It has been a while since the last time I went to Disneyland so I was pretty excited when I went this past Sunday. It is truly the happiest place on Earth, however, things have changed. Disneyland has always been the place where kids drown in a fantasy pool of ecstasy and never did I would think sex would be an issue. I was waiting for the firework spectacle to begin and there was a Gay couple next to me and a friend. All of a sudden I hear a kid say, “Ew! mom look!” I turn around and the Gay couple is making out. I felt really bad for that mom who now has to give not the birds and the bee’s talk but the Adam and Steve talk.
That did not really bother me as much as to what I herd this morning on the radio. I was listening to Kevin and Bean and Ralph was giving his entertainment news and stated that Disneyland has agreed to dismiss the pirates portraying Jack Sparrow that bring in people to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride because women were exposing themselves to them. They supposedly look like Johnny Depp himself that women were getting really aroused. That to me is just bizarre. Finally, Disney decides to make a PG13 movie and women can not control themselves in a child’s theme park. What more can these kids be exposed to? Next thing you know the Haunted Mansion will become the Playboy Mansion.
Anyways, Disneyland is the place where even the oldest person can be a child at heart but I don’t think the world is ready for kids to be exposed to Gay couples. Little girls at that age think kissing boys is eekie imagine what they are going to think when they see the same gender expressed their love to one another. It would be wrong if Disney banned Gay couples but Gay couples should know what is appropriate. Every ones has right to their own belief and if that child someday becomes gay or is and doesn’t know, I don’t think they want to establish Disneyland as the Gayest place on Earth.
There is this book called Psychology of Music that is about to be published and researchers, Terry Pettijohn and Donald Sacco conducted a study looking at Billboard Number One Songs from 1955 to 2003 and concluded that when socioeconomic conditions were more challenging, the songs that had more meaningful themes and content were most popular.
In the 1950s the economy roared and ”At the Hop” by Danny and the Juniors defined the upbeat and good feeling people felt. The Beatles 1968 hit “Hey Jude” defined social unrest such as the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Pettijohn writes that “‘ That’s What Friends Are For’ by Dionne Warwick, rated high on the dimension of comforting.” I personally am not a big fan of hip pop but the researchers conclude that 50 Cent “In Da Club” is my generations “At the Hop”.
Many of us look into music for comfort. Ever since the president’s decision of going into war many songs were written for this cause. Avenged Sevenfold’s “Critical Acclaim” is a call out for “pompous a**holes” to realize what they are doing is inhumane. The Dixie Chicks Grammy-winning “Ain’t ready to make nice” was a non-apology for the singers statement of being ashamed to be from Texas because of our president. Pink wrote a song called “Dear Mr. President”, which was banned from radio because it was “unnecessary publicity”, basically telling Mr. President what would he do if he lived the life we all live. Music is the media that kind of sums up the devastation we are living and this research just proves to be correct. The soundtrack to our lives is being presented to us everyday.
I live in Arleta in the San Fernando Valley and just about fifteen minutes ago we experienced a small earthquake. I wanted to know the magnitude so I flipped the channel to the news and they did not say much. So, I log on to abc7.com and there is not a thing, but I do see that the number one headline is the story of fifties pin up, Bettie Page hospitalization, followed by O.J. Simpson’s verdict. It amazes me how useless this information is. I can’t believe that these stories are so much more important.
I feel sorry for people who actually devote their lives to this news.Yes, I am glad that O.J. is paying for what he deserves but lets get over it. There are other important things out there that matter much more than the burning down of an infamous Strip Club or the mother who was forging her daughters’ friends absent notes. I’m pretty sure we all have forged or had our friends mom get us out of something, so why is this news! I want to know and learn things that actually matter. If there’s an earthquake I want to know how big it was just in case because we are expecting the “Big One”. There are many headlines that do not really matter but I guess people want to avoid the truth; another example of ignorance being bliss.
