fandomhigh | Entries tagged with popular culture

Jon nodded to everybody as they showed up. "We've spent some time learning about modern things and hopefully gotten you up to date, but a lot of things, well you might not know you don't know them until they come up. So...so I thought today, you could ask me questions about things. If there's something you don't understand, or are curious about, ask, and I'll do my best to answer, and if I don't know, we can research it and figure it out together."

He fidgeted at the front of the class and waited.

intheeyeofthebeholding

Today there were computers all around. Jon waved at the students. "You've probably noticed a lot of what we're doing is on computers. That's because a lot of recent popular culture either happens on computers or is influenced by what happens there, on social media and so forth. But another aspect is that a lot of people use them for playing games.

"Some of these may be tiny things like Wordle and the like or Solitaire, others may be more involved, like Fortnite. Some have incredibly intricate stories, but we're not going into those here; just be aware of them."

He gestured at the computers. "So, today there are a number of games you can play. Enjoy and ask questions if you have them."

intheeyeofthebeholding

If Jon looked a little extra stiff and formal today, he was just trying to...keep his dignity, that was all. He wasn't at all nervous about discussing this sort of thing due to a history of less-than-sterling reception, even if he knew Fandom was different from Oxford.

"This month is Pride month," he announced. "You've probably heard about it, and you'll probably hear more. What it means is that those outside of the modern Western tradition of gender and sexuality norms will be celebrating their differences, something that hasn't always been safe to do. Recently there's been a real push to acknowledge these differences and get them to be accepted, rather than ostracizing or killing anybody who's different." He straightened (ha) even more. "I should hope this goes without saying, but in the event it doesn't, no judgment or...or intolerance about people's gender and sexuality will be tolerated here. If you're not prepared to be accepting, you can leave."

He nodded firmly. "I'm also not going to force anybody to come out - that is, reveal their gender or sexuality - if they aren't ready for it." Even if Beholding did live off of fearful secrets, he wasn't about to do that.

"That said, there are a lot of flags you may see around, and I thought we could take a look at them all, and if you have any questions about what they represent, I'll do my best to answer."

intheeyeofthebeholding

"Today is a holiday," Jon told the students. "One in America, and a different one in Britain. I thought today we should go over modern holidays, so those of you not from here can understand what they are."

He passed out pages to everyone showing US holidays. "Today is Memorial Day, a day for remembering military members fallen in the line of duty. A good number of holidays are either religious or military. Today, however, we'll be looking at some other holidays." He passed out another list. "These are varying degrees of celebrated, but they're worth knowing, particularly if you're spending time online. We've just passed Towel Day, a celebration of a particular series of books and radio plays that claim a towel is the most massively useful thing a person can carry. So today we're going to have towels," he passed out those as well, "and discuss their potential uses and usefulness. And if you have any questions about the other holidays on the list, we can cover those as well."

intheeyeofthebeholding

Today there was a large flatscreen TV in front of the classroom. Jon waited until everybody was there, then began.

"We're stepping away from the internet today, in order to learn about a TV programme that's been quite influential for a lot of people and has been around, with a brief hiatus, for almost sixty years now: Mr. What. There are also radio shows, comic books, books, and other forms of it, so if you choose to look into it more for yourself after this, you'll have plenty to choose from.

"We'll be watching the first episode of the latest run, and then we'll discuss a bit of the history."

He pressed play.

intheeyeofthebeholding

Jon nodded and waved to his class. "Last week we became at least somewhat acquainted with the internet and social media. Today we're going to use that knowledge for the single most important thing it can be."

That's right, class. You were looking at cat pictures and memes.

"Cute cats and stubborn cats are particularly popular. Let's do searches and share them all, and see who can come up with the best ones."

[Sorry for a light class, but let's just say getting a call at near-midnight from a family member you rarely speak to is never a good thing and last night *sucked*. If people would like to play along, I could really use some kitty memes and pics.]

intheeyeofthebeholding

"Good morning, everybody." Was it morning? It was...day. Close enough. Jon gave them all a professional if slightly awkward nod. "This is...well, less a class than a learning opportunity, to hopefully help anybody who's unfamiliar with current culture in this area.

"Today, let's start by introducing ourselves and when and where we're from. My name is Jonathan Sims, and I'm from London in the UK, which is a different country from the one we're nominally in, but the same planet. I came here from...let's say functionally 2019, although for a few years previous I was too occupied to keep track of pop culture, so I'll be catching up on a few years." He nodded at the first student to continue.

After that, he nodded again. "Right. First thing to get acquainted with then is a phone." He held up his. "If you don't have one yet, you can come see mine or look over someone else's shoulder. These are very important these days, and not even primarily for making calls. Apps are the things on the screen, and there are some widely used ones, like Instagram, Twitter, and even god help us Tiktok, that are good to know your way around." Yes, Melanie, he knew what a meme was. "Let's all get accounts and learn our way around if you haven't yet, and try not to get swamped by all the trolling masquerading as discourse. Let me know if you need help."

thefearwasreal

"Morning, kids," Oz greeted the class cheerfully. Perhaps too cheerfully. "It's time for your final."

"See, remakes and adaptations are a valuable and lately very noticeable part of pop culture, they take existing stories and redo them, and whether they choose to update the details of the original or do them as period pieces, they will always in some way reflect the times and culture that makes them. So, for your final, you're going to take a story, something you personally consider a classic of some sort, for good or bad reasons, and you're going to write a pitch for an adaptation or remake."

"Your pitch can take the story and details in any tack you like and translate it across any media you like, but you have to explain the impact your decisions will have on the story, how it changes it. Then if anyone is feeling particularly proud of their ideas, they can present a high concept pitch, that is distilling the idea to a paragraph or less, preferably less, to the class for extra credit."

"So start pitching."

thefearwasreal

"Oh, good, you're back," Oz said by way of greeting the class, then "Vampires."

