4 Cultural Challenge Flashcards
(72 cards)
1
Q
cultural challenge?
overall problem
A
- increasing fragmentation of american society
- less communal, there wasnt really a dominant culture anymore
2
Q
sub genres of metal
sub genres of metal
A
- death metal (death)
- black maetal (anti-chritstian)
- white metal (christian)
- lite or pop metal (love)
- speed/thrash metal (justice and the environment)
3
Q
trends in youth culture: heavy metal
1980s heavy metal stars
A
- Van Halen
- from 1983 LA groups such as Dokken, who focused on males victimised by a femme fatale
4
Q
trends in youth culture: heavy metal
opposition to heavy metal: radio, PMRC, MTV
A
- the radio were uninterested in playing it
- MTV promoted it so heavy metals share of the music market rose from 8% in 1983 to 20% in 1984
- Parents Music Resource Centre (PMRC) opposed it
5
Q
trends in youth culture: heavy metal
PMRC: pressure, achievements, but how did MTV get around it? what was their show called? how many viewers did it have? 1988 heavy metal albums?
A
- 1985: PMRC pressured MTV to stop its promotion of heavy metal with explicit lyrics and sexually explicit violent vidoes
- MTV created an after-hours show devoted to it called headbangers ball
- 1.3m viewers weekly
- 1988 11/50 of the bestselling albums were metal… but mainstream contributed to its fragmentation
6
Q
trends in youth culture: heavy metal
heavy metal dominant fans and then black american music
A
- few women or black Americans were part of the heavy metal scene
- black influence on american music demonstrated in 1990 when black pop and rap wer overtaking heavy metal
7
Q
rap
roots/
A
- ## gang cultures of the South Bronx and Harlem ghettos
8
Q
rap
themes covered?
A
- controversial and topical themes
- ‘How We Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise? 1980
9
Q
rap
criticised by many older black americans: what were their arguments?
BSV
A
- bigoted (anti Public Enemy made anti-semitic comments)
- sexist (Ice Cube sung he made the ‘neighbourhood hussy’ pregnant, so ‘what i need to do is kick the bitch in the tummy’)
- violent - promoted violence against the police 1988 rap song ‘Fuck Tha Police’
10
Q
rap
response to criticisms: women, STV, mainstream rappers?
-
A
- Queen Latifah and Salt-N-Pepa became rappers
- male groups started a Stop The Violence campaign in 1988
- late 1980s rap artists MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice demlonstrated mainstream rap
- Rap was the focal point of several movies about ghetto life
11
Q
popular music on trial
PMRC and protest
A
- wives of influential washington politicians
- protested against lyrics that were explicit
12
Q
popular music on trial
music industrys counter?
A
- it would be hard to police and rate lyrics like movies
13
Q
popular music on trial
why was it hard to police lyrics?
A
- thousands of records every year compared to around 300 movies
- lyrics could be misinterpreted. Eg. John Denvers song ‘Rocky Mountain High’ was about his beloved Colarado, but radio stations didn’t play it because they thought he was singing about drugs
14
Q
popular music on trial
1985
A
the senate began investigating the PMRCs claims
15
Q
popular music on trial
1988
PMRC and suicide + results
A
the PMRC had fascination with the occult and suicide as dangers that popular music presented to the minds of American youth -
- music industry accepted voluntary rating system because of great pressure from Washington and the publicity resulting from several highly publicised suicides. Eg. two chicago teenagers suicide note contained Metallica’s ‘fade to black’ lyrics
16
Q
madonna
why was she controversial>
A
because she was sexual in her videos, performances, and public addresses.
- she was the PMRCs main focus for concerns about sexuality in music
17
Q
popular music on trial
other targets for the PMRC: Jello Biafra, leader of the Dead Kennedys controversy 1986
A
- a girl bought their Frankenchrist album which contained a poster picturing ten penises and a vulvae
- the group was found not guilty, but the legal costs nearly ruined them
18
Q
popular music on trial
another target of the PMRC: 2 Live Crew, album and song found legally obscene?
A
- As Nasty As They Wanna Be 1990
- song ‘Me So Horny’ was about sex in a range of positions
- the group was acquitted and the supreme court refused to accept challenges to the hearing
- but in the district court thhe album was declared legally obscene
19
Q
popular music on trial
another target of the PMRC: Ice-T song
A
- ’ cop killer’ brought controversies about the relationship between rap and violence into the headlines
- the song was frustrated at the ‘not guilty’ verdict of cops who beat up fleeing black American suspect Rodney King
- Ice-T agreed to delete it from the Body Count album
20
Q
non-oppositional youth culture
what was non-oppositional youth culture? what were yuppies?
A
- many participated in the popular culture and didnt protest against it
- Time magazine christened ‘yuppies’ who liked making money, BMWs, designer casual gear, gourmet food, high tech and sound equipment, jogging, etc.
