The Flame!

A Flame is a computer Virus or it is to insult someone over the Internet, I also believe the Internet is the flame, it can be used for either good or evil according to the user.  The values of the user trickle back to the morals and values they were taught that fuel the flame.  The Internet is a learning tool that can be used to increase knowledge, I use it all the time to check and recheck facts.  I use it to learn things I do not already know or to expand my knowledge of things I already know.  It can also be used for evil, people use it to expand their knowledge of hatred and to increase their social network of those with the same interests of hate and prejudice.  Where others use it to connect with friends as I do on Facebook and Pinterest, those with evil in their soul use it to flame their common interest of hate.  They can then search for specs on bomb making and terrorism; soon after the Internet has contributed to death, with 6 degrees of separation affecting us all.  Internet is the flame of knowledge, children are the fuel learning at a faster pace and learning more taxing things at an earlier age, I watch my five year old run our computer faster and better than I can and she has only been on it for a year.  My fourteen year old can write a paper better and use Google Docs, which I just learned about on Thanksgiving this year.  I am stuck in the world of "Word."  Good things, my brother invented a video game for children with depression, when they play it raises the serotonin levels so they don't have to take anti-depressants.  Wonderful advancements, flaming creativity in an otherwise empty space.  People socialize with others they would loose contact with due to distance or just no longer really having things in common thanks to the Internet.  The bad they loose touch with their real world neighbors, wasting so much time, doing as some would see as nothing but waiting for status updates.  They have also lost the intimacy of eye to eye communication and are more likely to say things they otherwise would not, initiating flame wars.  Nothing but senseless insulting posts back and forth provoking each other with personal attacks.  The choice is ours, I choose knowledge, expansion, and creativity, wasting time intermittently on Pinterest and Facebook seeing what my friends are doing, but I love my neighbors.  I will not close myself off from society and become less friendly or hateful, I leave that to those with evil in their soul, but just because you can doesn't mean you should.  I have no time for that, I thirst for knowledge and friendship.  Remembering only on the Internet can a lonely person be popular!

Right or Privilege

The first person to call back is the side of the story we hear, is it necessarily fact or truth.  Is it non bias or is it the liberal garbage that seems to be spewing from the media now a days.  The hype that Chuck Klosterman  told us in his essay about there being no agenda per network is seeming nonsense.  The ABC Political Director, Mark Haplerin has admitted media has liberal bias, and that ABC itself is Liberal.  He acknowledges Wall Street Journal and New York Times and that journalist in their nature are liberal, so to watch an ABC news clip and think there is no agenda just because Chuck Klosterman a seeming apolitical leaning left rambler says' so, "Please". I do have a mind and opinion of my own even though I am supposed to be suppressing it if it does not correlate with the almighty Chuck!
Diane Sawyer the woman who dreams of Bill Clinton eating Pizza with her (lib).   The story she was plugging was a bigger story and a subliminal story.  The overcharged hospital visit, with Rebecca Jarvis responsible for over 60% of bankruptcies.  Atlanta mom Tracy Rudd's story was an example of what Chuck Klosterman spoke of, the first to call back.  These people submitted their stories online and ABC reviewed them, handpicked several that fit their profile and made phone calls.  The first to call back made the nightly news.  This topic is something big in the media right now.  The Affordable Healthcare act if and when this fails, since Obama and his administration has miserably handled the set up and initiation of this system will be a set up for something larger.  The Affordable Heathcare act is not affordable to whom it was set out to be affordable to, college kids and young adults will pay the most and we now have more uninsured Americans than we did to start with.  If this fails it will lead us into what Obama wanted in the first place Universal Health Care, Socialism!  Dropping stories like this leads people to believe our system is in shambles and we need rescued, if something like this was in place she would of never had a bill like this, because there would of been no overcharging, the government would of been in charge and decided what could of or couldn't of been charged.  When in actuality she needs to also take responsibility and not take the cheapest policy available, you need to be aware of your policy and if you have 50% coverage, what would of happened if she had cancer, she could of not afforded those bills either.  This is a blame game and both sides to be assuming  responsibilities.
In Universal Healthcare it would of been taken out of the hospitals hands forgetting your taxes would go up (48%), we do need one price fits all.  Medicaid should not get one price, insurance gets another, and non insured another.  We are all people it should be a one size fits all service, Dr.'s take an oath.  If we have more stability in pricing they would have less unpaid and less write offs insurance should not of gotten away with paying 4750.00 and 13000.00 written off.
We need to start with affordable healthcare in a state run system not Federal, and remember the US has the best heathcare for a reason, after all we don't go to Canada for healthcare and we don't go to Asia, Europe, Norway, or Australia.  But these countries also have free education, so our government has to remember you open one door you must open the other, and that question still lingers is Higher education a right or a privilege?  But what oh what would happen to all our education debt, would it be exonerated if Higher education became a right and it was free and Government paid for?
The fluff in the news program for me was the passing of Gay marriage in the state of Illinois!  Were they really that desperate for space that they needed to throw this in. Yeah, yeah, yeah it is happening great!  I think everyone has a right to love whom they wish and have legal rights to a commitment ceremony.  If one partner becomes sick their partner should be able to make decisions, if they have a child they should have equal rights; but the church and state still need to remain separate.  The legalization of Gay marriage is spreading and the acceptance of Gay marriage is coming, just let it happen at every one's pace.  It is like interracial marriage eventually 98% of the world came around and accepted it, it just takes time, open minds and evolving generations.
But remember we own our Rights, we control them, privileges are given or asked for and can be taken away.  Do you want the Government in charge of your privileges?

