Culture by

I Threw It On The Ground

2024-09-16 19:35:20 UTC

The song, Threw It On The Ground by The Lonely Island, basically just about the singer throwing things on the ground. People give the guy some things, from free food, to his girlfriend's phone, to an autograph by "phonies." Everything he receives ends up with him throwing things on the ground. He insults those who offered, as he says he's not, "part of the system." He even got tased because of his actions. Even with that, he just ended up saying, "you can't trust the system." The song pretty much shows resistance to cultural norms since he's shown as a complete menace to society. Everyone around him was mostly kind to him and he acts like everyone is against him. However, it's mostly played for laughs.

2024-09-17 00:40:29 UTC

The song “Reciprocate” is centered around the artist Summer Walker only receiving the bare minimum from a man during the relationship and choosing to stay fully committed to the relationship while he gives up on it. This song demonstrates the norm of men in relationships treating women badly but the women would love him anyways. She gives many examples demonstrating this such as “u don’t have to spend no time… you don’t have to give your all…. you don’t have to talk to me..you don’t have to learn me.. earn me.. all I wanted was for you to stay”. This not only shows the public treating a woman as if she is nonexistent is a common and okay thing for men but it also teaches women the norm is to put in more effort than a man and tolerate that behavior. She says other lines such as “I know you’re just used to these bitches they just wit it but I’m different” these lines suggest that it’s okay to hold someone to the standard to approach them as if they had done wrong by you.

Marriage in America

2024-09-18 20:24:45 UTC

One of Beyonce's most popular songs "Single Ladies" helps reinforce a common narrative that women should not wait too long for marriage. In American culture marriage is valued and it is expected after a certain amount of time dating you should get married, if not, your relationship is hinted to not be genuine. Beyonce starts off by singing, "just cried my tears, for three good years,' then goes on to sing her famous line "if you liked it then you should of put a ring on it." This implies that three years is too long to just be dating someone without marriage. This reinforces a particular narrative that you have to get married after a certain amount of time or your relationship is deemed not serious. In my case, my mother always tells me, "if a man does not marry you after four years he doesn't actually want to be with you." Lyrics like the one just stated above in Beyonce's song is what pushes ideas like my mom's and influences people's beliefs on how relationships should and shouldn't operate. In addition, Beyonce's target audience is single ladies, not single men. Furthermore, Beyonce sings about being with another man that makes her happy and is willing to marry her. This reinforces the idea that a man is responsible for proposing and initiating marriage. Even after three years of no ring, Beyonce did not try to propose to her man so she just chose to leave the relationship. This idea in the song paints a picture that a women should not try and propose. I would also like to add in our culture it is looked down upon or even labeled as weird if a women chooses to propose to her male significant other. Women who choose to propose are looked at as "embarrassing," or assumptions are made that the man in the relationship did not actually love the woman. Overall, this song reinforces American culture and its values of marriage - that it must be a next step after dating, and it is a man to initiate the marriage.

Static

2024-09-18 20:54:46 UTC

Steve Lacy wrote the song "Static" for his ex-boyfriend with the meaning of showing us how bad a relationship can affect your life. He makes various references to the use of substances after his lover left to be able to "cope" with the feeling of emptiness. In addition he explains how hard it is to move on and how we shouldn't move on immidialaty because you need time to heal, for example he states " New boyfriend ain't goin to fill the void" meaning that replacing the person won't make you feel any less pain. Also, he tells us how he would want his next partner to be a girl based on this experience since he is bisexual and he already has a point of view from dating a man.