21
Q
popular music on trial
what did the show Family Ties represent>
A
- it was about 2 ex hippie and liberal parents with a young republican son and a highly materialistic daughter
- both believers in Reaganomics
- demonstrated the increased fragmentation of American society
22
Q
the impact of technology on pop culture
personal computers: when did they develop?
A
- 1981, IBM sold small dektop PCs for use in the office or at home
23
Q
the impact of technology on pop culture
personal computers: 1983? user friendly software + bill gates
A
- his company microsoft launched its words and windows programmes with a ‘mouse’
- user friendly
- nearly 1/4 of american households possessed a PC by the early 1990s
24
Q
the impact of technology on pop culture
1992 Microsoft revenue exceeded
A
- $1b
25
# the impact of technology on pop culture
remote control devices: what did it enable?
- 'channel surfing' to avoid advertisements and increased the individuals choice as to what was to be viewed
26
# the impact of technology on pop culture
VCRs: when did they become popular?
**1980s**
- mass production made them cheap
27
# the impact of technology on pop culture
**1990** how many households owned a VCR?
- 3/4
- enabled viewers to rent feature films from video stores and to play games
28
# casettes and cds
What were casettes? why were they so popular?
- for recording music during the **1970s**
- before casettes, americans usually played vinyl records on frequently bulky record players
- customers could play them on tiny portable players such as a Sony Walkman or a boombox
29
# casettes and cds
CDs?
- **late 1970s**
- better sound and easier to use
- fragmentation of american society?
30
# the growth of cable tv and the influence of MTV
how did reagans deregulation of television lead to an increasingly fragmented society?
- expnasion and quanittyy of cable channels
- **1990** 90% of American homes had cable services
- over half of americans had watched an *I Love Lucy* episode in the 1950s
- cable tv catered to markets divided by age, education, gender, race, and class.
31
# the growth of cable tv and the influence of MTV
**1979** ESPN
| examples of cable
- coverage of sports
32
# the growth of cable tv and the influence of MTV
**1979** C-SPAN
| example of cable
- exhaustive coverage of federal government activities
33
# the growth of cable tv and the influence of MTV
**1980** CNN
| example of cable
- cable news network
- **1991** coverage of the Gulf War brought huge audiences, because it was the only news station with reporters inside Iraq
34
# the growth of cable tv and the influence of MTV
**1981** MTV
| example of cable
- aired non stop music from **1981**
35
# the growth of cable tv and the influence of MTV
why was there far more sex and violence?
- because cable tv was not subject to federal communications commission guideline
36
# MTV
MTVs audience
- 85% of its predominantly white, suburban audience was aged between 12 and 34 years
- 23m viewers by **1982**
37
# MTV - racism and sexism
why was MTV accused of racism?
- black artists were rarely shown
- one employee admitted on air this was because MTV didnt want to alienate the smal town midwest
38
# MTV - racism and sexism
why was MTV accused of sexism?
- in its early years, MTV focussed on appealing to young white men
- women were objectivid
- **Eg.** Van Halen's 'hot for teacher' **1984**
39
# MTV - racism and sexism
feminist retaliation: Donna Summers 'She Works Hard For the Money'
- single working mother was exploited in the workplace and unappreciated by her selfish children joins an exhibition of female solidarity in the press
40
# MTV - racism and sexism
feminist retaliation: Cyndi Lauper's 'girls just wanna have fun'
| **1984**
- considered a feminist anthem
41
# MTV - racism and sexism
Madonna 'material girl' **1984**
- made a great deal of money from objectifying herself in early videos such as 'like a virgin' and 'material girl'
42
# The Impact of the AIDS crisis
2 main reasons homosexuality acquired an increasingly prominent place on the national agenda?
1. the religous right waged a great antihomosexual campaign
2. the spread of ADIS impacted the lives of homosexuals, drug users, and haemophiliacs, public perceptions of gay people and the campaign for gay rights
43
# The Impact of the AIDS crisis
HIV
identified in **1984** but could offer no cure
44
# The Impact of the AIDS crisis
Impact of AIDS on a sufferers lif
- virtual death sentance
- victims were socially ostracised
45
# The Impact of the AIDS crisis
deaths from AIDS by **1985** and then **1989**
- 5,500 americans had died from it by **1985**
- 46,000 by **1989**, 80,000+ confirmed cases the same year
46
# The Impact of the AIDS crisis
middle americas reaction
- associated it with immorality
- some conservatives claimed the 'gay plague' was Gods punishment for sexual deviancy
47
# the impact of the AIDS crisis
gay rights activism? **1987** ACT UP
- newly establsihed campaign followed up the first gay pride parade in NYC with a demonstration that demanded more research into AIDS and equal rights
48
# President Reagan and AIDS
Reagan, Rock, and Koops report
- Reagans actor friend Rock Hudson died from AIDS in **October 1985** Reagan asked surgeon General C. Everett Koop for a report
- his solutions were 'one, abstinence; two, monogamy; three, condoms' and called for sex education in schools
- Reagan refused to advocate for funding or treatment, and his budget required a cut in AIDs research
-
49
# The Ryan White Care Act
who was Ryan White? what did he accomplish? the **Ryan White Care Act?**
- haemophiliac who contracted AIDS through blood transufsion
- he became spokesperson for the AIDS sufferers and helped change public perceptins of it
- when he died in **1990** congress passed the Ryan White Care Act which granted $220m to help victims of AIDS
