Let's do a simple brainstorm again. You are going to be working in groups to create an interesting and original blog about some issue in American culture. Your options are endless. I've had students write about the weird things people do while driving; I've had students write about the greatest football tackles of all time; I've had students document the bizarre and extreme plastic surgeries that celebrities have and the public response. The idea is to pick something that you think will really, really excite your audience because it's fun and interesting and shocking, etc. Blogs are meant to entertain.
You don't need to respond to a peer, but write a paragraph thinking about some ideas that you would be interested in doing. Be specific and think original. When you get into groups, this will help speed up which idea you decide to do together and you can get started on a plan for the group work days next week.
FYI, these are my favorite projects of the semester because my students always do really wonderful topics and we have a good time looking at them on present days ;)
There are so many issues to deal with when it comes to American culture I don’t even know where to start! Celebrities seem to be a big part of our culture and there is so many topics that can make them appear like gods or goddesses, but then there’s the ones that break them. For example, “best celebrity mug shots” or “Greatest wardrobe malfunctions.” Speaking of wardrobe you could probably make a blog just based off of all the crazy things we see Lady Gaga wear. Other than celebrities I feel like comedy has a large impact on America. From television shows to stand up comedy, jokes are everywhere. A blog about the best “Yo Momma” jokes would be funny. Or quoting the funniest lines from movies would be good too. Maybe even pick a certain movie like Step Brothers to focus on. Blogs serve as entertainment and I think by either going with something about celebrities or comedy an audience will most definitely be entertained.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I love about America there is just so much we do as everyday Americans that can be used for a blog. An easy one could be the trend of social networking sites through the age grouped. Most of us started out with MySpace, than slowly moved to Facebook, last a few of people have now started to tweet away their every thought. Also I think YouTube is a HUGE part of our lives almost in every class I have been in the teacher has pulled up YouTube at least once to show an example of something. But the best part of YouTube is if you type in “Funny Kittens” or something similar there are thousands upon thousands of hits. On a serious note, something that is very close to my heart is the military and armed forces I think a blog about the things they do for us would be a nice blog. Even all the fun they have at their parties like “soldiers having a ball”, because let me tell you my best guy friend goes to the Naval Academy and you would not believe some of the crazy, funny things that happen on that base. That leads me to think about Americas Funniest Home videos a blog about the all time funniest videos would be SO SUPER FUNNY! I don’t know like Demi said there is so much we truly can pick anything; thanks to America being the way it is I feel like this blog project is going to be a bunch of laughs on presentation day.
ReplyDeleteThe goal of our blogs is to entertain the audience. Americans are often entertained by watching the bizarre behavior of others. I for one find myself laughing out loud at some of the things I see on campus almost every single day. Last week I saw someone wearing a pink tutu and glitter shoes in the union. On my way to class the other day I watched a boy attempt to ride his skateboard backwards and ended up sailing right into a patch of bushes near landis. I would have loved to have been able to share these stories with everyone. I think a blog where people can post short messages or even pictures of the wild things they see out in public would be a great idea! Also Americans undoubtedly love finding a great bargain. I, like most college students, live on a pretty tight budget and am always looking for a great deal. Sometimes I miss out on things because I don’t hear about them until too late. It would be awesome to have a blog where people could share some money savers that they have discovered around their area, such as stores that are running sales, restaurants offering meal deals and clubs that are having nights with free cover. This would benefit anyone looking to get out and have some fun that doesn’t cost a fortune. Essentially, any blog that is a forum for people to share amusement, whether it be funny pictures or tips on how to have fun on a budget, would certainly be entertaining for everyone!
ReplyDeleteeographically, the United States of America is massive. With this large geographic spread comes an array of subcultures and a fairly eclectic national culture. The internet and more specifically, blogs, are a great outlet to examine some of the strange cultures that exist in our country. One topic that interests me as a possible blog topic is facebook photos. The blog would look at various trends in facebook photos, what style photos various 'scenes' upload, what sort of subjects are focused upon, the size of albums (etc.) and how your photos cause people to define or classify you. Another idea is sexy or skanky, a blog for college girls that discusses which outfits/articles of clothing are sexy and which cross the line and are 'skanky'. This would be relevant especially to FSU because of the popular club scene. My third blog idea is also relevant to college students. This last blog would focus on bathroom "etiquette" of community style dorms (how long should one shower, how should one leave the sink, what sort of shower shoes to be worn, overall acceptable vs. unacceptable habits, etc.)