"You see, the thing about pop culture, and especially things like genre fiction, is that it goes through phases and cycles, reflecting the changes in the culture it comes from, the fears and hopes of the day, and fictional vampires are a prime example of this for one very good reason, namely that in fiction the vampire is most often used a metaphor. For sex. You know with the whole penetration thing with the biting and the staking and all that, and as you may have noticed from some of our other classes, people can be kind of messed up about sex, so looking at can be an insight to some of the attitudes towards sex particular to that place and time, or at least to the culture or subculture the author is coming from."

You could tell where this was headed, right? "I can be easier to pick up on these things by watching rather than just hearing me talk about them, so today we're going to be watching the film of the book which sparked the most recent upsurge of vampirism in the cultural zeitgeist."

Because apparently they hadn't suffered enough last week.

thefearwasreal

The windows in the classroom were cracked open today, hopefully that would help with the warmth. "Right," Oz said, leaning against his desk. "Today we're going to be talking about pornography."

( There is no way this can end well. )

[All the links are to wikipedia, but let's just assume they're NSFW.]

thefearwasreal

Oz's class was back in a normal classroom today. "Morning, kids, and I hope you all had a good day yesterday, I had to dose some people with memory drugs because loose lips sink black ops programs." He was joking. Maybe. Let's just assume he was for everyone's peace of mind.

( Got game? )

thefearwasreal

Oz had his class meet him in the Danger Shop today, inside was a mass of consoles, cables, controllers, and screens, as well as a number of desktops and handhelds, and even a few arcade cabinets here and there.

"Morning, kids," Oz greeted them, half his attention on an old Starfighter cabinet. "So, video games, probably one of the most interesting mediums in terms of modern pop culture, and one highly relevant to your generation, however some of you technically aren't from your generation, so this week is going to be a bit of a crash course for the newbies, and getting acquainted for the not so newbies. What we have here are most of the major gaming platforms, along with copies of best selling games ~~or their appropriate metas~~ for each of them. I want you to spend this class playing them. Use a couple of different platforms, and play a bunch of different games, rather than just sticking to one, and try to help each other out if anyone has trouble figuring out anything."

"At the end of the class, feel free to talk with the other kids about anything in particular you noticed, and we'll go into more detail on the subject next week."

thefearwasreal

There was music playing as the class arrived today. Because Oz was a horrible person. There was also a teal deer chewing on a reporters hat. This had nothing to do with Oz being a horrible person.

"Morning, kids," Oz said cheerfully as the music wound down. "Today we're talking about drugs, and since I am your teacher and you are all minors, there is probably some legal obligation I have to tell you that they are bad, don't do them. So yeah, drugs are bad, don't use them."

( The Rum may be gone, but the teal deers' addictions are well fed. )

thefearwasreal

Oz was sitting behind his desk, looking extremely cheerful today. That could only mean good things, right.

"Welcome back, kids. Now you all had an essay due before the break, but since I'm such a nice guy, I decided you could have some extra time." And not because he'd forgotten to ask for them last class. Nope. Oz never forgot anything. "So I hope you remembered to bring them today. Especially since you'll be doing the second part of the assignment."

"See, the first part of the assignment was to write about an aspect of pop culture you enjoy. The second half is to talk about it. You're each going to give a short presentation on the topic you wrote you essay about. Tell us why you like it, sell us on it, answer questions from the class. You'll have about a quarter of an hour to prepare then we'll start with you." He pointed to a random student.

thefearwasreal

Today the desks were arranged to form four tables, each with a box in the middle of them. As each student entered, Oz sent each of them over to one of the tables in turn.

( It's all fun and games... )

thefearwasreal

"Happy Valentine's Day, kids," Oz greeted his class. "Last week, you all hopefully learnt a little about how movie censorship works in this country, this week we're going to look at one of the two elements of a work most likely to draw some kind of censorship. These two things are sex and violence, but since you're probably going to be thinking about the first outside of class today, inside it, we're going to be looking at the second."

( Oz likes talking about violence, go fig. )

thefearwasreal

Oz had his class meet him in the Danger Shop this week. "Hey, kids, I was going to use the fact it was Superbowl Sunday the other day to segue into a discussion of the commodification of modern sport, but apparently it was one of those weekends, and who knows how many of you actually watched the game, so instead we're going to watch a movie. Nothing to do with sports, but it's relevant to some of the things we'll be discussing next week."

thefearwasreal

Oz numbered off the students as they entered the classroom today.

"Right, hegemony," Oz said, once the entire class had arrived. "Like I said week before last, the concept of a cultural hegemony is a society where instead of the Man keeping you down directly, the cultural norms are such that it seems like common sense to keep yourself down. This in turn will often lead to counterhegemony, which as the name suggests is resistance or opposition to the status quo, people saying 'your common sense is neither of those things', sometimes they'll appropriate the tools of mass media to in order to convince other people of this, if any of you have ever heard of culture jamming, that's what I'm talking about. Enough people subscribe to your newsletter and might have a flow-blown counterculture on your hands."

Oz paused to sip his coffee. "But of course, since the Man benefits from having a nice orderly society where everyone thinks it's just common sense he's in charge, they're usually not going to respond to countercultural movements with 'good for you, have some pie'. Sometimes they crack down on it, which if the counterculture isn't actually harming anyone, is a total dick move, and can backfire if people start wondering why you're smacking the hippies down so hard, sometimes they don't react effectively enough and the balance shifts over to the counterhegemonic movement altogether, with the counterculture becoming the new cultural norm, which can be good or bad depending on what these new cultural norms are. But usually it ends up somewhere in the middle with the dominant culture either adapting to the sub- and countercultures, or co-opting it for their own ends. Which is why you kids can now buy symbols of countercultural rebellion at Hot Topic."

"Now for the class activity. Ones are counterhegemonic idealist, twos are loyal to the Man. Find a partner from the opposite side. Ones come up with a way to convince people to stick it to the Man, twos try to figure out how you're going to react to that, ones then react to that reaction, and so on. Halfway to the end of class, swap around."

thefearwasreal

Rather than pages upon pages of notes, today Oz was passing stacks of magazines around the class.

"Today, children, we're going to be talking about advertisement and the consumer culture," he began. ( Sadly, Oz's speech can't be ad-blocked )

thefearwasreal

Unlike last week, there were actual pots of coffee and cups set out for the students, Oz liked to keep people on their toes like that.