This Black Friday I was disappointed not because sales were inadequate but because I went to this trendy store(that is going to remain anonymous) to shop for a friend and “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay started playing and instead of being happy about it, I felt betrayed. “Viva La Vida” is not only a top 40 hit but it has a deep biblical meaning and is analysed by the band to be about Jesus Christ. For years I have been fasinated with finding the backgrounds of songs of some of my favorite bands and to see one of them just be viewed as a “cool” song it’s just sad.
Chris Martin states: “I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sweep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own”
- All Catholics know that Jesus Christ gave the word and controlled the seas. The verse “now in the morning I sweep alone” illustrates Jesus Christ was betrayed and had to endure many things by himself. The first verse talks about a decline from wealth and fame to a nobody, just like Christ experienced in his life.
Some people might argue that it’s about King Louis the 8th, but the point is that it has a meaning. Many people do not care about this because what is it to them. However, if there is a band out there that is presenting history to you and is just as simple as to listen to it with a catchy tune behind it, why not take advantage of it and learn something.
Since Christmas is coming up I decided to get another part-time seasonal job just so I can get some spiffy presents for family and friends. I got hired at Forever 21, I was not so stoked about it because I am not really a clothes person, but it was a job after all. After a day of orientation I returned on Black Friday for my official first day wearing a black Horror Pops t-shirt, jeans, and a blazer, which I thought was appropriate, but I was proved wrong. The manager on duty pulls me to the back and says, “sorry, you’re going to have to put another shirt over that because this is Forever 21, not Hot Topic!” I was really surprised and mad because the shirt was not offensive at all and I just thought it was ridiculous because Hot Topic would not hire me because I don’t have visible piercings or tattoos.
The point of this story is that is really amazing how discriminative some stores are because a person does not fit their look. Hot Topic stereotypes what a “rocker” should look like and Forever 21 shadows what’s “in”. I quit on the spot because when it comes to customer service I know I am great and it does not matter what I am wearing. I currently work at Coffee Bean and we have a uniform but if you want to color your hair rainbow or show off your tattoos, if they are not offensive, you can do that because it’s the person in you that matters when it comes to serving not the name of the band on your shirt. I was warned that Forever 21 had some pretty stuck girls with no personality but I never thought it was to that extreme.
Every time I hear Linkin Park’s “Hands Held High”, I think of how this one song can probably imply to every war this country has gone through and possibly relate to a lot of people who have experience a loss to war. When Mike Shinoda states “Like this war’s really just a different brand of war/ Like it doesn’t cater the rich and abandon poor/ Like they understand you in the back of the jet/ When you can’t put gas in your tank /These fuckers are laughing their way to the bank and cashing the check/Asking you to have compassion and have some respect/,” I realize that corporate world has really screwed us over for years and that really don’t care. It seems like even the President gets a kick of being in a war and it is not fair for the rest of America who is being affected. Also how the drum in the background sounds like a military march illustrates a war scene. This is a very somber song that can probably be played in any movie about war or it can simply be the anthem to our economic status and our war in the Middle East.
This song was created for many reasons. Mainly, everyone can relate to this song because we all feel betrayed by the Bush administration in one way or another. I love how the song sounds like a prayer or cry for help when the singer (Chester Bennington) sings “Amen” in between choruses. Other people might hear this song and reject it because it is very depressing and people might not want to be reminded of what this country has been through. What is represented in this songs is Mike Shinoda’s opinion of what he see’s and how it has affected his family. It is his only biased because there is no background representing sources he has learned to present this. I think this is a good song because many people can relate to it and it is being sent just for that purpose; so the public can have something to relate and realize that they are not alone.
I did not know who Harvey Milk was until I saw the trailer for Milk and my curiosity brought me to find out that he is very important to American History. So who is Harvey Milk? Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man to be voted into office: the City Supervisor for San Francisco, who was shot dead at city hall in 1978 by a troubled politician, who served with Milk on the city’s board of supervisors, Dan White. This year I have not seen a movie with a bristling purpose and I think this is it. With the ban on gay marriage and the sudden hate crimes that I can’t believe this country is still experiencing, Milk is sure the right media to stir those who voted Yes on Prop8 and hopefully realize that Gays can make a difference in this world.
