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I have learned lots of things about history through studying pop culture. One thing I learned a lot of was about racial injustice through music such as hip hop and movies such as “Do the right thing.” One piece of pop culture that I will take with me and be thinking about more is the different racial injustices and discrimination that black poeple experience. We learned a lot about it through pop culture with music and movies and I will definitely take it with me in the future. I started this course knowing quite a bit about US history as it is my favorite subject. I also am a huge fan of pop culture - specifically music so I think I started off knowing more than others about US history and pop culture. I understood more modern US history through this course where as in other history classes we focused on history from thousands of years ago. So throughout this course I definitely was able to learn more about modern US history with topics such as racism, the cold war, and teen rebellion in the 50s. My favorite song that we listened to as a class was “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. It is such a classic and it really was the first time a music video told a full story. It is such a good song and definitely one of the best music videos ever. I think the best movie scene we watched together was the scene where Radio Raheem died in “Do the right thing” and when Sal’s store was destroyed. I think this was the best movie scene because the whole scene/movie is really important and prevalent today because of the BLM movement and all of the racism and injustice there is now. The movie is really eye opening and important, especially within the last year with George Floyds death.

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1.  I think the musical focus was trying not to go as intense and hard as rock bands in the 80s. Yes, it is hardcore music but at the end of the day it is just guitar and drums. I think in the 80s rock music had all these different instruments and they were all around way more intense with performance and costume, but Nirvana was almost relaxed even though their music was like they were yelling.
2. I  was surprised by watching Polly. It is a really quiet song which I wasn't expecting and I thought it was interesting how Butch Vig said the most quiet songs can become the most intense, which I agree with as far as Polly. I also was surprised by how good Kurt Cobain can sing.
3. I think Nevermind changed the music industry because it was one of the first albums that was really popular that had really dark and sad music in it. Nowadays there are tons of albums that have gone super popular that have sad or dark songs in them. For example Billie Eillish has wrote dark songs like "listen before i go" which is about suicide. Another sad song from now is "Jocelyn Flores" by XXXTentacion which is about suicide as well. I think Nevermind paved the way for sad or dark songs to be able to make the charts and be normalized to like listening to.

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Nirvana quickly became one of the most popular bands in the world, specifically with the song “Smells like Teen Spirit.” Kurt Cobain and his fellow band members were quickly thrust into the spotlight, almost overnight. They went from being a small-punk rock band to selling millions of copies of their album “Nevermind.” Their music was written by kids who were bullied, mistreated, and all around outcasts, for an audience that was bullied or mistreated.  Kurt Cobain had a huge impact on a lot of young people, especially in the 90s. When “Smells like Teen Spirit” came out and reached the top of the charts, Cobain was being named the spokesperson for the generation. He represented the generation of teengaers who were angry and angsty. The teenafers who were rebelling and fighting with their parents. The teenagers who were drinking alcohol, smoking pot, and all around being troublesome kids. This generation was full of angry kids which is what attracted them to Nirvana's music. The producer Butch Vig stated “What the kids are attracted to in the music is that hes not necessarily a spokesman for a generation, but tahts all in the music - the passion and the fact that he deson;t necessarily know what he wants but hes pissed.” However Kurt Cobain hated the fact that he was called the spokesman of a generation. I think he was considered a spokesman because his music was really upfront and honest. This generation was angry, angsty, and depressed and Cobain was able to put these emotions into music. He did so unapologetically and he stayed true to himself and his music, all throughout the fame. When being called a spokesperson for a generation, Cobain responded “I don’t have the answers for anything. I don’t want to be a f*cking spokesperson.”  I think this shows that Cobain didn’t want the title of spokesperson because he didn’t feel like he was speaking for anyone. He was just making music or saying things for himself. His goal was not to speak for others or be a representative for that generation. He just wanted to live his life and make music. I think it freaked him out that he had all of this pressure on him to be a spokesperson. I can imagine that being branded like that is a really frightening thing, especially for someone like him where his fame essentially happened overnight.

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The first song I listened to was "Masters of War." This song is important because Bob Dylan is singing about how the rich or the upper class are all about war. They love war and will always support it because they are making money off of it. One lyrics exemplifying this is "Is your money that good, will it buy you forgiveness." This lyrics is showing that rich people only care about their money, they don't care about the fact that there are pointless wars being fought where young people are dying. Another song that I listened to was "Bob Dylan's Blues." This song is just about Bob Dylan and how he is living the simple life and doesn't need any flashy material items. One lyric that shows that is "I don't have no sports car and I don't even care to have one." He also sings about how he has a wife/girlfriend and he will love her forever, again just living a simple life, not acting like a celebrity with tons of different girls. The lyric showing this is "I got a real gal I'm lovin'
Lord, I'll love her till I'm dead.' The final song I chose to listen to was "A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall." I interpreted this song as Dylan singing about how there are a lot of really bad things in the world, and not a lot of good things. He sings "I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it," which is referencing to a really bad thing as the baby could be eaten by the wolves. Another lyric, "I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it," is talking about a good thing which would be a highway of diamonds, but there is no one there to get the diamonds and become rich.