"Morning, all. first thing, the lovely Miss Thorne is my new minion." Oz didn't even try to pretend he meant assistant. "It's her responsibility to get the coffee and donuts from now on." There were no donuts this morning. Your toes, people, stay on them.

"Second thing, assignments. Rather focus on pop-quizzes," which meant that Oz was totally going to spring an end-of-semester test on them at the last moment, "You're all going to do a two-part assignment over the course of this semester. The first part of which is due at the start of class the week preceding Spring Break, and the second I'll get to later in the semester."

( Wordy Oz is wordy )

thefearwasreal

There was a strong smell off coffee in the classroom this morning, but only Oz had a mug, because he kind of liked to mess with people like that.

"Greetings and salutations," he said once the last student had entered, tossing a small blue ball from hand to hand. "I'm Oz, but you may call me Oz, and welcome to Pop Culture. For those of you unsure what exactly that means, the name is a big hint, it's all the elements of cultural expression which are widespread, which have mass appeal, which fall on the 'wrong' side of the high/low art divide. Reality television, blockbuster movies, video games. It's the stuff that in the normal run of things you aren't going to be taught about in schools, because what can you learn from watching television?"

Oz paused, and bounced the ball off a wall for effect. "More than you think. But we'll get to that later. First, it's time for more introductions, I want your name, your class, and your favourite guilty pleasure when it comes to entertainment either from here or back home, no one will judge you for it. For example, I have a soft spot for artwork of cephalopods done in the style of the old masters."

If he didn't sound very ashamed about that, well, that would require him to actually feel shame, and the giant octopus painting hanging in his office behind his desk put paid to that idea.

He tossed the ball at the nearest student. "You first, and remember, no judging."

Current Mood: cheerful

whitedeathpod.livejournal.com

It was the last class of the semester and John's last thing to do before heading back home. Needless to say, he didn't intend this to be difficult at all. Pop culture wasn't something to test on, it was something to experience.

"Good morning and welcome back for the last time," John greeted, smiling. "So, today's our last class. You all might be expecting a final but I'm really not one to give them especially in a class like this. Pop culture's something you guys really should just learn to enjoy on your own. Not everyone's going to like the same things and that's what makes it so great. I can like something and you can like something and someone else can like something else and that's all right, it's still cool."

So, with that in mind, John revealed his final exam. "So, I just want you to enjoy pop culture today. I've got some books, some comic books, there's a television, a few computers, some video games, some magazines, whatever. All you have to do is show me that you like something in the pop culture world and you'll pass. I'm not grading hard. Thanks for being a great class and I wish you all luck in the future."

And that, as they say, was that. John clapped and let them get to work.

Current Mood: dorky

whitedeathpod.livejournal.com

There was a television screen set up at the front of the room today and John was sitting at his desk with the remote control. Once everyone filed in, he said, "We're going to keep it easy today. I was up all night with a crying kid and I didn't manage to put together a better lesson."

So, he clicked the television and got the movie rolling. "Today's class was going to be on sex symbols so we're going to watch a movie about one of the first recognized sex symbols, Rudolf Valentino. I thought this one would be better than Justin Bieber: Never Say Never so you may all thank me later."

He grinned and sat back to start watching the movie.

Current Mood: creative

whitedeathpod.livejournal.com

Today's class was meeting in the computer lab and all those that went to the classroom would be directed here with a note on the door. John was there, typing idly away on a computer while everyone filed in.

"Today," he started, getting to his feet, "we're going to be talking about social media. Social media, for those that might not be from these modern times, is is the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogue. Basically, it's the use of computers and cellular phones to keep in touch with the world. This sort of media has exploded recently with the advent of smartphones and netbooks and the idea of being connected just about anywhere. Blogs, , Facebook, event coordinating, microblogging and information aggregators are a few examples of social media. Even if you aren't from a place that's really been exposed to social media, you've probably used it here. In fact, it's hard to get away from both being exposed to and using social media when it's become so integral to how we talk to each other, how we get information and how we communicate with the world at large."

John brought up the Twitter website, projecting it up on the wall so everyone could see it. "Today, you're going to participate in some social media. Everyone's going to create a Twitter account and start using it. For those that don't know Twitter, it's very simple. Once you go through the sign up process, which I'll demonstrate, you type updates into a text box that are 140 characters are less. People can respond to those if they want or they can just read them and move on. For instance, I could make a small update about my son or the weather and Clark over there could reply by calling me names or laughing at me. It's simple and it's social media."

With that said, John went through the process of creating a Twitter account and even typed a few updates to show people how it worked. Once it seemed that everyone had gotten the hang of it, he set them loose on the world of Twitter.

Current Mood: artistic

whitedeathpod.livejournal.com

There was a television and a radio set up at the front of room and John was sitting behind the desk, feet up and book in hand. It wasn't a good book but it was holding his attention until he tossed it down and stood up.

"Today, we're gonna talk about teen idols," he started. "If you've never heard the term before, teen idols are someone who is widely idolized by teenagers but doesn't have to be a teenager themselves. Ever heard of Justin Bieber?"

Well, if they hadn't, they were now because John hit a button on the boombox and got one of the Bieber's latest hits playing. "Yeah, kind of bad, right? That doesn't stop this kid from having millions of fans and selling out stadiums. A lot of the appeal of the teen idol is their dreamy good looks and talent, though that last one is questionable. A lot of it is just the good looks and how teenagers want to date them, love them, marry them, etc. Thankfully, Justin Bieber is not the first teen idol. There were many before him and there will be many after. With the advent of social media, it's just easier for someone to become a teen idol. In the past, you had to buy teeny bopper magazines with their pictures on the front. Before that, it was listening to the radio and television. Now, you can jump on Twitter and read the teen idol's innermost thoughts or jump on Facebook and see behind the scenes pictures of them. We're able to get closer than ever before to celebrities. Kind of creepy, isn't it?"