Dustin Lance Black created this film because as a Gay man he wanted to project the greats that have come before our time so people can understand. This film attracted my attention because who would ever picture the son of the Green Goblin (James Franco) make out with Sean Penn. Also one of my favorite actors,Diego Luna, not only plays a Gay man he plays a Gay Mexican man, so you can say that sex and the choice of characters was the technique that attracted my attention and probably others. I honestly am curious to find out who Milk was but other people, especially very conservative people, might not want to open their mind just yet. This film is obviously the point of view of Black’s knowledge of Harvey Milk and what history says about him. Just looking at the trailer one can conclude that Harvey Milk lived a very crucial time because he was Gay and probably worse than now because twenty years ago people still saw Gay people the same way we might judge a prostitute. I’m glad this movie was made now so maybe people might change their minds and maybe in a couple of years Gay people might be treated like everyone else. =]
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, which advocates the separation of church and state, put up this billboard so the San Bernardino County embrace Godlessness. The billboard does no harm but people are making a big deal of it. Very religious people are offended by this billboard because they believe that religion and God is everything but the Freedom From Religion thinks differently. They believe that religion makes everything worse because they influence peoples actions more in a negatively than anything positive and I can only agree.
The co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor had an interview with ABC 7 Eyewitness News and stated that ”the nation is peppered with churches and the billboards introduces the belief that our society doesn’t need religion to function.” Many people believe that this is a big deal but I think differently. We live in a nation that does not have a solid religion and I think it’s great when people express their beliefs even if it’s controversial or it comes from an atheist. Each group and individual want to be part of society so I do not understand why this is making the news. You do not need to believe in an organized religion to be a good person.
With holidays soon approaching parents are probably wondering what to get their children. How about the new Katy Perry doll which only costs about fifty dollars? The new pop artist rose to the scene with her hit single, “I kissed a Girl,” now what kind of message is that for young girls?
Apparently Katy Perry thinks this is just fun to have a replica of herself so her fans can adore about is that really the message she tries to imply or does she mean something else? Creating this sexy doll with a bust and a short skirt might just increase her popularity by her fans wanting to look like her. Her fans might see it differently than me because to them it’s probably another souvenir, but I see it as another trend that girls might regret later. Obviously, I am very conservative when it comes to homosexuality but I just do not think kissing another girl is cool, and basically that is what Katy Perry thinks. Katy Perry is a wonderful song writer who has been around the Indy scene for years now but it just saddens me that she had to go that low to make it in the industry. Her message is,”hey girls, buy my doll, be like me, and kiss girls like me,” which should not be implied in the media by anyone. If you chose to go down that path do it because it is you; don’t be influenced by another one hit wonder.
So I was watching a soap opra in some Spanish channel with my mother when I saw this commercial for the new Chevy Traverse. The girl in the commercial frantically grabs shoes like no other that are all over the ground around her brand new crossover SUV that conveniently has a huge trunk for such an occasion. The funny thing about this commercial is that out of all the people in the commercial there’s one man who just laughs at all the women who are just picking up the shoes without checking the sizes or if pairs even match. At the end of the commercial the anouncer proudly states,” The new 2009 Chevy Traverse, the only thing to complete a woman’s needs.” I believe that this is such an outlandish way to market SUVs to women.
Obviously, the ones who created this commercial think that women are very materialistic and that we need big cars and shoes. This attracted my attention just because it is kind of bizarre that a person would get so exited because shoes are falling from the sky. If shoes were falling from the sky I would run for shelter not try to stuff them in my car. Maybe women who have a shoe fetish might be in total bliss if this would ever happen. The point of view of this commercial is basically stating that women are frivolous when it comes to accessories such as shoes. The creators of this commercial want women to realize that if you buy our new SUV it will almost complete yourself.