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Counter culture was a new generation of young people who were doing and acting an opposite way of the older generation. It was the "hippie" culture. This was opposite of the older people at the time, as they were the generation who lived through the 50s, with conformity. The older generation was all about rigidness and conforming to societies standards. The new counter culture youngsters were the complete opposite. They wanted to live a life of happiness and love, not wanting to work 9 to 5 jobs and be miserable their whole lives. Counter culture was showed in a lot of pop culture like music and books. One example of counter culture shown in music would be the Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead talked about how when writing and performing their songs they were thinking about a peaceful planet, a place where everyone could live in harmony. They weren't thinking about war or revolution, they just wanted to live and lead a simple good life which is what counter culture was all about. Drugs such as LSD and marijuana helped to spark the counter culture movement as well. Different people began to experiment with drugs like LSD, such as author Ken Kesy. After doing the drugs they started to promote the use of them to others, talking about how it was an amazing spiritual experience that helped to open up their minds. Kesy helped to start counter culture and promoted hippies and LSD in San Francisco. During the movement people were beginning to flood to Haight-Ashbury street in San Francisco. It was where the first psychedelic shop was opened up, soon making the neighborhood bustling with teenage hippies. Haight-Ashbury and San Francisco helped to create a "Summer of Love' within San Francisco, where thousands of hippies gathered to be able to do drugs and love one another and be accepting of one another. The whole idea of counter culture was to just love one another and leave behind all of the hatred and war that was going on in prior years during the 30, 40s, and 50s.

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We left off with Sal and Pino having a discusion. Pino wants to move out of the neighborhood and open a pizza place where they live. Pino talks about how he issick of seeing "N------s" everywhere. Sal asks Pino why he is so hateful, and he continue to go on about how he doesn't like black people. This scene is confirming how blatantly racist that Pino is and that Sal isn't. Then we see Mookies sister come into Sal's and Sal starts flirting with her and complimenting her, and Mookie gets protective over her and tells her she can't come back. The old drunk buys flowers for Mother Sister and he saves a young boys life. We leave off with Mookie going to see his girlfriend.

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1. What did television reflect in the 1950s? How was rock n’ roll different?

Television reflected things that were happening at the time but they were ideas that were “safe.” Most movies were basic plots that were family friendly and were supposed to make the audience feel nice and happy afterwards. There were no movies about sex, drugs, or rock and roll. The movies were geared to be enjoyed and watched by the “nuclear” family even though in reality this was usually not the case in the common American home or just in America in general. Rock n roll was different because it spoke the truths about what was happening in America. It spoke to racism, juveniles, and sex. Rock n roll was intended for teenagers. This had never been done before, something made by teenagers for teenagers. There were song about sex, racism, and deliquency. Rock n roll reflected the “problems” within America that most Americans refused to acknowledge. For example songs about foreplay or sex would be viewed incredibly bad or dishisting even though realistically teengaers have sex, whether parents want to acknowledge that or not. Rock n roll was finally bringing light to what the American teenage life is actually like.

1. How did rock n’ roll help expose -- and break down -- racial divides?

Rock n roll was one of the first times racial divide was actually exposed in mainstream media. Rock n roll brought black ideas to mainstream listeners and promoted integration. White teens in America were listening to and loving black rock n roll artists, even going to concerts and integrating with black teens. This helped break down racial divides. However rock n roll became a way for white supremacists to fuel their racism. They treated rock n roll as a way to show how depraved and scandalous black people were. So unfortunately in some ways rock n roll fueled racism.

1. How did rock n’ roll’s sexuality contribute to the breaking down of traditional morality amongst teenagers?

Rock n rolls helped teenagers break down their sexual morality. Teenagers at the time never talked about sex or sexuality, it was incredibly taboo. But if a teenager sees a singer thrusting his hips and fondling his guitar, they become addicted to feeling that pleasure. Different songs also talked about sex which teenagers loved, and all of these factors would cointune to break down their traditional morality.

1. (Answer in a well thought out paragraph please) What connections can you make between the effect that rock n’ roll had on young people in the 1950s and the themes explored in “Rebel Without a Cause?” What do the film and early rock n’ roll have in common?

Rock n roll connects with the themes of juvenile delinquency and rebellion from “Rebel Without a Cause.” Rock n roll was seen by adults as a nasty explicit thing that was giving teenagers bad ideas and causing them to act out in the 1950s in America. I am sure that as we continue to watch “Rebel Without A Cause” this is going to happen. That teens will be listening to rock and roll and adults will make a backhanded comment on it. In the movie we have seen 3 different kids acting out and their parents don’t know why, they just think that they are being delinquent teens. But in reality they are doing it because all of them are seeking validation and love from their parents in some form or another. The movie and early rock n roll both have themes of juvenile delinquency. Rock n roll was causing teens to “act out” just like Plato, Judy, and Jim are in “Rebel Without a Cause.” I think that the movie is going to explore more ways and reasons that teens acted out in the 50s and I am interested to see if any of it has to do with early rock n roll.