John was just glad he'd grown out of the teen idol phase. "Can anyone guess who the first true teen idol was? It was before everyone's time but it was Frank Sinatra. Check out some pictures of him when he was younger, the man was definitely a looker and had a huge amount of talent. There's also Elvis Presley, Rudolph Valentino, Judy Garland, Donny Osmond, the New Kids on the Block, Ricky Nelson, the list goes on and on. For today's assignment, we're gonna watch one of my favorite movies starring a teen idol who died way too young."

With that said, John clicked play on the movie and took a seat, totally fine with getting to watch this flick again.

Current Mood: good

whitedeathpod.livejournal.com

There was a television sitting at the front of the room and John was leaning an arm against it while the students filed in. Once they'd settled and gotten their early morning jitters out of the way, he launched into the lecture.

"Today, we're going to be talking about something that's pretty relevant in Hollywood lately. Remakes are re-imaginings of source material that has come before it, whether it be a film or a television show. Most of the time, when a film or television show is remade, it's updated and changed a bit for the era it's being remade for. For example, check out a few clips from the original Kung Fu Kid movie."

John got the television going, bringing the students into Daniel LaRusso's world and showing off again how awesome Mr. Migayi was. When the clip stopped, John said, "And now, take a look at a clip from the remake of the Kung Fu Kid.

He switched DVD's and showed a clip from the new version of the movie. Once it was done, he turned off the DVD player for the moment. "You saw some differences right? And the second movie is completely based on the first movie but it's been remade and changed to go with today's era. So, why do you think people would do that? Why not come up with original scripts instead of possibly damaging the legacy of a very good or very bad movie? Some people say Hollywood's just losing its originality but I personally think they're just getting lazy. Remaking a movie or a television shows means the idea is ready made and cuts a lot of the fat out of the film making process."

Shrugging, John crossed his arms. "Today, I want you to find the worst film or television remake ever made. I've got boxes of DVD's up here and a list of remakes that you can take a look at. It's very rare for a remake to hold up to the original so we're looking for crap here today. Find your remake and tell me why it's crap. Have fun!"

Current Mood: artistic

whitedeathpod.livejournal.com

"It's your lucky day," John said once everyone had filed in and taken their seats, "because I'm giving you an easy class. And this isn't even due to the Parent's Weekend events which I know will take a lot of your time and some of you are already probably freaking out. Nope, this was planned from the beginning so you can just continue to think of me as an awesome teacher who never gives you anything too hard to do. Make sure you put those on any evaluation forms they give you so I can get a raise."

John grinned and pushed away from his desk. "Today, we're going to be talking about comic books. Comic books, for those that might not know, is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog, usually in word balloons, as well as including brief descriptive prose. Basically, it's like a book with colorful pictures. That's a simple way to remember it even if they're not quite the same thing. Comic books can be funny, dramatic, explicit, or ridiculous just like our selection of books can be. They can also be one shots, where the story is contained in one issue or multi-part where the story weaves through several issues. Some of our most famous superheroes started out in comic books. They usually get a reputation as something a geek or a nerd would read but think about this: a geek or a nerd probably wrote a lot of those comic books and they're making bank now. Be nice to nerds, people."

John grinned, proud of himself for working that moral into the story. "Going over any notable plots and events in comic books would take way too long because there's so many of them. Like I said, some comic books are just as famous as some of our classic fiction. For today's lesson, you're gonna read comics. Yep, that's it."

John picked up a big box and opened the lid, revealing all sorts of comic books. "Come up here, find a comic, read it and that's it. I hope you like 'em. These were things I owned as a kid. No joking my selection."

Current Mood: amused

whitedeathpod.livejournal.com

"Welcome back from Hawaii everyone," John greeted as the students filed in and sat down. "I, unlike you, didn't get to go to Hawaii. I spent a week playing games with my kid. I'm pretty sure he thinks he rules the house now because I let him win so often. But anyway, let's get right back to it, shall we?"

To start that, John went over to the boombox sitting on his desk and played a snippet of a song. He even bopped his head along with the tune because it was a good song!

"Today, we're gonna talk about the Motown sound," he said once the song ended. "Motown comes from a music label that was founded by Berry Gordy and was the first record label to be owned by an African American man. It played an extremely popular role in the racial integration of popular music because it achieved both mainstream and crossover success."

John stopped talking and played another song. This one sounded a little different but was still good. "Simply put, Motown music is soul music with a distinct pop influence. And the reason Motown is so important is because it's still around today and so many other genres developed off from it. There are country artists, hip hop artists, jazz artists, rock artists and gospel artists that have all been Motown influenced. It's a very pervasive and expansive genre these days and today, you're going to become part of it."

Oh yes. "There's a list of songs on your desks. Your assignment? Pick one of those songs and sing it."

That boombox at the front of the room? Also a karaoke machine. Yep. "Your assignment is to pick one of those songs and sing it in a Motown style. Easy right? Let's get going."

Current Mood: amused

whitedeathpod.livejournal.com

John's class was meeting in the computer lab today and John was at the front of the room, sitting on a desk, legs swinging while he waited for the class to file in and take their seats. Once they'd settled, he sat up a little straighter and got the lecture going.

"Happy Friday everyone," he said because it was a joyous occasion. "Looks like you're all getting ready for Spring Break so we'll have a light class today. Sorry, no movie, but I think this one won't be too hard. Today, we're gonna cover slang. I'm almost positive you've all heard this at one point in your life but if you haven't, slang is use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect or language. That make sense? No? Yeah, dictionary definitions never do."

John hopped off the desk and started walking around the front of the room. "Slang's kind of like a word or a phrase that's created or applied for the specific reason of describing something else in our society. For example, if you know someone that's no fun, you might call them a wet noodle. Doesn't make a lot of sense to call them a piece of pasta but the slang definition for wet noodle is person who doesn't have any fun, who might be limp and just lay there as a wet noodle does."

John was not a wet noodle, thank you very much. "Sometimes, new words are even created. For instance, ginormous. Has anyone heard this word before? Probably and if you look at the actual word, you can see that it's a combination of the words gigantic and enormous. So, it's a newly created word but it's also made up two already existing words. A little bit more understandable? Good. So, here's what I want you to do today. Using the computers in front of you, I want you all to find one slang word or phrase, research it and then tell me what the word or phrase is and tell me what it means. Easy right? Let's get to it then."