The Millennials common Denominator

The Gen X was defined by the movie of Star Wars so Klosterman notes. Now to what will the Millennial generation be defined?   This generation is being labeled in many ways but what has supposedly shaped them like Star Wars did for boys in Gen X? I have searched for days and spoke to many of people and no one can give me an answer, so are they the lost Generation? Do they have no common element other than access to the Internet?
This leads me to believe Social Media has had the biggest impact on the Millennial generation. This generation is narcissistic; they love thy self, with the selfies, the updates on their status, the posts of what they are eating or where they are at.  They don't live to work like other generations, they work to live, to support their habits, sorry hobbies or interests. This generation the Millennials' are healthier, they eat less fast food (McDonald's) than other generations, and they care about the community more.  This generation believe respect goes both ways not just respect your elders.
These ideals are brought forth from changing family structures, Gen-Y is the wanted generation with reliable birth control, parenthood became a choice.  It was no longer unplanned.  These children were chosen, they were very special from day one.  Hardships not imposed these children were the future, they were valuable, talented, and worthy of being from the day they were planned.  Parenting strategies changed from Authoritarian to Authoritative, children had an opinion in their raising and discipline.  With corporal punishment on the outs there was talking and timeouts, spanking is something this generation knows few and far between.  Making this generation feeling worthy and warranted of time and energy.  After all they were rewarded for everything. They were told everything was a good job, and given trophies even if they lost. This is probably why this generation needs a pat on the back more than any other generation prior.
Millennial's had access to Internet earlier than any other generation prior molding and shaping their minds.  The invention of My Space connecting people, then Facebook, Twitter and YouTube the social networks changed it all.  This Generation is closer to their friends and keep in contact with friends they don't see everyday better than any other generation; but they are lacking connection to their next door neighbors. This generation is more likely to post things very personal that other generation would value private, and more likely to fight publicly posting negative nasty comments that would of never before been acceptable. Taking away face to face contact people have a swelling of pride and ego, forgetting once posted it is there for all your friends to see.  This is the first generation to be searched on Google prior to being hired, once anything is sent on the information highway it is there forever, sometimes they forget that.  Social Media changed their awareness, their friendships, and gave them power to change society. This generation is always connected, they enlist supporters, and they make change better and faster than anyone else. Social media has connected this generation, and allowed them to praise themselves, talk about themselves,  post pictures and movies of themselves and their accomplishments, and tell us more than we ever want to know!  What would we ever do without social media?  I'll post it on Facebook then post a video on YouTube of what I would do!

Archetype art thy Steroetype

Since the beginning of time we have been type cast.  It is a universal symbolic pattern it is not original to Real World.  It is an ancient Greek saying the Root word archein meaning "original or old"; and typos, which means "pattern, model or type". The combined meaning is an "original pattern" of which all other similar persons, objects, or concepts are derived, copied, molded or emulated.

True to their universal nature, archetype characters and stories appear again and again across many diverse cultures, not just TV shows as Klosterman notes.  For they are the people we associate with daily, we can stereotype basically everyone we meet, whether we should or shouldn't.

