenage boy as he attempts to grow his social media followers. Platforms like Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok mean that celebrity is no longer institutionalized in Hollywood but rather available to anyone with a camera and Internet connection. While this has democratized celebrity to some degree, it has also opened the door to self-professed “experts” who seek to exploit those hoping to go viral.

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Obit (2016)

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Obit (2016)

Who gets an obituary in the New York Times? Obit (2016) gives us a glimpse inside the most prestigious obituary outlet in modern day America. Editors and writers tell us what makes for a good obituary as well as the types of people they profile in these widely-read life histories. We also learn about the history of obits such as how old obits used to avoid words like “death” or “died”. Moreover, did you know many obituaries of famous people are written well before they die? These are called “advances” and are often composed when notable individuals become ill or pass a certain age.

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The Culture Industry Prevented a Recession

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The Culture Industry Prevented a Recession

Inside Edition, 2023, 1:48… Taylor Swift's sold-out Eras tour added $4.6 billion to the local economies of the cities she performed in. Her impact on the economy is being called "Swiftonomics." Many of her fans traveled long distances to spend lots of money to make her concert a night to remember. The so-called “Taylor Swift tourists” spend an average of $1,300 per person. Those purchases include tickets, hotels, car rentals, restaurants, merchandise and hair stylists.

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Repatriating Museum Artifacts Looted from West Africa

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Repatriating Museum Artifacts Looted from West Africa 
PBS NewsHour, 2022, 8:10... As a debate over how and when to repatriate art continues to roil, one clear-cut case of looting in the 19th century has art leaders taking strong stands now. Jeffrey Brown went to look at a museum that is confronting the controversial origins of its collection

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Hillbilly (2018)

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Hillbilly (2018)

Hillbilly (2018) examines the history and continuation of disempowering rural stereotypes. Though the film is based around the 2016 election of Donald Trump, the content extends far beyond our current political landscape. It is also engaging to watch as it masterfully integrates media stereotypes from popular shows and movies. Some prominent sociological concepts evident in the film include othering, codeswitching, and cultural appropriation as hillbilly may have become the new hipster..

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Pop Culture at the Smithsonian

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Pop Culture at the Smithsonian

CBS Sunday Morning, 2022, 4:59… "Entertainment Nation/Nación del espectáculo," a new exhibition at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., features artifacts from 150 years of music, sports and moving images. CBS News' John Dickerson gets a tour, and looks at how Prince, "The Wizard of Oz" and "Star Wars" helped define our national character.

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Unsustainable American Burials

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Unsustainable American Burials

Vox, 2017, 5:51… The modern way of burying a body, the "casket in the ground method" most of us are used to is horrible for the environment. It uses an incredible amount of resources, emits toxic pollutants into the air, and pumps the ground full of formaldehyde, which is known to cause cancer. It's also prohibitively expensive. The average cost of a modern funeral costs between $10,000 to $12,000. There are a number of greener options available though. Cremation uses less resources and requires less space than a traditional burial, but isn't perfect. There are more experimental methods on the horizon such as promession and alkaline hydrolysis. No matter which method we choose, it's clear that we need to reform how we bury the dead.

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Cultural Appropriation with Mahjong

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Cultural Appropriation with Mahjong

Inside Edition, 2021, 4:45… Many Asian Americans were angered when “The Mahjong Line” went viral for their pricey mahjong sets, which some are calling cultural appropriation. “[It’s] this ownership and profiteering from Asian culture that white America loves to do,” Andrew Ti, of the podcast “Yo, Is This Racist?” told Inside Edition Digital. The founders have since apologized, but is that enough? Inside Edition’s Johanna Li explains.

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Unsustainable Death Care

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Unsustainable Death Care

Vice News, 2020, 6:48… Americans are largely fearful and avoidant of death and dying. This is partly a consequence of the professionalization of death care which removes and sanitizes death from everyday life. Embalming makes a corpse look life-like, but it is also terrible for the planet. Traditional cremations also require an unsustainable amount of resources while releasing pollution into the atmosphere. So, what can you do to not further damage the earth upon your death?