Current Mood: content

whitedeathpod.livejournal.com

"So, there's a dance today, right?" John asked, arms crossed while he leaned against the desk at the front of the room. "And it's probably on your mind more than any class is because I know you've gotta get back to your rooms and get your pretty on so I'm gonna give you a break today. Today, we're covering Hollywood scandals. Now, if you're in Hollywood, there's almost a one hundred percent chance that you're gonna be involved in a scandal in some way. It's just a fact. There's too much allure, too much temptation and you've gotta be pretty freaking strong to resist everything."

John didn't think he was that strong but he also wasn't in Hollywood so he was scandal free. "So, today, we're gonna watch a movie about one of those scandals, this one taking place in the world of music. It's fairly accurate and the music is kick ass. Enjoy your movie day, kids."

With that, John got the movie going.

Current Mood: cheerful

whitedeathpod.livejournal.com

Class was being held in a classroom today but the students would probably notice a wardrobe and a trunk at the front of the room. These would be needed later. And John was already grinning so maybe that would give them a clue as to what he was hiding.

"Today, we're going to talk about something very important to the lives of most teenagers. Clothing. I'm not gonna bother explaining what clothing is because you all should know. No one's naked in here, after all."

Thank goodness.

"What I am going to explain is that, every generation, certain pieces of clothing explode in popularity for one reason or another. Sometimes it's because a celebrity wears them and everyone wants to emulate that celebrity. Sometimes it's because it's a big 'eff you' to everyone in authority and sometimes it's peer pressure or to be outside of social norms. With clothing fads, it doesn't even matter if what you're wearing is nice or not. You wear it to be cool. You wear it because everyone else is wearing it and if you don't, you're gonna get stink eyed to hell and back. When one person starts a trend, people follow. That's just natural, it's just human nature. Of course, you're always going to have those people that don't follow, that walk to their own beat but that's true of almost every situation."

John grinned again and clapped his hands together. "Today, we're going to look at some different clothing fads. You all are going to be assigned a different fad for which I've got the matching piece of clothing up here. Your assignment? Put the piece of clothing on and wear it for the entire day. I'm not gonna be hunting you down to see if you do it but I will be asking you to report back next week. So, ready for your assigned piece of clothing? Let's get started."

Current Mood: mischievous

whitedeathpod.livejournal.com

Today, John's class was meeting in the computer lab for easy access to the needed media. Sometimes, John really loved technology.

( Class Under Here! )

Current Mood: artistic

whitedeathpod.livejournal.com

Class was back in session in the Danger Shop and John was back at the front of the room, waiting for the students to file in. The word HIPSTERS was written on the chalkboard and underlined a few times for effect.

"Hipsters," he started, grinning easily, "are young, recently settled urban middle class adults and older teenagers with interests in non-mainstream fashion and culture, particularly indie rock, independent film, offbeats magazines, and quirky websites. In the simplest of terms, it's a term given to teenagers and young adults who just don't care. They listen to a specific type of music, watch movies that the average person would find boring and might think they're better than everyone even if they don't cop to being better than everyone. It's a subculture of this time period just like stoners, hippies, nerds, and the like. It's a niche group of people who have had their subculture seemingly start booming recently. No idea why. The music is just whining and melodrama that I'd rather avoid."

John was so not a hipster, obviously. He did reach for a piece of paper that he'd tucked into his back pocket. "To give you a quote to sum hipsters up: 'Hipsters are the friends who sneer when you cop to liking Coldplay. They're the people who wear t-shirts silk-screened with quotes from movies you've never heard of and the only ones in America who still think Pabst Blue Ribbon is a good beer. They sport cowboy hats and berets and think Kanye West stole their sunglasses. Everything about them is exactingly constructed to give off the vibe that they just don't care.'"

The piece of paper got tossed onto the desk and John leaned back against. "So, there you have it. It's a subculture and one of the more popular ones right now. You yourself might be a hipster or you might know them. Today's activity is easy. I've set you guys up in a sweet shopping mall and I've handed out worksheets on hipsters. Your job is to hit the shopping mall and find an outfit, a movie and a piece of music that you think would peg you as a hipster. That's it. Have fun and don't get lost in the mall."

With that, John got the sim going and set the class loose.

Current Mood: creative

whitedeathpod.livejournal.com

When the students filed into the classroom today, they'd see both John and three televisions hooked up to the laptop on his desk. Yes, John was a product of the technological age. Right now he was looking through pictures of his son but he'd soon use the hookup for class.

( There's a lecture under here! )

Current Mood: creative

whitedeathpod.livejournal.com

John hadn't been in a Fandom classroom in what felt like forever so excuse him for looking a little giddy and a lot energetic as the students filed in. He was pacing at the front of the classroom, occasionally looking like he was talking to someone who wasn't there, all way shooting the occasional boyish grin at the class. When everyone had assembled, John jumped right in.

"What's up, guys? I'm John Crichton and this is Pop Culture 101. If you're in the wrong class, you can slink out now and I'll pretend not to notice. Hopefully you're in the right class though. So, let's get started, shall we? I used to be a student here so I know people come from all different sorts of worlds, dimensions, and cultures so I know that popular culture differs from place to place. Some places are stacked with pop culture, like the US, and some places aren't. The intention of this class is to teach both those who are from here and those that aren't about the popular culture of this world. And let me tell you, it's freaking vast."

He spread his arms in an attempt to try and illustrate that but knew it didn't even come close. He was just feeling silly.

"From movies to television to music to books to fads to scandals to anything and everything in between, pop culture in this world is never stagnant. It's ever changing and we'll be studying the way it's changed from several years in the past to now. We'll be looking at different media to see how it's evolved from then to now. We'll be watching both television and movies, listening to music, using the internet, reading books, and listening to Hollywood gossip because that is the epicenter of pop culture, it seems. Today though, we'll take it easy and just get to know each other. Yes, it's another class of introductions because I don't know any of you and that makes me feel so frelling old. So, let's go with name, age, birthplace and what you think of this."