The Magician

The Psychologist Carl Gustav Jung, he used the concept of archetype in his theory of the human psyche.  He believed that the Universal mythic characters or archetypes reside in the collective unconscious. Jung defined twelve different archetypes;  1. The Innocent (Saint) 2. The Orphan/Regular Guy (Goal to belong) 3. The Hero (Warrior) 4. The Caregiver (Selfless) 5. The Explorer (Wanderer) 6. The Rebel (Misfit) 7. The Lover (Slut, Stud) 8. The Creator (Artist) 9. The Jester (Joker) 10. The Sage (Wise Old Man) 11. The Magician (Overachiever) and 12. The Ruler (Leader)

I never payed attention to these archetypes until this Essay; Chuck Klosterman spoke of The Real World type casting season to season.  This type casting makes me look at our circle of friends where you can easily notice we all fit in a type cast because we all have dimensions to our personality. 



The Wanderer



I don't believe we are acting befit a character on T.V., for these are universal archetypes.  They are not a concept owned by a production company, they are a universal pattern describing the primary dimension of a person's personality.

The archetype's have evolved over time, I do believe there are modern day archetypes but I disagree with Chuck they have to be as blunt and racially derived as he states.  We could add the drunk, their seems to be one of those. The black guy and the gay as Chuck points out; is the talent of casting in television as an attention seeker, more than type casting racial lines. They always want racial diversity and never let the lines blur, no matter how much most of society would like them too.  Race and homosexuality is not new to our generation, more socially acceptable, but not new so casting and production need new material.  Their character is that of the overt Rebel, I refuse to allow the indignation of a race card in the universal archetype, I hope society has come that far too.



The Ruler

One thing you can find is a Reality TV show befitting any archetype you wish to watch, you want a bitch, watch Real Housewives, you want The Lover watch the Bachelor or Bachelorette, The Ruler watch Hell's Kitchen, and the Explorer you could watch the Amazing Race.  There is a niche for everyone, I only have to look in my household an I can name several types, the Innocent, The Caregiver, The Sage, and an oprhan. 

Chuckie as I like to call him, since I read  him regularly.  I feel like we are friends, made a very strong point.  These characters are relatable because we see them everyday, from our co-workers, friends, to family members.  It is also sometimes like looking in the mirror, for we have all watched a show and gone, "that is so me", because I swear to this day Phil from Modern Family is based of my husbands character.  Every episode he does things that are soo my husband.  Love this quote, “I’m cool dad, that’s my thang. I’m hip, I surf the web, I text. LOL: laugh out loud, OMG: oh my god, WTF: why the face.
or “I was gonna tell Claire about the dog. I was just waiting until she was in the right mood. Actually, I did get one right mood a couple nights ago… but I cashed that in for something else.” Proving to me that archetypes are relatable stereotypes fitting to a one dimensional degree, but remembering we all have several dimensions; we just might show one at a time to people or in different situations.

Respectfully, Let it Go!

So let's put the card on the table, people act like there is only a stereotype for black people and that is nothing but a falsehood.  Last I saw I have never seen a black man living in a trailer park, or ever heard a black man called trailer trash.  I have never seen a black man called a Redneck or a Cracker, but we have all heard a white boy called a wannabe *igger.   You can not let socioeconomic class use racism and slavery as an excuse for failings.
Brad Paisley and LL Cool J tried to mend our racial tension with a song "Accidental Racist" that stirred up controversy, for reasons I do not fully understand.  It was not our generation that induced slavery so why are we still paying for their mistakes.  If those chips on the shoulder or anger persist generation to generation then that is cultural or socioeconomic.  I do not raise my children to look at skin color or to think any one skin color will treat them any better or worse than another, so why does this hatred and racial lines still exist? 
I think the lines still exist because some blacks still throw dirt in our face, remember what your people did to us 150 years ago, well take a look at your ancestors originating Country and see what you do to your own people still to this day.  Slavery is still in effect in Africa and I don't see the outrage, I see it displaced in this nation.  Where if anywhere we should stand together helping the  fellow man.
Our job is to teach our children you can achieve anything with hard work and determination.  Not we deserve because of what was done to us 150 years ago, or he don't like me because he got a rebel flag on his shirt; "But I see that red flag and I think you wish I wasn't here."  No it's just a Damn shirt!  There should be a drive to be educated, not a label of he's trying to be white.  We are not putting a label on "breaking the cycle" African Americans are.
The past is the past, it is our job as the future generations to move forward and teach history but not anger or hate because of it.  Slavery still exists in Africa not here in America so we need to move forward not backwards,  like the song states, "it aint like you and me can rewrite history."  If you think you can not achieve something because you were once slaves and the white man is still holding you back.  Then you have been educated to feel that way because no one is holding you back.  Only in America do you have the ability to have your own opinions, speak them as you wish, and become anything you desire.  Let bygones be bygones.
Even as your president Mr. Obama said. “Growing up, I made a few myself.  Sometimes I wrote off my own failings as just another example of the world trying to keep a black man down.”  He acknowledges he was wrong,  his failings were his failings noone elses, and I am not a fan of his but he speaks about responsibilities across all nationalities.  Because success is success, failure is failure, and excuses are excuses no matter what your history is.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/19/obama-black-graduates-dont-use-racism-excuse/#ixzz2jndQqaY0
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

Everywhere we look..