Sofia

2024-09-18 21:13:30 UTC

The song, “Sofia” by Clairo resists the dominant cultural norms around sexuality. This song was written to celebrate the moment the artist realized she was bisexual, and the lyrics used to go against the fear of being judged. The lyrics “I think we could do it if we tried ... know that you and I shouldn't feel like a crime” expresses one of the internal conflicts those in the LGBTQ+ community face when their love is not seen as acceptable. Clairo brings awareness by addressing this fear, by saying to the other girl that if they were to try together, that they would come over this obstacle together without needing to hide their love. In another line, “There's things that I know could get in the way” it tackles the fact that everyone faces their own internal battles, whether them being judged by their family and society or being uncomfortable with the inability to express their identity. The song itself stands out within a large culture of music being about heterosexual relationships, going against cultural norms as most love songs are about romanticizing the other person, and never about struggles you may face when attempting to express identity to those around you. Being able to be who you truly are and being accepted is one that should not be limited to those in heterosexual relationships. The song itself validates the different forms of love and goes against cultural norms by creating a safe and inviting space for self-expression.

Brandon R

2024-09-19 00:09:23 UTC

In Tyler, The Creator's song "Best Interest," he both resists and reinforces dominant cultural norms surrounding masculinity, emotional vulnerability, and dating culture. The track challenges traditional expectations of masculinity by showing Tyler expressing unrequited love and emotional depth, as seen in lyrics like, "I know you’re in love, call your girl up, tell her you're all mine," which resist the norm that men should be emotionally stoic or unaffected. His openness about his feelings contrasts with the cultural idea that men should remain detached in relationships. However, the song also reinforces aspects of dating culture, particularly the romanticized idea of pursuing someone who doesn't reciprocate feelings, as reflected in the lines, "If we bump heads, it’s cool, it’s what I want." This aligns with the persistent trope in American media that frames unreciprocated love as noble or worthwhile. Furthermore, Tyler’s ambiguous references to romantic partners, like using "you" without specifying gender, subtly resist heteronormative norms, while his casual, almost nonchalant delivery in lyrics such as, "You’re my best interest," reflects a broader expectation of male emotional detachment. As a result, "Best Interest" is a nuanced exploration of emotional conflict that both critiques and mirrors societal expectations around gender and relationships.

Dating Culture

sarmientojusto23 — 2024-09-19 13:49:49 UTC

The song “Lo Que No Sabe” by Ana Sofi W. talks about dating culture. She talks about how she was with this person and didn’t treat her like he should have. He's doing everything he didn’t do with her with someone else. She was in love with him and wanted everything he’s doing with his new girlfriend to do for her. There’s a part in the song where she says “Ahora resulta que aprendiste ¿A mandarle flores? Si fue por mí que descubriste Todos tus errores.” She’s saying that he learned how to send this girl flowers and if it wasn’t for her he won’t discover all his mistakes. This is all she wanted from him just flowers but she never got them because he was a piece of shit. There is another part where she says “ Por más que intento Yo ya no puedo olvidarte Y como no sabes Seguiré fingiendo que nada está mal.” Now that she sees this she acts like she is not mad and she is over him. But in relation, she still thinks about him, is hurt, and still loves him, but she doesn’t want him to know that. But she hopes that he doesn’t do what he did to her with his new girlfriend because she doesn’t want what she went through for someone else. “Espero que estés bien, y te trate bien Espero que la quieras, y ella también.” This shows how in dating culture some people can just play with you. Show their love to you but then change on you from one day to another. This shows how in this situation the one who gets hurt and suffers is the girl because she was the one who actually cared, trying hard but that wasn’t enough. Also, how much people care because if they did they wouldn’t have moved on so fast but it shows who they are.

Numb

2024-09-19 17:17:34 UTC

One of Linkin Park's well known songs, "Numb", spoke for many fans about mental health and similar issues. Most specifically about families being disconnected and making struggles worse. Not everyone's families are the same. Some are worse than others. Chester, the lead vocalist, starts the song with "I'm tired of being what you want me to be" with a lonely girl beside a river. This demonstrates that the narcissistic parent is controlling the child in being something they want to be which makes Chester say he's tired of it. He's losing who he is due to trying to live up to his parent's ideals. He sings with such passion and pain with his voice that makes us know that he went through these difficulties. Chester has previously spoke about his past struggles with addiction, depression, and anxiety. In the video, the girl is in class sitting down and drawing with her arm out. You can see her self harm scars on her arm. In a parent's perspective, they expect you to be perfect. Their norm and expectations is to give up everything to be like them. Just how the lyrics says, "I don't know what you're expecting of me. Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes". In the chorus, "I've become so numb, I can't feel you there. Become so tired, so much more aware. I'm becoming this, all I want to do.