ReplyDeleteBeing an American consists of many things. Freedom is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about America. Freedom has a wide range; it could be anything. I think it’s great that Americans often express themselves in crazy ways, such as tattoos and piercings. Tattoos and piercings are socially acceptable and are everywhere you go. There are people that have tattoos covering every inch of their body, that aren't even considered weird. Lately there has been a rise in the popularity of piercings in places like hips, chests, wrists, and arms. Who would have ever thought that was even possible? All of these ways are ways to express yourself, which is a part of the freedom that Americans have. You're free to do whatever you want with your body with no consequences. There are some crazy and creative tattoos and piercings that people have that would be interesting to talk about and look at.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading some of the examples posted, a couple ideas for the blog project popped into my mind. I think I can speak for most of us that we all love food; at least I know I do. However, many people go above and beyond to put things on and in their food that “normal” people would never try. Creating a blog to see what strange food inventions people come up with would be insightful to see what they think is tasty. Another idea could have something to do with traveling. There are so many places in America that people are dying to see. But instead of doing famous landmarks such as Washington D.C., Philadelphia, PA, Hollywood, CA, and other big name cities it would be cool to find some lesser known places that people are attracted to visit. Some places may have unique attractions or have past history that people may not even be aware of.
ReplyDeleteI'm from Fernandina Beach FL, about an hour north east of Jacksonville in Duval county. The Duval county school system is undergoing 95 million dollars in budget cuts next year and in order to support these budget cuts it has been implied that all sports programs will be cut from public schools in the county. I think this is an awful idea. I believe America's sports program is important on all levels and I don't think cutting sports is healthy for students. There are many different ways you could talk about this subject. You could, for instance, discuss alternatives to cutting the sports programs, the benefits of having sports in schools, and ways that sports help kids in general. Sports have a way of bringing communities together and especially as big as professional sports are today, they should be a part of the public school system.
ReplyDeleteAmerica is a very diverse country. There is something to entertain everyone if you truly think about it. Some people are entertained by comedy, action, or even suspense. Others might be entertained by music or sports. When you look at the big picture there are many things we can create a blog about. Due to the fact that I am into sports, but I also like comedy, I think a great blog would be for people to write about or post pictures/videos and moments of the funniest sports bloopers. About once a month ESPN shows the top 10 bloopers of the month. I love watching the bloopers of funny things happening in sports. I have seen funny things happen that usually don't happen in sports, such as a basketball player going for a slam dunk, and then having the ball fall out of his hands, or a soccer player having a wide open goal and he trips over himself and is not able to score. When watching these things I am laughing the whole time. I think something like this will serve as an entertaining blog to an audience, whether they do or don't like sports, because regardless it is a good laugh.
ReplyDeleteThinking of blog topics is always fun because it could be anything. When I first started thinking about I was thinking too hard and I couldn’t think of anything, but soon as I had an open mind ideas started to come to me. For some reason the first thing that came to my head was What I Spend My Money on as a College Student. Just because my roommate and I were just having this conversation the other day and you could really have a blog about that. Things could be very interesting what you might see. Another topic I thought of could be haunted places. That would get someone’s attention when they see the title Haunted Places. I know I would read that. Or another good topic for college would be What I Do When I Get Frustrated. I know I personally would have a lot to say about that. It would also be interesting to see what other people do. One I find kind of funny would be a blog on weird ice cream flavors. We all know we encounter them whenever we step foot into an ice cream shop, now just gives someone a chance to blog about it. A big one would be called I Want to Brag a Minute, you could go on and on, on this topic because it is just about you. There are other too like what you do on your down time, facebook applications I love, music tastes, and love (broken hearts, school, friends) the list could go on, but I think those few would be some good ones to start brain storming with.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness American culture! There are so many crazy things that are specific to just Americans; we are truly aliens on this planet. I think the obsession with talent is huge. We have so many television shows that are talent competitions in dance, singing, cooking, comedy, etc. America loves talent! And with the revolution of MySpace music a few years ago and YouTube the ways to discover talent are endless. People are more directly involved with who gets noticed and signed with a record deal by spreading a video around and getting it to be viral on the internet for a talent agent to find and snag up. Going along with talent is our nation’s celebrity obsessions and how in touch we are with their lives. Twitter helped all that grow even more, we know what they are doing and when and if we are lucky they TwitPic what they are doing. There are so many more amazing topics to be done but those are the first few things that came to my mind. I’m very excited for this assignment!