John hit play on the television, bringing up the legendary music video for Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby and gestured at the students to begin.

Current Mood: accomplished

rose-bad-wolf.livejournal.com

There were coffee cups and pastries on the table and a big screen TV on the wall. Rose smiled at her class, "How are you lot? I apologize for not bein' around last week. Anyway, since this is our last week, coffee for everyone who wants it!"

Rose clapped her hands, "All right, let's get this finals on the road, TV. Video. An' feedback. Go!"

[~~please wait for~~ OCD up! Slow Play is being!]

tricksy-spy.livejournal.com

Aly waited until the class was settled before she started to talk. "So you might have noticed, I'm not your normal teacher. If you didn't? Either get your eyes checked out or work on your observation skills. For any of you who don't know me, I'm Aly. I teach spycraft usually. And blowing things up. Rose couldn't make it to class today so I'm going to teach you about a very important part of modern popular culture. And it's one I didn't learn about until just recently so I want to pass this on to you so you don't miss out."

She moved to the TV and turned on last night's finale of America's Next Top Model. "It's rigged, of course. And you guys are missing the awesomeness of Heather. But it's still an important part of twenty-first century American culture."

"Oh! And apparently you guys have final projects so keep working on those."

[OOC: OCD ~~coming~~ up...yeah, I couldn't resist]

rose-bad-wolf.livejournal.com

Rose entered the class, smiling.

"Afternoon, class, I trust you've had an interesting week. Let's get started on the tests, shall we?" Rose took out a handful of papers and passed them around.

There were a series of questions written on the paper:

1) Do television programs provide us with honest depictions of culture?

2) Do television programs show positive portrayals of gender and/or race?

Rose tilted her head and waited for her class to finish. "All right, since you lot are done and the finals are just 'round the corner." Rose brought out digital video cameras and started handing them to each student. "I want you lot to make a documentary on any subject you think you can relate to class. I mean anything. Then on finals we'll view each footage and defend why you think your documentary relates to popular culture. It's that easy. So, better get started on the project, yeah?"

(~~Please wait for~~ OCD up! Slow Play is Life)

Current Mood: content

rose-bad-wolf.livejournal.com

"Hullo, class, hope your holidays went well." Rose said, she tilted her head, "Since not everyone was in for our last class I decided to postpone the test to next week." She handed out the handouts she gave last time, "So, here's your chance to study for the test. Basically it's about television and its effects on society."

"For now though, I'd love to hear your what your fave series are... if it's sci fi, drama or reality shows. No judgin' in this arena, honest." Rose smiled, "I'll go first, I love watchin' soaps, it's mindless fun and the drama's so over the top you'll have fun throwin' pop corn on the telly. But I also love watching documentaries from the Discovery channel and indulge on the occasional sci-fi series, particularly the classic Galaxy Quest." She turned a defiant look at her class, "And no movie is goin' to change that, yeah? Classic Galaxy Quest is the best."

She waited for any comments to die down then nodded to her class, "All right, you lot, it's your turn, what's your fave show, why and do you think the show has influenced your views?"

[~~please wait for~~ OCD up! As always, Slow Play is love]

rose-bad-wolf.livejournal.com

Rose entered the class looking very subdued. She'd be surprised if anyone turned up today, especially considering Recent Events.

"I know you lot won't be up to anything strenous, so I won't be teachin' much just give a brief outline. An' I won't hold it against you if you don't listen." Rose pointed to the television. "I'd just leave the telly on. But if any if you want to talk I'll just be in my table, yeah?"

"That said, Since the entry of the telly, television or as some call it, the idiot box its been a source of endless fascination and discussion, some say the telly is the source of all the violence in the world. Others go on to say the opposite. But I'm not going into that today. I will give you handouts about the subject and test you about it next week. Meantime..." Rose switched on the television, "here's the cast of Mr. What on the Weakest Link. Enjoy."

"But, like I said, if you want to talk, I'm right here."

(~~please wait for~~ OCD up! Slow Play is love!)

Current Mood: gloomy

rose-bad-wolf.livejournal.com

There was a flatscreen TV mounted on the board.

"We've talked classic rock now let's venture to pop music. Pop music is another branch of a genre called popular music, actually pop music is one of the more recognizable form of music today. An' it's really not that complicated some people even refer to pop music as bubblegum 'cause of its simplicity. Usually the lyrics are often about romance and heartbreak and well..." she arched an eyebrow, "sex."

"The 1980s produced one of the most number of pop music and you know this because of the hair, shoulder pads an' the very purple eyeshadow but mostly, because of this," Rose turned on the TV and a group of men with mullets proceeded to sing, "by the way, this is one of the more popular '80s band back then... they're called any guesses? If you think it has anything to do with the word 'pop' you're not wrong."

As soon as the song was done Rose clicked off the telly. "Short trivia, the eighties also saw the birth of a network so crucial to our culture it spawned a whole new lifestyle, an' that's the MTV. Somethin' we'll be discussin' soon and I hope you read up about the subject. An' one of your projects would be to create an MTV of your own... so..." Rose looked at them, "I hope you do take that class seriously."

Rose tilted her head and studied her class, "You lot have been in this time period for months now so I'm gonna put your knowledge about this era to the test... what are the top ten pop music artists to date (to date bein' early 1990s to... well today. Any question's you'll be havin' I'll be at the back."

(OOC: ~~Please wait for~~ OCD up. Slow Play is Life!)

rose-bad-wolf.livejournal.com

Speakers were once again strategically located around the classroom but this time there was no music. Yet.

"Hey, guys," Rose greeted, "so I hoped you lot enjoyed the last class because we're going to be tackling music a lot today. Today we're going to be tacklin' rock music. Since its entrance it has remained to be one of the most popular and sometimes controversial type of music from its origins to the way some band members conduct themselves. So, depending on the context, tellin' someone they act like a rockstar can be an insult or a compliment. Why? Well, it's no secret most rockstars have acted a bit bizarre: y'know sticking chairs and other furniture on the ceiling, trashing a hotel room and other things. 'Course these days that kind of behaviour aren't limited to rockstars like, say someone whose name rhymes with kidney..."