50
# controversial issues in film and TV: homosexuality
**1981** NBC considered *Love, Sidney*: what happened?
- it was a sitcom about a homosexual artist who was a surrogate father to a female friends child
- NBC got cold feet and dropped the show
51
# controversial issues in film and TV: homosexuality
**1989** *Longtime Champion*
- first widely released movely to deal with AIDS
- great critical acclaim but audiences were s,all
- box office recipets under 1% of the reciepts of the years top grosser Indiana Jones
52
# controversial issues in film and TV: sex
what did Reagans deregulation policies lead to (sex and violence)
- they weakened the Federal Communications Commission so much that sex and violence continued and increased
53
# controversial issues in film and TV: sex
*A Basic Instinct* **1992**
- sexually explicit
54
# controversial issues in film and TV: sex
*The Fresh Brince of Bel-Air* **1990-1996**
- theme that being a virgin was highly embarassing for a teenager
55
# controversial issues in film and TV: sex
too far? controversial *The Last Temptation of Christ* **1988**
- Jesus Christ fantasising about mrrriage to and sex with Mary Magdalene upset the religous right
56
# controversial issues in film and TV: sex
what was the opposition? was it successful.
- Concerned Women for America promoted letter-writing campaigns, street protests and picketing
- some movie chains refused to screen the movie and its box office recipets barely covered production costs.
57
# Violence
movies that contained lots of violence included:
- *RoboCop* **1987**
- *Die Hard* **1988**
- *The Silence of the Lambs* **1991**
58
# Violence
*The Silence of the Lambs*: what did it raise?
- the issue of when and if extreme depictions of violence went too far
- recieved great critical acclaim but made some uneasy
59
# Violence
*The A-Team* **1983-1987**
## Footnote
premise + demographics - controversial?
- cartoonish violence
- compared to tom and jerry in that no blood and gore resulted from the violence
- others felt it was likely to have an undesirable influence on the 7/42m viewers that were aged between 2-11
60
# Violence
**1988** Senator Paul Simon and *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre* (**1974**)
- channel surfing and came across a gross murder scene in the movie
- he persuaded congress to pass an Act in **1990** that exempted broadcast and cable networks and programme producers from antitrust laws if they decided to work together to come up wiht a common set of standards regarding violence
- ineffective...
61
# war
*Born on the Fourth of July* **1989**
- based on memoirs of disabled and dillusioned vietnam war veteran Ron Kovick
62
# war
*Rambo* **1985**
| conservative revival?
- vietnam veteran rescued american prisoners of war in defiance of the vietnamese, who were presented as sub-humna
63
# war
*Stripes* **1981** and *An Officer and a Gentleman* **1982**
| army individuals + the female lead?
- army individuals presented as admirable
- female lead in the latter simply wanted to capture an officer husband
64
# the role of women
what did films promote?
- 'good mother' as opposed to the independent woman
65
# the role of women
*Fatal Attraction* **1987**
- single career women seduces and nearly destroys a happily married man until the 'good mother' manages to kill her off
- men would chant *kill the bitch* in theatres
66
# the role of women
why did Hollywood conform to prevailling conservative values?
- they wished to maximise revenue
67
# the role of women
*Private Benjamin* **1980** then *Overboard* **1987**
*Private Benjamin*: (pre-reagan) - Goldie Hawn had been Private Benjamin in the **1980** film whose army career enabled her to reject a womanising husband
- in *Overboard* **1987**: she was tamed by her husband
68
# the role of women
few strong minded women in films tended to be...
strong minded in defence of their families
- **Eg.** *Terms of Endearment* **1983**
69
# the role of women in television
*Roseanne* **1988-1997**
- about a struggling working class woman who worked hard in a variety of skiled jobs and came home and had to do all the housework
- most watched tv show in the US between **1989-1990**
70
# the role of women in television
*Cagney and Lacey* **1982-1988**
## Footnote
how did it portray social conservativism?
- two female detectives
- one home-loving and with an idealised family
- the other ambitious, single, and with multiple partners
- although it portrayed a strong competent working class woman, the series reflected social consverativism in that the single detective Cagney was invariably less content and stable than the married detective Lacey who, with some struggle and tension managed to combine work and motherhood
71
# the role of women in television
*Cheers* **1982-1993**
| centred on?
- a womanising bartender
- pitted him initially against a critical woman who longed for carreer success
- but.. her successor simply sought family life, preferably with a rich man
72
# controversial issues in film and tv: conclusions
what did it reflect?
- escapism
- but others reflected the great changes that had taken place in american society
- american society was deeply divided