Intertextuality the ability interconnect or influence other aspects of our life by intersubjectivity or allusion from an original text.  This occurs everyday in our lives from a song in a commercial, to the song in the commercial and the singer, or a great song, the latest version of a car and a new movie coming out in the theater and the star in the movie.  Next thing you know, you want to see a movie, want a new car, or need a new CD! I found that example in a Volkswagen commercial with a child dressed as Darth Vader, can we say Halloween plug. I left wanting a car and wanting to watch Star Wars and go Trick or Treating. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0
The ability to combine several different areas into one selling point is genius for the companies at hand and really annoying for us at times.  The use of  subliminal messages we see ,or don't see, in advertising everyday influence our buying, the popular actress/singer selling makeup, to the infamous Calvin Klein ads.  Ann Taylor has the actress Kate Hudson and prior to that had Katie Holmes and Demi Moore advertising their clothing line.  An attraction to the consumer, actresses wearing and selling clothes that are affordable to the woman making them relatable, also helping their image and giving them exposure.
 They have always placed the most well known man of the time in the ads, selling the man and the underwear.  The last 007 movie that came out sold anything, Heineken, cars, Coca Zero, Sony, Omega.  Plus the plugs in the movie itself. Sorry but never saw James Bond drinking Coke Zero, and I missed the Martini the beer was so Cop not Secret Agent, no offence. 
But there can be good crossing popular culture into awareness using intertextuality in a positive way can help people, why we have Adam Levine and Jessica Simpson selling Pro Active, a Benzoyl Peroxide product repackaged as a Wow, but these people made it ok to suffer from it and to buy a product and make it better.  They made it, don't be embarrassed we all have or have had it. 
We just have to watch out and not be brainwashed into buying everything!

It's not shameless

It has relevance, it is not just superficial. When I thought of Pop Culture all I used to think of was trends, who was hot today, who was wearing what, what the hair cut will be for fall, what lipstick, what shoes will be popular this winter? Will Color blocking still be OK for fall. Why is Iowa last to have certain styles come our way. I never realized Popular Culture had super power! I don't mean super power to change bra styles, to make lingerie sexy, or to prove hey if we push up women's breasts they appear sexier! Duh, that is just physics.

 I am talking seeing what can help people, and making a difference in society. Noticing that there is a decline in self esteem in women and children and pointing it out blatantly and saying, "This needs to Change." Dove has done a wonderful job allowing women to accept and love themselves exactly as they are. My daughter looked at a Victoria Secret magazine, and found the women unnatural, she claimed "they need to eat mom," I was so proud that she did not compare herself, or felt no need to pick herself apart. She was proud of her athletic build; she is a Rower and goes "I'm ripped."

I was also amazed watching the Iowa vs. Ohio State Football game this weekend and seeing a penalty called for a Helmet to Helmet hit and the opponent being ejected from the game.  We are changing! http://btn.com/2013/10/19/ohio-state-cb-bradley-roby-ejected-for-targeting/ 

If we did not have Popular Culture and coverage of how dangerous these hits are for kids, they would continue to go on unnoticed, uncalled with a higher rate of mortality.
The same goes for smoking we as a nation are at an all time low, because of Popular Culture and awareness. The Cowboy may of changed the persona, but Culture changed how we as society see smoking. It is no longer cool, it is dirty, smelly and disgusting. Maybe that is an opinion, but it seems to be a popular opinion.
Popular Culture has an ethical and moral side which I was glad to see, they care about today and tomorrow. Popular Culture has a place in society, beyond fashion, and the Perez Hilton of gossip, Popular Culture found a purpose beyond Kim Kardashian's plunging neck line, and I love it!  I found it ironic it even has conservative and liberal opinions. But then again doesn't everything have a right and wrong side?

Are you not Entertained?????