Is be more like me and be less like you", Chester claims he wants to be his own person. He doesn't want to be like anyone but himself. Someone who can make mistakes without having someone by his side all the time lecturing him. He became more aware of what he wanted. The message of the song resonated with people, making them feel seen, heard, and understood. It validates breaking away from toxic family norms to help yourself and be the happiest version of you.

Young and Beautiful

2024-09-20 02:28:36 UTC

Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful" tackles the complex themes of love, beauty, and aging, both resisting and reinforcing cultural norms surrounding femininity. The song opens with a question: "Will you still love me when I’m no longer young and beautiful?" This line confronts the societal pressure to maintain youth and attractiveness, challenging the pervasive belief that a woman's worth is tied solely to her physical appearance. By exploring the anxiety about love potentially fading with age, Lana Del Rey offers a more nuanced view of relationships that goes beyond the idealized portrayals often found in pop music and movies. However, despite this critique, the song still emphasizes the importance of beauty, reinforcing the idea that women must remain youthful to be valued in romantic contexts. Additionally, the line "please let me bring my man" highlights a dependence on romantic love for validation, reflecting traditional gender norms that suggest a woman's fulfillment is linked to being loved by her partner. In this way, while the song questions the fleeting nature of beauty and love, it simultaneously reinforces certain expectations around physical appearance and emotional dependency in relationships.

2024-09-20 03:07:24 UTC

"Born this way" is a song written by Lady Gaga to support concepts of acceptance and diversity as well as freedom of expression. The song encourages people to embrace their own identities in despite social expectations by reflecting American values of equality and individualism. It also aligns with the overall cultural movements in America which advocate for rights and equality. The song's lyrics and the video criticize the norms surrounding identity and obedience by promoting individuality and self-acceptance. This song emphasizes the value of harmony and respect for every person. Ultimately, the message of this song is to love yourself fearlessly and to embrace who you are.

Jonathan Cruz "Violent" - 2Pac (1991)

jonac10272006 — 2024-09-21 05:24:21 UTC

My song choice for this assignment is one of 2pac's more impactful songs from 1991 which is titled “Violent”. 2Pac opens the song stating, “They claim that I’m violent just ‘cause I refuse to be silent”, this immediately brings to light the conflict of oppression and violence which has become a norm that american culture has been built off of. A label of violence put onto his name just for speaking and refusing to be silent when faced with injustice. Centuries of racial targeting and discrimination of people of color. Police evolved into a way of censorship to the voice of minorities, but this song fights and stands proud of his speech not backing down. He uses his voice to inspire others into doing the same. Furthermore, 2Pac continues to state, ”Look through our history, America's the violent one. Unlock my brain, break the chains of your misery. This time the payback for evil shit you did to me. They call me militant, racist 'cause I will resist. You wanna censor somethin', motherfucker, censor this. My words are weapons and I'm steppin' to the silent. Wakin' up the masses, but you claim that I'm violent.” He is resisting that norm while also calling America out on its racist and dark history which combats the idea of what it means to be an american. The soil of America is covered in the blood of the innocent. One is supposed to feel proud to be part of American culture, but looking at its past and its structure of corruption can one truly be? The seeds of corruption continue to spread, but while others get swallowed by it, some like 2Pac choose to fight against it.

Cold Play

2024-09-21 14:24:13 UTC

This song written my Coldplay It symbolizes someone who just like a king can have everything in one moment and nothing in another. The song is a lesson to acknowledge that nothing is forever and that we should learn to appreciate and value what we have at the moment because it may not be there tomorrow. "Viva la Vida” tells the story of a king who used to rule the world but in an instant lost everything and everyone turned on him. The song has been interpreted in many ways but it’s also about the temporary nature of life. It symbolizes someone who just like a king can have everything in one moment and nothing in.