Rose shook her head, "Sorry, back to topic. The popularity of rock'n'roll can be attributed to a bloke called Alan Freed, a radio disk jockey who organized the first rock concert. To no one's surprise but to the people of that time, it was a success, it crossed race barriers and after that night, rock crossed boundaries reaching across the Atlantic and into Britain, where the Beatles were introduced. But Before the Beatles were ever a glitter in the eye, there was the King. Or precisely, there was Elvis Presley, billed as the King of Rock 'n' roll. This bloke, changed the face of rock everyone was fawning over him and to this day people still worship on the altar of Elvis."

Rose turned up the volume and Jailhouse Rock could be heard.

"This of course led to a number of copy cats each bringing something new to rock. The international status of rock also opened the doors for the so-called British Invasion, where a wave of homegrown Brit talents took advantage of the rock scene. Dusty Springfield was the first to crack the doors open but it was the Beatles in 1964 who blew the door open. The Beatles are legend, songs still brilliant. Not that Dusty isn't, I love her but the Beatles, they were a class on their own. They even have their own term for the craziness they inspired -- Beatlemania."

Rose played a few Beatles songs from the Abbey Road album and grinned while bobbing her head. She shut it off. "There are a profusion of bands now, all from different sets and all spanning the globe. But what you all have to understand is how BIG rock is. It changed everything, rock did. As I said earlier, rock was, is controversial. It's been connected to anti-establishment movements, rebels *and* the reason for ushering in the popularity of drugs an' alcohol. There's a reason why the catchphrase 'sex, drugs and rock'n'roll' is famous and that's one of it. There is not a single music genre that has this big an outcome in recent memory. Rock influenced fashion and living, it influenced a whole generation. The 1970s. It still continues to influence our generation."

"Rock'n'roll is not just music, it's a cultural icon in itself. For today, I want you all to put your thinkin' caps on and imagine what it's like living in the era of Rock era, how do you think rock'n'roll influenced, would influence your life?"

(OOC: ~~Please wait for~~ OCD up! SP is life!)

rose-bad-wolf.livejournal.com

"Hello, class," Rose yelled over the blaring music. There were speakers strategically placed around the classroom
and various instruments. "Hope you enjoyed--" she paused and pulled out a remote to tone down the volume, "--that's better. Like I was sayin', hope you enjoyed your week of rest and meetin' the parents but now we're back to our daily grind. An' if you haven't guessed already, music is our topic for today."

"If there's one thing that's universal to all, its music. No matter what time period, reality or dimension you're from there's bound to be one form of music or another." She passed handouts around, "For us humans, our voices were the very first instrument we used but soon enough our prehistoric counterparts learned that if you banged two things together you get an interesting sound, thus our first rock an' roll concert was born." She laughed then paused and winced, "sorry, lame joke. But point is, music has been around for a long time and its evolved with us through various points of history an' most people assign their culture to a certain 'sound' or song.

"It is no wonder music has such a big influence in our cultures. For the moment I want you all to pair-up and share various popular music of your time. There is no judgin' here, if you like bubblegum pop music then that's what you like and fun thing is, you can share it."

Partners:

Alec      -     Gwynn Hood
Blackheart - Liz Sherman
Sabriel    -    Zarine Bashere
Robin      -   Yasutora Sado

[ooc: OCD up! As always, SP is life!]

rose-bad-wolf.livejournal.com

Rose had a set of computer terminals ~~handwavily~~ set-up on each desk. "Last class we talked about computers, now we're going to tackle the wonderful world of the internet. One of the benefits of the internet is that it makes researching easier be it for class, work or," here she aimed a pointed glance at the boys, "or something very NC-17."

She passed a set of handouts to the class, "The internet makes it easy for us to exchange mail at the speed of snappin' your fingers, time was it'd take days, even months for people to correspond to each other.This fun service is called e-mail, or electronic mail. Another fun fact about the internet is you can do almost anything with it: You can buy clothes, talk to someone from across the seas, and as I said earlier, you can even do some research online. Alternatively, it also means it makes things easier for some people to prey on others. So, there's also a safety issue involved.

"There has been a growin' number of cases that involved people losing their entire fortunes because they trusted people they hadn't met before. Worse, people have lost their lives because they've been too careless with their words while using the net. So, a bit of pointers before I set you lot out into the wonderful, frightening world of the internet:

( Internet Safety Tips )

"Right that's it for today, go on, kids, enjoy the net. They'll be no show and tell for today, we'll resume it again, next week."

*Internet safety tips from here.

(ooc: ~~please wait for~~ OCD is up! SP is love)

Current Mood: blank

rose-bad-wolf.livejournal.com

"Afternoon, kids," Rose said with a nod, "so, continuin' on from our last class we're going to go on with communication. Specifically, the popular ways of communicatin' in this era. An' that would be mobile phones an' the computer."

She passed each item around. "Mobile phones or to Americans, cellphones are portable communication devices, wireless phones. Technology permitting you can call anybody 'round the globe with these little buggers-- er, I mean, these little gadgets. Every year these things get smaller an' smaller or turn into these," and proceeded to pull out an iPhone. "Beautiful thing, ain't it?"

This she also passed around. "Almost a computer in itself. Speakin' of computers," she gestured to the laptop, "these things have really come around since it was first invented now people can do practically anything with computers an' not least, you can actually speak an' see the people your talking to." Rose pressed a few keystrokes and a screen with another person on the end appeared, it was a blond man with spiky hair who looked like he'd been roused from sleep.

"What?"

"Hey, Jake--"

"Rose??" The man glared, "d'you know what time it is?"

"Say hello to my class, Jake."

"Bugger off." He said by way of greeting.

Rose shook her head and grinned. Something in her smile indicated her timing was planned. "Good to know your still up, go back to your beauty sleep." She cut off the connection. "See? That easy. So I'm gonna hand over these things to you folk and let you guys get accustomed to these wonderful technologies. As for our show and tell Blackie ~~if he's here~~ has agreed to do our show and tell for today and show us the wonders of Hell."