 

So to think of masculinity as portrayed in the media, I thought of the Movie The Gladiator http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvTT29cavKo.  Russell Crow plays Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius.  He is portrayed as handsome, muscular, and has the most well groomed facial hair ever!  He is fearless, dangerous, a risk taker and willing to die to be reunited to be with his family in heaven.  He was deceived by the Emperors son Commodus and after finding his family slain, found and perceived to be a slave. Where he was made a Gladiator and had had to fight to the death in order to survive.  He eventually avenged the murder of his wife and child in the Coliseum and killed Commodus.  Only after brutally killing hundreds of men, some of which were his friends; but were willing to die for his cause.  The protagonist Maximus is strong, fearless wins by his own strength and intuition, the antagonist Commodus is shown as weak a coward.  Commodus never stands up to the battle he always cheats and uses intimidation to win.
These analogies are taught at an early age from the toys children play with, why give a child a gun if you are not going to teach him how to play with it properly? To the handsome young prince who rescues the princess. 
We also classify things in a masculine non masculine way in careers. The white collar,  blue collar jobs the white collar jobs are held by professionals those who don't get their hands dirty, the weaker. Blue collar jobs are held by those who are stronger and can handle getting a little dirtythose that can do some physical labor.  Same goes for the crimes, we have heard or white collar crimes, those that are not a threat to society computer crimes; they are let out for work release the weaker guys with the pocket protector.  Then the blue collar crimes those that are threatening to society; they are the larger, muscular, and threatening the murderers and rapists.
But here is the question where did those blue collar criminals learn their behavior?  Did they start modeling what they saw on T.V. as a child, were the white collar professionals playing chess and studying while the blue collar criminals were watching Hannibal? 
We as humans imitate and learn through observing imitating, monkey see monkey do!  Dr. Albert Bandura  proved learning through observation with the Bobo experiment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHHdovKHDNU.  Children learn and copy violence through observing other people do it.  How does someone learn to rape and murder if they never see it?  How does someone know to take another life, or what it is to tie another person up, or to tape another persons mouth unless they see it.  We are not talking motor skills.  My only hope is that those who think that their should be no guidelines are those who have no children or those who don't want a different tomorrow.  I understand the right to freedom of speech and we as adults need to take the responsibility to shelter our children but we need to meet in the middle.  Because we also need to shelter the victims who are going to become victimizers.  Those who have no parental supervision, whose parents are addicts. We as a community can do our part to step in and maybe be that one piece of the puzzle that can make a difference.  But don't worry I don't want to take away all your violence I am talking murder and rape prior to the average time kids up to the age of sixteen go to bed.  I just want hear no evil see no evil, before bed!! 

I am soooo Glad I have GIRLS!!!!

Don't get me wrong there are more concussions each year in Girls soccer than there is in Football, yes you heard me right!  But the attitude is completely different, I was shocked with the "every shot is a kill shot" attitude in Football High.  We as parents to girls do not teach that, I do teach give it as good as you get it!  Play through the pain, NO, those injuries last a lifetime!  You can ask her father, an ex wrestler, he learned values but did it cost him in the end YES!  I never want my kids to learn succeeding is at the cost of causing harm to someone else.  I wonder if the coaches ever think of the long term psychological harm the kids who take that kill shot go through the rest of their lives.  Succeeding should be because you had better skills and knowledge of the game.  Some of those children in the movie could not even sell that they what they were saying, one kid kept repeating he enjoyed it that is why he was playing after just being released from the hospital, it seemed rehearsed, as if it was vicarious, or what he was supposed to be doing.  It seemed he was doing it for his parents, there was no excitement, no joy, he could only seem to tell us what he was supposed to be doing.  That is the wrong reason to be playing the game, then it seems hostility is brought to the field. 

But I don't have boys, so I don't have this gender role that I see parents trying to push their kids into; I am thankful for that.  I am glad I can let my kids choose their sport, they can Row, play Soccer, and run Track and not worry about society weighing on me because my boys don't play football, or maybe my son is small, and the community feels pity because he isn't big enough to play football.  Or worse yet maybe my son is the 270lb who takes that kill shot, that helmet to helmet hit that causes his opponent. Possibly a 16yr olds brain to hemorrhage causing him to die.  Then out of guilt 2 years later my son commits suicide.  Leaving us (his family) behind devastated. 



The kids in the movie kept repeating we are only 17 once, we can worry about the pain later.  They should be told and reminded, yes you are 17 once. You should be having fun not training 12 months out of the year.  They should be concentrating on their education, their grades because that is their future.  They are not being taught balance which is what life is about.  School, study, sports, and fun. The last two are interchangeable!



died 8/18/13 from broken neck



Died 9/16/13 from cerebral hemorrhage







 



My dream guy, according to Chuck Klosterman!