Cultures - Arlin R.

2024-09-22 04:37:19 UTC

Being a woman in a society like ours means we are expected to accept on some level that men are seen predominantly as our bane of existence. Due to the fact they are the "breadwinners" and whatnot we have to bend backwards and forwards for their own unspoken stereotypical approval. Such as that being a girlfriend or wife is basically a second mother or fill in mother when we are not. Yes we will love and care and support, but we AREN’T YOUR MAMA. Therefore within JLo's video we see different portrayals of women within society in their gender "expected" roles and how they should always act just because they are a female regardless of their position in their life. And then we see how when they stand up for themselves the men act like it's the most strangest and absurd thing ever. When in reality it's just finally having enough of what barricades oneself from what they know they can be. The song itself resists the cultural norm of gender, dating, media, American and probably more cultures all revolving around one gender.

Media and Gender Norms- Catalina M

2024-09-22 19:13:53 UTC

The song “Pretty Hurts” by Beyoncé is deeply connected to media and gender norms because it shows how important it is to women that they fit into the beauty standard. This song talks about the pushed stereotypes regarding women being perfect and beautiful. The lyrics express how media could shape our thoughts about what the “beauty standard” is and isn’t. Throughout the song, Beyoncé uses examples that show how nothing is ever enough for the media or our minds. In the song, Beyoncé says, “You’re tryna fix something, but you can’t fix what you can’t see.” She expresses how we’re taught to constantly look for something to fix about ourselves, even if there’s nothing wrong with us. When women continually try to fit into these beauty standards, it ends up ruining the perception of our natural beauty, stripping women away from who we are, making us unhappy, and making it easier to focus on insecurities.

SORRY NOT SORRY

josephjamaya0 — 2024-09-22 19:24:09 UTC

Jamaya Joseph

The song ‘Sorry not sorry’ By ‘Tyler the creator’ expresses many meanings within the different cultures that we’ve experienced or learned about. He talks about dating norms such as consequences in dating and the experiences between sexuality and gender when it comes to dating as a man. “Sorry to the guys I had to hide” he states, Explaining that being a man that also dates men he had to be secretive with his dating life because of the judgment we have in society about gay men and lesiban women Which goes to gender, sexuality and American culture, What is accepted and what is wrong. He also addresses the social class culture on a serious level, For him to be a black man that had to struggle in the lower class. He explains how he lived his life fighting everyday and lost many people because they didn’t fit the way society is, so he had to change for the better and he struggled but made it to where he fit within society but in his own way. Tyler also states “Sorry if you gotta dig for info I don't wanna give so you stalk, make up fibs, Just to talk about my private life 'cause you're weird” He reveals that media culture can cause a lot of destruction to someone's life as to his. People will do anything to destroy your life or career when you don’t meet their standards of a perfect person in society and they try to sabotage you through the media and many other things to get what they want. As we as “Met that girl this year (but), that's none ya biz, Give enough with my art, know your place, my personal space, y'all don't need to to be a part” people don’t mind their business either or don't create a safe space in the American culture and Media world so they think they know you personally when quite the opposite. Tyler expresses so many things that have to take part in every culture through media to gender and society norms that he either feels are negative or positive.

Dating Culture

2024-09-22 20:54:05 UTC

In the song Doo Wop, by Lauryn Hill. She addresses the issues of self-respect and one's value in relationships. She talks about resisting the cultural norms of dating by emphasizing how significant it is to stay true to oneself and not faltering to the societal norm of having to be a "basic" man or woman to be seen and appreciated. She goes on to tell women to resist this idea of having to be over-sexualized to please men because being themselves and what they are on the inside is enough. While telling men that they don't have to act like "hooligans"(stated in her lyrics) to impress anyone, instead do right by women and be around for their children, how being respectful is enough. This is relevant to this day because we, as people, tend to look at social media for examples of how we should act in our relationships, how we should look, and how much money we should have in our pockets to impress the people we like. When finally, the only thing that matters is who we truly are, we are unique.