ReplyDeleteAlright ideas for American culture… there should be plenty (American Culture is plenty interesting) but nothing is really coming to mind. The death of newspaper and it’s effects, rise of digital information and what would happen if all of our info was online, whether or not the internet has had positive or negative impacts on this generation, music trends though out the decades and what sparked them, does modern music suck and are all classics really good, how TV has affected our generation, trends in modern cinema, going green: what works and what doesn’t, decline in voter participation, modern misconceptions and why they are so widely accepted, things in history we all got wrong. That’s what I can get off the top of my head, hopefully I will have better stuff tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteBrainstorming topics for blogs based off of the American culture is always interesting. It allows you literally choose any pattern of things that us people in America do on the regular. There are a couple of interesting topics that I would like to discuss. First off, why do younger people feel that it’s cool to get tattoos? They tattoo their bodies up as if it helps them in the long run. Getting tattoos is a personal decision but I feel that it decreases your chances of getting a good job. I could be wrong but I feel that majority of the individuals that choose to get tattoos do it because they think that it makes them cool. I feel that it only makes their job searching more difficult and it limits them from having a broader variety of clothes while around their co-workers. The second thing that I would like to discuss involves social networks such as twitter. Social networks are places designed so that people can communicate with one another without have to be in the same vicinity. They are very useful when it comes to contacting your friends, family, and people all around the world. These social networks allow people to share their experiences with one another and inform people about their everyday lives.
ReplyDeleteThe American culture is filled with strange trends and habits that people take part in. Americans are commonly known by other countries for their materialistic interests and obsessions with keeping up with the new fashion ideas. One of the main things our culture is known for is our obsession of keeping up with the latest celebrity looks. Whenever a celebrity is seen with a new hair cut or wearing a new style of clothing, despite how odd the look might appear on a normal person, Americans immediately seek out ways to look just like them. Much of the American news (shows such as E) focus on simply celebrity styles and looks, where the only material they talk about is the latest fashion trends and what is “hot and not.” Another trend in America is the great popularity of reality television shows. Americans love to watch other peoples lives, whether it is a bunch of teenagers who become pregnant or a group of partying kids in the Jersey Shore. Although many people bash the actions that these characters take part in the fact remains that thousands consistently tune in to watch these shows every week. As well even though the characters from these shows have done nothing to become celebrities, they are still seen and treated like stars. Lastly another trend in American culture is the obsession with new technologies. New cell phones and updated computers are being created every day, and Americans consistently want the newest and most updated technologies. The Iphone has been such a popular product that are already producing the 5th one this summer. Many people have become so reliant on their technologies that they no longer know how to function without them.
ReplyDeleteAn American issue I find interesting for the blog project would be the status updates that people put on twitter and facebook. I always wondered why people choose to write certain things and others rarely post status updates.I myself am not a big fan of posting a status of my thoughts on facebook two, three times a day; in fact I'm one of those people who rarely do. Call it what u want but I don't want to post a status and no one likes it. But other people don't care about that apparently and will post things like "Apple Jacks for dinner:)". And then there are people that you never knew were religious or philosophical posting quotes from the bible and Gandhi. They clearly are seeking attention and a bunch of likes but why? I believe facebook and twitter allows everyone to be a mini celebrity among their friends and friends' friends through status updates.There are also websites dedicated to funny and interesting facebook statuses.Another topic I find interesting is how American artists who write songs that never make sense are not questioned. For example I feel Lady Gaga and Lil Wayne only have four or five lines in their songs that are coherent yet their songs are always number one. I hear people sing the lyrics blindly yet they can't make sense of the meaning or even topic of the whole song. I'm guilty of this as well and I think everyone mostly like songs because of the beat and hook therefore artists can fill in the rest with crap. I think these topics would entertain any audience because I'm already intrigued.
