Hi Everyone
Great discussion today.
Here are the readings for this week. There are more here than will be usual for the course, but I want to establish the theoretical base we are going to be using. Generally we have about 10-20 pages of reading per week, this week it’s more like 27.
The Ortiz and Cornejo Polar readings we are going to discuss on Tuesday, the Brunner reading on Thursday.
For homework this weekend, choose one popular culture piece you have experienced recently (movie, song, book, comic etc.) and write a one paragraph reflection on what characterizes it as “popular culture” and how it engages the larger society around it
I have been using Reggaeton as a means to help me with my studies in Spanish (and general enjoyment) for the last year or so. I was introduced to it by a friend in Mexico and it has been blasting out of my headphones ever since. It has been an interesting venture for me as it is a type of music that I wouldn’t generally enjoy due to the sexualization of women and machismo connotations it elicits. I don’t mean to sound prudish, and let it be known, I bought Snoop Dogg’s very first album as soon as it hit the shelves, so these are not virgin ears these lyrics are falling on. However, the songs and artists I listen to in Spanish are most likely ones that I wouldn’t listen to in English. I find myself giggling like a school girl when I piece together some of the lyrics but also shake my head at my ambivalence to it as well. I wonder how much of this music perpetuates the sexualization of women in Latin American cultures where the gravity of brutality and Femicide persist against women. What happens to the value of a woman when she is broken down to hair, waist, and ass?
Although produced in the United States, I have been binge-watching “Jane the Virgin” which was recommended to me by a number of friends who consider my family to be ‘super Latino’. I think the show is considered “popular culture” because it is really relatable to the millions of Latino-American and even Latino-Canadian individuals who have left their homes but bring with them their cultural traditions and general ways of being, meanwhile also wanting to ‘adapt’ and ‘fit in’. This show specifically is the response to this journey of immigration which shows that Latinos will always be Latinos…whatever your meaning of that may be, but it highlights that we are not ‘fully North American’, so it deals with the immigrant experience of trying to keep the traditions you were brought up with, yet at the same time weaving through the place you now consider to be your new home… as well as all the crazy drama based on the structure of a telenovela. I say all this with an emphasis on scare quotes because I am simplifying some really deep and intertwined cultural realities into a short paragraph!
I don’t have deep knowledge about Latin cultures and not used to those cultures. But after all, I found out that there were a number of latin songs in my playlist. One of the most famous one is ‘Havana’ and I enjoy listening that song when I make my meal. Moreover, even though ‘Despacito’ was not my favorite, but it was also classified as Latin Music. In Korea, I think we do not really classify the pop musics specifically so that we just call them Pop music and ‘Despacito’ was kind of start of interest to Latin music. Theses songs are popular culture since it spread out to the whole world and ranked top in the music charts and that made diverse people in the world enjoy latin culture. ‘Despacito’s lyric is not written in English, but most of the Americans and even Asians are enjoying it and it is blurring the boundaries in the culture industry.
Popular culture as a form of escapism is in no way something inherently bad, even if it is part of an agenda such as nationalistic state run practices. My experience with popular culture has been a way for me to deal with hardships. I would even go as a far as to say that it serves a similar function as religion. Yes, everyone’s experience with pop culture is different and their reasons for engaging in it are different, but we listen to music, watch films, watch sports, to be able to engage with someone other than yourself, even if you hate what you’re doing. Being from Argentina, my parents exposed me to music, film, and most of all, soccer. I hate soccer, but I’ve been pre-disposed to it in a way, and it’s been a way for me to follow the traditions and culture of Argentina. Latin America is struck by a variety of issues, and though soccer or football has been largely state integrated as a form of distraction, it’s result of serving as a distraction isn’t bad. I played soccer to feel Argentinean. I watched soccer to engage with neighbors and fans, and eventually it served as something positive. Elite culture isn’t the only culture that you have to learn to like. If anything there is more pressure to engage in pop culture because if not then you’re just that denying hipster.
One of the things I most admire and value about Latin American Countries is there popular culture. The reason why I enjoy traveling around Latin American countries more then anything is being able to understand their culture and the specific way they live their daily lives. I think one of the greatest advantages that Latin American countries have right now is their diversity and culture, which gave rise through transculturation as, described in Tabacco and Sugar by Ortiz. The things that Latin American countries had to go through to be what they currently are is shocking, sad and hard to conceptualize. I can imagine it was a period of great confusion and dominance. But understanding the outcome of these events is as important as understanding how they came to be. I think Latin American countries have great potential due to their cultural diversity. And it is one of the main reasons I think why many people end up wanting to live in a Latin American country once they retire. The different mentality that Latin American countries hold about life is completely different then Canadian or American people. And I feel this understandment of life being more then just work came to be due to the transculturation all Latin American Cultures had to go through.
As a Mexican, I have come across Latin American popular culture more often than I even realize. However, the most common one would be reggaeton. The reason I would classify this as popular culture is because it’s a type of music accesible to everyone and that anyone will listen to, regardless of where they come from or their social class. My friends listen to it, both the Mexican ones and the ones I have made here in Canada, people from my school will play this music at parties, and even my cousins will know these songs. While this might not be my favourite piece of popular culture, for it is ‘machista’ and not precisely my cup of tea when it comes to music (I would rather read a book or watch a Mexican movie), it is the one I come across the most. And it is also the one that I know people will know, that they will use to bond, and that seems very characteristic of our culture.