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Skin Bleaching & Racial Capital

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Skin Bleaching & Racial Capital

Refinery29, 2019, 14:45… On this episode of Shady, our host, Lexy Lebsack travels to the Philippines to uncover the toxic reality of skin bleaching. This cultural trend is practicing world wide even with deadly side effects. Watch this week's Shady to understand the truth about skin bleaching.

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Cultural Exchange v Appropriation

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Cultural Exchange v Appropriation

Broadly, 2019, 13:22... With a large number of Asian artists breaking into the hip hop scene, the conversation surrounding cultural appropriation has become more common. Model Salem Mitchell sits down with local LA rapper, Hollei Day to discuss Asians in Hip Hop, and the female rapper’s views on cultural appropriation. We explore the fine line between cultural appropriation and cultural exchange.

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Do Not Be Afraid of Dead Bodies

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Do Not Be Afraid of Dead Bodies

Inside Edition, 2019, 3:47… Death is a topic few people in the West care to discuss, and mortician Caitlin Doughty would like to change that. Doughty helps people confront the nuts and bolts of death on her YouTube channel, “Ask a Mortician.” “I think that people want to hear the information we're presenting,” she told InsideEdition.com “They want to hear somebody like me talk about death as if it's not strange.” She added, “People should not be afraid of death.”

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Foodies, Culture, and Gastrodiplomacy

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Foodies, Culture, and Gastrodiplomacy

Quartz, 2019, 7:53… Thai restaurants are abundant and popular in many parts of the world. This has a lot to do with the Thai government actively promoting Thai food overseas for more than a decade. The strategy has been so successful that it inspired a new trend in foreign policy: gastrodiplomacy. And food isn’t just a diplomatic tool for governments. There’s a new kind of gastrodiplomacy on the rise, one that’s led by people who have left their governments behind. Quartz News went to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the refugee capital of America, to visit a 25-year-old gastrodiplomat who fled war in Somalia, rebuilt his life, and connects neighbors through his mouthwatering Somali samosas.

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The Happiest Country In The World

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The Happiest Country In The World

Vice News, 2019, 4:36… Finland has been declared the happiest country in the world for the second year in a row. On Wednesday, the United Nations released its annual World Happiness Report and confirmed the Nordic country as the reigning champion of joy. But in many ways, the land of frigid temperatures and dark winter days seems like the most unlikely of choices.

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Homogenized Aspiration (Coffee Shops)

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Homogenized Aspiration (Coffee Shops)

Quartz, 2019, 5:02… In coffee shops all over the world, the same set of design elements keep popping up. What is happening? Distinctive design elements—Edison bulbs, reclaimed wood, potted plants, exposed brick—are popping up in coffee shops everywhere. But it isn’t just the design of these spaces that are becoming increasingly uniform…

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Pixar's Purl

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Pixar's Purl

Pixar SparkShorts, 2019, 8:43… Purl, directed by Kristen Lester and produced by Gillian Libbert-Duncan, features an earnest ball of yarn named Purl who gets a job in a fast-paced, high energy, bro-tastic start-up. Yarny hijinks ensue as she tries to fit in, but how far is she willing to go to get the acceptance she yearns for, and in the end, is it worth it?

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The Benefits of Risky Playgrounds

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The Benefits of Risky Playgrounds

Vox, 2019, 5:43… The stereotypical modern playground — with its bright colors and rubberized flooring — is designed to be clean, safe, and lawsuit-proof. But that isn't necessarily the best design for kids. US playground designers spent decades figuring out how to minimize risk: reducing heights, softening surfaces, and limiting loose parts. But now, some are experimenting with creating risk. A growing body of research has found that risky outdoor play is a key part of children’s health, promoting social interactions, creativity, problem-solving, and resilience.