Mar
14
Popular culture as mass culture
Posted by: Brian | March 14, 2009 | Comments Off on Popular culture as mass culture
I think that in the first reading Bellos explains different aspects of the Brazilian culture that are somehow related to soccer. I enjoy the reading even though it was really long. It was very easy to understand and interesting at the same time. I like how the author uses different examples of fans, and players to show things that we have discussed in class; like the need to feel associate with more people creating aspect of popular culture (fans dressing up and supporting the teams). I found very interesting on page 127 how through the carnivalesque uniforms people in Brazil try to deny racial and class differences. I think that just as murals in Mexico, and soup operas in Venezuela people are always trying a way to create change in order to integrate the “different” groups of each society.
I liked the part on page 122 where the author writes about Joe Radio and Dona Miriquinha and how they are considered role models but if it was England they would be seen as “eccentric”. I think that these people are like “magical realism” because it gives people the illusion and happiness that is needed to carry on with their lives.
I liked the second reading as well. I think that it pretty interesting how “por estas calles” started as a new project showing the reality of Venezuela and it the end it changed and lost it force. I used to get really upset when people were discussing soup operas in Mexico instead of discussion other issues that I consider more important. I thought that the government wanted people busy with the soup opera´s reality instead of seeing their own reality with problems. After reading the article I felt that soup operas create some sort of illusion that make people have hope that eventually their lives will change for better as the live of the protagonist of the soup opera.