(OOC: ~~Please wait for~~ OCD up. As always, SP is life.)

rose-bad-wolf.livejournal.com

"Let's talk about technology. Seein' as Fandom has a diverse student body given some of you are from the past, future and alternate realities. But we can't really go into the hows and wherefores for that you have to go to the brainy tech types like Anakin." She paused, "Or d'you all call him Professor Skywalker?"

Rose shook her head, "Anyway, we're all going to start with the primitive and work our way up to the technology we have today but first let's find out exactly how many of the handy things we have you're all familiar with."

"There's television, which I'm certain you lot have seen before. In fact I'd be shocked if you haven't by this point. In fact the reason why I brought the telly out first is because its easily the most recognizable technology you can get your hands on. So, you're assignment for next week is to watch as much telly as you can."

Rose looked at them, eyes sparkling, "Yes, that's right, I'm askin' each of you to take time and watch. By next class I want all of you to come back here and list down your favourite shows and why. But before all of you get fired up with excitement let's concentrate on today's class shall we?

"Technology, easy word we bandy about now and again but just like beauty, technology is relative. What seems modern to us may seem futuristic or primitive to others. But like it or not whatever technology we have on hand also makes up a good portion of our current culture, like say the telly." She patted the TV. "Can't deny that roughly more than half of today's culture is influenced by television, MTVs, popular shows and etc. I could go on about it but that's for the next class."

"Question: What's the most influential piece of tech you have at home? How do you think that influences the culture of your time?"

"For Show and Tell, we have Chad ~~if he's here~~ displayin' his marvelous coat, I'm sure he has a lot of stories regarding that jacket, feel free to poke, prod and question Chad about it."

(OOC: ~~please wait for~~ OCD up, also Slow Play is love!)
(OOC: Major, major, major apologies about missing last class. I can't believe how much I messed up the time zones! *face palm*)

rose-bad-wolf.livejournal.com

Rose grabbed a chalk and wrote: 'Culture'.

"A lot of you stem from different cultures whether its because you're from another world, dimension or time I bet no one thing about your culture is alike. In this class we're not just going to learn about this world's culture I very much encourage everyone to share one or two favorite things you have in your culture. So, once in a while we're gonna do some show and tell. I'm goin' to assign one person per week to do this."

Rose nodded to Robin ~~if he's in~~, "Later on, Robin will be sharing a video about his uncle."

"First thing though, what's culture?" Rose passed out handouts, "As you can see, culture, it's been defined as 'a way of life for an entire society'. It can be from manner of dress, language, rituals, morality and system of belief. This bein' *Popular* Culture we're here to learn the moralities, systems of belief and etc., of this century. Particularly the culture the last few decades.

"Everything changes in this era, in fact in just a few years after world war II humanity has once again made a technological leap from merely lookin' at the stars to venturing to the moon. Heck, you've seen evidence that humanity," Rose looked at Robin, "Er, I mean, Earthlings can advance to greater lengths but enough about that."

"What, for you, defines culture?"

"And for Next week's show an' tell victim is for now I'm just goin' to go on volunteerism, third week however will not be so voluntary, so anyone brave enough for it please see me after class."

(~~Please wait for~~ OCD is up!)
(I'm PST 8+ so, slow Play is our god:))

Current Mood: nerdy

rose-bad-wolf.livejournal.com

Rose entered the room and placed her things on the table.

"Good afternoon class," she greeted, "I'm Rose Tyler, I'll be teaching Popular Culture. I suppose by now
you all know how ~~strange~~ ~~weird~~ different Fandom is. You're all either from different universes and/or time periods whatever the case this class will hopefully help ease you in this time period."

She passed the handouts around the class, "Here's the syllabus for this semester, it's not written in stone and may change according to what you feel you need to learn."

Rose grinned, "So, introductions! Or FYI as we call 'em. Begin with your name, time period and what you feel you need to learn about 21st Century Pop Culture."

(~~Please wait for OCD~~)

Current Mood: chipper

rose-bad-wolf.livejournal.com

Rose sat at the edge of the desk, "We've tackled sports TV last week, now we go to police procedurals. It's one of the more popular formats in the telly today. If some of you are not familiar police procedurals, as the name indicate, isn't so much about the mystery of who the criminal is but the process by which the detectives go about in solving the crime. Procedurals started out in books and crossed medias into television but, actually, if we delve deeper into its origins could be traced to movies called semi-documentaries filmed during the second world war. Then by the early fifties Americans pioneered the first procedural series on radio -- Dragnet.

"Americans may have cornered the market on popular procedural series; Crime Forensic Detectives and the many spin-offs of Crime and Justice come to mind but we Brits aren't that far behind in our side of the pond we had the Police and Prime Cracker. Both excellent procedurals and one series we shall be watching today -- Prime Cracker."

"Now, end of school's fast approaching and its time we talk about projects. Each of you will be presenting a report on what aspect of popular culture you think affects the culture you come from. Is it music? movies? books? or sports? I'd love to hear about your culture since we've tackled so much about this era's. All right? Everyone clear? Any questions and you're free to approach me."

*The Police is the meta name for The Cops and Prime Cracker for Prime Suspect

(OCD up)

rose-bad-wolf.livejournal.com

"Hello, class," Rose greeted them, "Marvelous time pranking people? Today we're going to discuss another important cultural aspect... in any century and culture actually. Any guesses?" She looked at them, she looked at Anders, "Mr. Anders if you say sports you are completely right."

"There's football, basketball, soccer and running." She pointed to them, "I want you lot to make a report on your favorite sport. Just a short thing why you appreciate it and why you think it has that cultural impact in our society today. For now, we will watch one of the best sports show in television. I'm not much of a fan except when it comes to the world cup but Dan and Casey always manage to make me like sports. So, without further ado: Sports Night."

But before Rose opened the telly she looked at them, more sternly than usual. "Those who have more than two absences please see me later. You know who you are. I think its time to discuss extra credit."

(~~please wait for~~ OCD up)

Fandom High RPG

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