If I were a boy

2024-09-22 21:49:05 UTC

In Beyoncé’s song, If I Were a Boy conveys double standards and toxic relationships between men and women but the roles are reversed. She imagines herself being a man who promises that he could be a better partner, but men aren’t considered to be empathetic towards women according to society and causing certain relationships to go down the drain. One of the lyrics that expresses this interpretation is, “But you’re just a boy. You don’t understand. Yeah, you don’t understand, oh. How it feels to love a girl, someday. You’ll wish you were a better man” because it’s obvious that men weren’t being taught enough on how to treat women respectfully and wish they never followed these standards and learn that empathy doesn’t necessarily involves around gender, it involves in understanding others and what are they going through. Hence the singer naming her song “If I were A Boy” also targeting towards young men who are trying to improve their relationships with women and even going against society’s ideas of men lacking empathy.

Ashley.A

2024-09-22 23:27:55 UTC

My song for this prompt is "All bout that bass" by Meghan Trainor. Growing up back in the day, our culture set very high standards on women's bodies. Still till this day culture norms on women appearances. Is to be skinny, Pettie and small. There would be high ends clothing brands, social media comments, and even jobs. That will highly include the norm of body image, women. Now in 2014 Meghan Trainor came out with this song, the deeper meaning is accepting having a more curvier body then what women's body culture standers are. Around this time Meghan began to become more popular but because she wasn't skinny or slim. People on social media would come after her weight and body appearance. In her song she speaks on photoshopping and refiring to barbie shape body's which she is okay with. She loudly expresses herself to not being any of those norms. Her message is to all those skinny women's who body shame should just mind there business and move along. Being a bit thicker then what society wants women be is totally fine. We are all women and are still beautiful even with a bigger bass.

Gender

hafsashahzad2 — 2024-09-23 00:49:12 UTC

In the song "Boyz don't cry", Rod Wave expresses his feelings and emotions about how boys aren't supposed to cry. He expresses sadness through his words but has to force himself to say that boys aren't meant to cry because that is how society has portrayed them to be. He says, "my music's full of pain, but I keep my problems to myself and I keep my mouth closed 'cause my thoughts sometimes can get too deep" which shows that men also feel emotions but they have to hide them because they are meant to be "strong" and not "sensitive" like girls. I feel like the song both resists and reinforces the norms around gender. As said before, he clearly feels all these negative emotions that he can't express which resists gender norms by showing that men also feel emotions. On the other hand, he reinforces these gender norms by not encouraging men to express their emotions and making it seem like a negative thing. If I were to pick however, I would say that he is resisting gender norms in a way because of how he spreads the message of men having feelings and how they hide them. This song shows that he is stuck between gender norms and although he wants to express his feelings and emotions, society's values and beliefs make it hard for him to do so.

Alright

krissienashley98 — 2024-09-23 02:41:00 UTC

Alright by Kendrick Lamar has basically become an anthem for black people at the time of many racial protests in the song he sounds happy and giving a lot of energy when he's rapping with optimism which is a huge contrast to the reality of racial injustice, poverty, and violence faced by black Americans the phrase "we gonna be alright" he uses frequently in the song expresses hope and defiance, offering emotional and spiritual strength through these trying times of many movements and police brutality. subsequently the phrase "we gonna be alright" is a powerful response to systemic racism that has been plaguing America but, in this sense, African Americans who faced police brutality and the real suppression of life in America. this song resists dominant cultural narrative that often minimizes or denies the realities of racial inequality. This brings hope and empowerment to marginalized communities but specifically the Black Lives Matter movement by encouraging action and to keep the fight going. But he uses a lot of traditional and masculine ways of going about and dealing with the issue such as enduring the struggle and remaining resilient in the face of adversity which is tied to stoicism and strength these ideals align with the pushed idea of what the expectations of what masculinity is especially in the hip hop community