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I think they were so interested in pursuing people in the film industry during the Cold War because they didn't want the citizens of America to be influenced. At the time film was only getting more and more popular. I think that the HUAC thought that actors or directors could influence the public if they were communists. If they were able to act in a movie or direct a movie they could possibly talk about their communist beliefs and try to convince other citizens to join the communist party. So to prevent the spread of communism the HUAC thought it was best to completely blacklist people from every being able to be in the industry again. For example, screenwriters in the industry, the Barzmans were completely blacklisted and even followed by local police and F.B.I. Groucho Marx and Marilyn Monroe informed them that they were being followed by police when going to their house. Marilyn said "Gosh, did you know there are cops watching your house? Did you guys commit a murder or something? Oh - give me a gin and tonic!" This shows just how intensely people in the industry were harassed if they were thought or known to be in the Party. Personally I don't think that HUAC was justified in going after people like this at the time. Yes, communism was a scary threat, but at the same time that is simply peoples opinion and it is their own choice if they choose to join that party. As long as they are not openly and publicly trying to overthrow the government or conspire against the United States, I do not believe that they should be blacklisted and have their careers ruined. I think that it goes against the Constitution and the First Amendment that citizens should have freedom of speech. Even if you disagree that people like the Barzmans are communists you must still let them live their lives and have that opinion, not blacklisting them and ruining their chances of ever working again.

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The first video I chose to watch was “This is America” by Childish Gambino on SNL. The song “This is America” is talking about racial inequality and police brutality specifically against black people and other minorities in America. The first thing I noticed in his performance on SNL was the use of lights. Throughout the entire performance he had blue and red lights flashing, making it look like a cop car was there. One of the lyrics in the song is “police be trippin’ now.” So having the red and blue lights in the background along with these lyrics, Gambino is discussing police brutality and gun violence against black people in America. Another thing I noticed was the dancers. They were young kids dressed in school uniforms and they were dancing popular dance moves. When this song first came out I read articles and watched the music video of it, and the kids are supposed to represent pop culture. The kids and young people of America are so obsessed with and focused on pop culture that they are missing what is really happening in America. They are missing racism and police brutality because they are consuming so much pop culture like for example the shoot dance which is performed in the SNL performance. The other video I chose to watch was Lady GaGa’s performance of “Paparazzi” at the VMAs. This is one of my favorite performances of Lady GaGa live ever, I’ve shown my friends this video a hundred times because of how much I think she kills this performance, vocals wise as well as performance wise. The first thing I notice about this performance is that Lady GaGa and all of her dancers are wearing white lace, which to me would represent a wedding or love. It looks like they are all wearing wedding dresses or attire. This would play into the song because it's a love song about obsession and chasing someone down, therefore wanting to marry them and be with them. While this song is a love song I think there is a double meaning about how severe paparazzi can be. At the time of this performance in 2009, celebrities like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton were constantly in the spotlight, for good things and bad. So Lady GaGa was just starting to become famous at this time and I think that she was scared that paparazzi and tabloids were going to stalk her and scare her like they had to others. One of her lyrics in the song is “But I won't stop until that boy is mine Baby, you'll be famous.”  This is referring to the paparazzi and how they don’t stop, there is no boundary that they will not cross. The final thing that is noticeable is how Lady GaGa finished the song and blood starts spreading all across her dress. She portrays that she got shot and is dying. Then at the very end she is hanged with her eyes glazed over and you can hear the snapping of paparazzi cameras in the background. This is portrayed through the song Lady GaGas fear that eventually the paparazzi will end up killing her because there is no line or boundary they don’t cross.

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One movie that is important to me is the breakfast club. First of all it is just a great classic 80s movie. The plot is so good, it goes through 5 high schoolers from different cliques having to sit through detention together. Over 8 hours they bond and share things with each other they have never told anyone. I love this movie because it shows a realistic depiction of high school and how cliques and pre conceived judgements and notions can prevent people from forming friendships. I also love this movie because it is one of my moms favorite movies so I have great memories of always watching it with her whenever it is on. A song that is important to me is Best Part by Daniel Caesar. FT. H.E.R. It is a really beautiful R & B song that portrays being in love and how if life is a movie your significant other is your "best part." This is definitely in my top 3 favorite songs of all time. I love how soft the two artists voices are and how they blend together and the lyrics are stunning. It makes me feel really happy and warm to listen to it. It is definitely going to be on my wedding playlist, it is such a emotional and gorgeous love song. I'm a sucker for love songs and I just really love how this song portrays that your significant other is all of the best parts of life basically.

1. I have ADD and it's really hard for me to focus. 2. I love eating all types of food, I'll try anything once. 3. I love listening to music every chance I get.