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ReplyDeleteOkay... one American issue that could be discussed could be about how all genres of today's music seem to incorporate a techno beat of some sort into its music. I mean seriously... even rap music and rock music have techno incorporated into it to some extent. It might be cool to explore how music has changed in American culture and if different genres of music are slowly becoming ambiguous. I also noticed that it seems like every teen fiction book that is being published has to do with a vampire or mystical creature ever since the Twilight phenomenon. I went onto Barnes and Noble to check to see what kind of books had recently come out in the teen fiction section and I literally saw nothing but witch, vampire, or some other sci-fi fantasy book. That might be something to look at. It seems like every teen book today wants to be the next biggest book turned movie franchise. The other thing I have noticed is how rapidly technology seems to be developing in regards to video game versions, cell phones, etc. The original ipad has been out only since April 2010, but yet the ipad 2 is here before April 2011.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many over rated blogs online that I hope my group and I can put our ideas together to come up with some a little more original. Unfortunately, I have not been able to come up with anything too exciting. I was thinking to blog about the best vacation spots in America, it could be for families or a couple’s retreat. Many people go on vacations to other countries; yet, we have some really nice vacation places in the U.S. Relating to vacation spots I was thinking the best camping sites in America. There are so many camping places that are in the mountains and on rivers. Since we are in college I thought it would be good to relate something to college students, such as the best clubs. There are many colleges and big cities like Miami that are known for their club life. I really liked someone’s post on the unusual things you see on campus. A couple of weekends ago I saw someone dressed up as a robot just casually walking across Landis and thought it was hilarious. I also have an issue, as many other students have, with getting distracted with Facebook and YouTube while trying to do school work. I figured I could blog about something on how to prevent yourself from going on to Facebook when you should be doing something else. The most over used phrases said by Americans or college students could be interesting. Advice blogs can also be funny, maybe something like how to be a classy flirt or how not to act too desperate. The closer the blog is related to college life I think will be easier to write about and relate to.
ReplyDeleteOne of the amazing things about American culture is the freedom civilians have to do almost anything they want. However, when it comes to food, there should be "law" as to how much McDonald's consumption is allowed. America has been in an ongoing fast-food-craze throughout the past decade, and this trend is what has become defining of the American culture. Today, "McDonald's owns more playgrounds than any other private entity in the United States" (Schlosser). The foods that American's consume on a daily basis are more than likely to precursors and causes of many of the diseases that are so prevalent in the United States. I think that an interesting (yet not very exciting) topic for a blog would be either the adverse health affects of eating different kinds of fast foods that the average American consumes in a certain time frame, or the health benefits of simple, yet affordable alternatives. If American's knew what was really harming them, maybe they'd take more preventative measures and in turn, changing the face of America (the fast-food-nation).
ReplyDeleteThe American culture is highly centralized on entertainment and as such, blog posts would serve as a great tool for me to express my opinions about the food industry. I am choosing to write entries on the following ideas because I have a passion for food. When I watched the show Man vs. Food today, I thought of the eating challenges that people create and try. It would be interesting to read about such various challenges that exist across the states. Then the idea of fried butter, which is found in Kentucky, popped into my mind and I wondered about what other bizarre foods there are out there. I can also write a post on the origins of traditional American foods like corn dogs and hot dogs. From there, I can shift the focus on the recent emergence and growing craze for foreign foods, such as sushi and Chipotle. Aside from the food theme, I considered other subjects like why reality TV shows and YouTube stars, specifically Fred, are so popular among viewers nowadays. Another questionable situation is why parents dress up their daughters for pageants or why rich individuals treat their pets as royalty.
ReplyDeleteFor a blog, specific trends can easily provide fun and original topics. For example, a group could choose to focus on our cultures recent shift away from the historic view of vampires in the Dracula spotlight they’ve been placed under towards the more modern “vegetarian” depiction stemmed from Meyer’s Twilight series. I personally find shoe trends extremely interesting and would have fun blogging about all of the fun shoes that rose to fame throughout the past couple of years: Crocs, Converse, rainboots, Uggs, Vans, Toms. A group could also choose to blog about the most absurd reality TV shows that have surfaced globally: Wipeout, the Bachelor, Jersey Shore. Another interesting idea could be a blog focusing on the coolest classes offered around the country at different colleges. I’m currently taking a religion and fantasy class in which we read 20th and 21st century fantasy, such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, in order to evaluate religious themes throughout the text. I’ve also heard about a film class offered that focuses solely on science fiction films. Essentially, there are endless topics a person can blog about, it all depends on what interests that person.
ReplyDeleteSports play an incredible role in American culture, collegiate sports alone bring in roughly 10.6 billion dollars annually! Almost every American male has a favorite college sports team and a growing number of women are becoming dedicated fans as well. Women have in recent decades become more prominent in the world of professional and college sports which also draws in women to follow a certain player or team. My love of sports and the Seminoles has led me to this week’s blog idea. I would create a blog that focuses solely on Seminole sports such as football, baseball, basketball, etc. It would list all the games for that week in each sport, women’s and men’s, and analyze our strategies and techniques as well as the opposing teams’. I would name some of the players on our teams who I think will contribute the most to those games and which players to look out for on the other teams. I love watching ESPN and listening to which teams they pick to win that week and why and I would love it to be much more in depth but that’s just not realistic to do that with every sports team and school.
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