The Internet Dictates Our Lives

2024-09-23 03:05:39 UTC

The song I have chosen is called “Welcome To The Internet,” by Bo Burnham. A song in which he speaks about what goes on in the media and the feelings a person goes through as they scroll through social media sucking up every little piece of “literature” that we can. In the song, lyrics range from, “Here’s a tip for straining pasta” to “And a bunch of colored pencil drawings, Of all the different characters in Harry Potter f*cking each other.” Social media is a place where every person in the world can tune in and share their lives or watch other people share their lives. And as wholesome as it is to watch babies playing with dogs the internet is an extremely dark place where anything can be found. Take the dark web for example, if you scroll long enough you can end up in the black market ready to purchase someone's left arm. Whilst understanding this people still long into Instagram and Facebook ready to see what is going to happen today. He sings the truth about the internet that we do not want to hear. As humans we need some type of entertainment to keep us going and because of that it has become normal for us to watch the news, media, and listen to others about what is going on in the world. The lyric, “Apathy's a tragedy, And boredom is a crime” is in every way true. There is no resisting the media and no matter how hard we try to reinforce it by making sure a person is 13 years or older to make an account or restricting certain things on the media if people continue to watch it and give it attention nothing is going away.

Dating culture

2024-09-23 14:51:15 UTC

NSYNC’s song “Bye Bye Bye” speaks of the end of a relationship. This is further supported by the lyrics like “Don’t wanna be a fool for you, just another player in your game for two” may refer to a relationship being toxic in some way like cheating. The lyric “I wanna see you out that door” cements the idea that the partner wants the other to leave as they have had enough. This song is one of heartbreak and shows that some relationships don’t end well and not on the best terms.

"4 Yours Eyes Only" by J.Cole

2024-09-23 15:44:49 UTC

My song that I will be discussed for the prompt is "4 Your Eyes Only" by J.Cole is a song or most say a story from the perspective of a daughter reading a letter that her father left. In this song its a letter of her father's life. More and more as we listen we can hear how the system failed and how the America media major problem is the perpetuation of the stereotype of the Black criminal by its biased choice of images. In the song we hear the struggle that her father went through being raised in a community of violence, gangs, and only thinking that this was the only way to live and provide. Ultimately, James her father knew one day this way of living was gonna catch up to him and sadly it did. He left her this letter for her when she was only enough to understand. Through this story James speaks about how the judicial system set him up for failure. Because most of the incarcerated parents are males, many children grow up without their fathers, creating a cycle. However, the reason for mass incarnation falls short from the lack of education given in mostly Black communities. If her father was aware of other options that made plenty of profit, he wouldn’t be locked up. Through this whole album J.Cole faces and speaks on how that judicial and stereotypes have affected the lives of many and then leaves to all these events of people of the black community who get killed or hurt even though they are not-guilty to doing anything. This song or this album shows or repeats that what people think this is what the African Americans norm is and that they are drug dealers, thugs, gang members, and even deadbeat fathers. All in all, we can hear the struggle and what America media represents on who African Americans are.

Beauty in Society

delpozocarolina123 — 2024-09-24 23:07:29 UTC

The main point of this song is how society promotes the concept of "beauty." It discusses plastic surgery and the pressure women face to have it in order to meet the standards of what modern society deems "beautiful". How the media promotes this to an extent that kids are often exposed to the "beauty standard" without restriction. The song shows the remorse caused by plastic surgery, the effects it has on people, and how it affects their lives. In the end, the song encourages listeners—mostly women—to accept who they are and to believe that beauty is natural no matter their appearance.

Your Prompt: Culture

alyssalyons1 — 2025-03-05 14:36:01 UTC

For this week, we spoke about the dimensions of culture and cultural norms. Your prompt is to choose a song and discuss how the video and/or lyrics resist or reinforce dominant cultural norms. These norms can be around gender, social class, American culture, dating culture, media, whatever you choose! Please embed the link to your chosen video so folks can see what song you're referencing.