So, since supposedly I will never be satisfied by my partner due to the build up of expectations set forth by media and fake couples; what do I have to look forward to? Reality? Is the relationship that I wanted mine to be like nothing but a fake, a glass house that I saw no reality of what was really going on?  Was it manufactured, so I never really saw the problems at hand.  I dedicated the song, "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Bryan Adams to these people.  To me they were the idealistic couple, never fought, always went out to dinner (date night), lived in a beautiful home, had a dog, one child, had lots of friends.  Was it all a lie?  I remember thinking myself, how am I going to find a love like that?
My parents not a movie introduced me to "Fake Love" because all Chuck talks about was in my house, I learned from it!  My dad could not stand my mom!  There is no perfect person or life, it is what you make of it.  Sometimes you do fall in love with your best friend, sometimes the stereotypes are broken, and some days you laugh and some days you argue, but I know it is not based on someone else's life, or someone else's indifference because their love life sucks!  I own my happy ending by setting realistic goals, compromising, and loving the faults just as much as the good stuff.  But in my eyes REALITY isn't bad!!!  I like the life I built....

Did we have to go there???

Jean Kilbourne's documentary "Killing us Softly 4" would agree, this Alcohol ad is using the female image in an objective manner.  This ad is marketed towards men using the imagery of the female breast.  The ad reinforces;  sex is used to sell and anything can be made to appear like a breast.   It shows the sexualization of women.  She proves her theory breasts are used to sell everything, even though we are doing nothing but objectifying women and telling our kids this is the standard.  No wonder breast augmentation is the #1 cosmetic surgery performed on females each year, because that sure as hell is not an A cup!  When is the next wine advertisement going to objectify a penis?

Sexy Baby!!

The importance of Sexiness today in our culture, first I would like to define Sexiness in my terms.  It is to be desired, to feel attractive.  To not feel like I have three kids at home when I go on that date with my husband.  It is to feel like I can walk up the flight of stairs at the restaurant and not not have to unsexily whip out my inhaler and suck in 2-3 puffs of albuteral.  It is to feel composure to look desirable across that table, to look like the "girl next door" version of the Victoria Secret Model to my husband.  But in all honesty he would rather I be in Camo sitting in a tree stand or a blind trying to kill something, then I would be an 11 on a scale of 1-10.
Sex influences what we purchase, the model over the makeup aisle, the Victoria secret magazines that flood my mail box.  The desirable models on every page, you never see the everyday average Jane on page 7, who is a size 12, that isn't 5'10".  Hell I am in love with those women! My husband watches some hunting show with a very attractive female sharp shooter.  Sex sells, we as Americans want sex, it feels good, hell it looks good.  It draws the human attention, male or female.  But as technology has changed, from sex being person to person, to Internet, to now it is an AP on your phone, what is next virtual 3D sex.  The next generation won't even have human contact, what will sexy be considered then?  Because today what is put in Playboy, and what type of porn is actually watched are black and white. (Very different than reality)  It is the difference of the Pin up and the Girl Next Door.  So Sexy does come in all shapes and sizes,  Hell Yeah!!!!!

Does Popular Culture have to make me Happy

 Popular Culture I learned it was knowing what war was going on when the TV show MASH was on TV, or who a football player was that I had never seen, I DO NOT watch football!  Show me David Beckham and we can talk, so I guess popular culture is different to everyone. We can all choose how much it influences us or our family. We can choose whether we really want to see Miley Cyrus in latex, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMKPnyDIhS0.  Where did the old Miley go? 

I am still at odds with how it influences and makes me happy, those to me are choices that do not necessarily revolve around the word popular.  I know what I like and choose those things, whether as some like to say Everyone is doing it or not!  I do admit I saw Halle Berry in a pair of Genetic Denim jeans, and I did track them down and buy the same pair!  Cooking makes me happy so I use Google to find new and great tasting recipes.  There is a Cooking channel so does that mean it is Popular Culture?  Then there is Pinterest, my go to for putting things together.  It is my stress reliever, and all my friends and I post the outfits we like, want and need.  So once again I fell into it!  Manners seem to have left Popular Culture but having them, using them, and teaching them to my children make me happy!  Too bad Morals and Values don't creep back into popularity.  So no matter how at odds I am I have to admit the influence, and I have fallen to the odds; what is next will I get a lobotomy and start watching the Kardashians?