Reggaeton is the aspect of Latin American pop culture I come across the most given that I am Latin American. Is hard to name a specific song since the songs that are most popular change almost weekly but I have been enchanted by “Mi Gente” by J Balvin since its lyrics are unlike others. Most Reggaeton songs make a point of objectifying women or at the least are about a guy who is attracted to a woman. Reggaeton songs are popular culture since it is easily accessible by all people in Latin America regardless of background and all people, rich or poor, can enjoy it. The popularity of Reggaeton shows that Latin America is still a sexist place rife with ‘machismo’.
Having grown up in Canada, I never really associated myself with Latin pop culture until recently last year. Sure everyone listened to some popular songs by Shakira or Enrique Iglesias, but these artists were the exceptional few since they catered a lot of their work to westernized culture by featuring English in their songs. However, this past year I noticed a dramatic increase in the amount of Latin American “pop culture” that I consumed (tv shows, music,etc.). After listening to the newest version of Despacito by Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi on Spotify one day, I adopted an increasing interest in Latin music and began to research more and more into Latin artists/music. Because this particular song featured well-renowned singer Justin Bieber, I believe it invited Latin culture into our westernized society by attracting all kinds of music listeners, including myself. However, I found it quite interesting how even though many listeners (including Justin himself) were not able to understand/say the Spanish lyrics, they still enjoyed listening to the song and for the most part, singing the verses they did know. Thus proving how it is possible to experience and enjoy a different culture even without a thorough knowledge or understanding of it.
https://blogs.ubc.ca/slatchem/2018/01/07/week-1/
As a latino, I know some different cultures around Latin America. Every single country has it’s own history and can not be defined so easily. As I was growing up, I read a lot of books written by different latin authors, and I can say they have a different way of looking at things and expressing their feelings. Although some of the latino music like reggaeton paint the picture that in the latino culture womens are treated like some kind of sexual object, when we look for example at the poems of Pablo Neruda, the women is the center of this poems full with love and feelings. This makes us think that even if some Latino genders like reggaeton can be very popular, we also need to try to look for different ways of how latinos can express themselves.
Growing up in Canada I have not had the ability to truly experience what Latin American Popular culture entails. I have though, had the opportunity to travel to two different countries in South America, Uruguay and Argentina. While I was in Uruguay I had the opportunity to attend a soccer match between the Uruguayan national team and the Argentinian National team. I believe sport to be a component of popular culture, especially soccer in South America. The entire city of Montevideo seemed to shut down for the game, and over 80,000 people packed the stadium to watch the game. This match brought together people of all ages, social class, and wealth together to celebrate their national pride against a rival team, and country. There are no boundaries with sport, people of every ethnicity, and social class are given equal opportunity to perform on the field to obtain a team goal. Sport, like other pieces of popular culture, is possible because it can be done by anyone, anywhere, at anytime.
Being from Canada I have not been too aware of Latin American culture. After listening to Danza Kuduro by Don Omar, the music was contagious and it was hard to not dance to as well as enjoy. Listening to the song takes me back to my childhood and all the trips me and my family used to take to Mexico and Cuba for the warm climate and the loving vibes we got from being at the resorts. One memory always sticks with me, it was Christmas Eve and we were at the dining hall for dinner and there where performers dancing to Danza Kuduro, and I could not help but dance along. My family to this day still laughs when the song comes on and I am around. This was my first real interaction with Latin American culture and I have liked it ever since I had been admitted to the culture.
I have always been fascinated by Latin America culture and paticularly Latin America pop culture, Although I don’t have much experience with it. I recently had been listening to music by Shakira and other artist and have an increasing interest in Latin America music as I find it exciting and fun to listen to although I don’t understand the words I am listening to. However, I still feel connected to the music and how happy and free flowing the music is. Through all this new music i have been listening to I have started to begin to have a greater appreciation for the pop culture in Latin America while also beginning to have a better understand of it as well. Through this music that I have recently been listening to, I have also started to watch more Spanish movies and shows and overall I have a greater willingness to further learn about Latin American culture as a whole.
When I was little I used to love watching movies, specifically animated Pixar type films. One of my favourites I remember was The Emperor’s New Groove. This was set in the Incan empire in modern day Peru, and follows a young emperor who magically gets transformed into a llama and has to go on a big adventure across the country in order to revert back. Watching this a few times as a young child made me very conscious of Latin American culture and the rich history it has. I always wanted to travel there and experience it for myself, which I eventually did on a service trip to Costa Rica. I think movies are an especially important form of spreading information and demonstrations of cultures, difficult to learn in other ways. Speaking from personal experience animated adventure movies instil imagery in children which will last probably their entire lives.
Popular culture in the context of Latin America, can be easily identified by its music and its beloved sport, soccer. However, these examples are only the tip of the iceberg. Popular culture can also a form of nationalism. Therefore, one must be careful to generalize the delayed Latino influence. An example of this is during La Copa America, as a Colombian, the song, ?Ras Tas Tas? was huge. To further elaborate on this phenomenon, ?Ras Tas Tas? got its fame, much like a catchy giggle would. It?s easy to remember, and it was coined by thanks to the beloved soccer player, James Rodrigues. It also combined the love of sport, specifically winning, with the nation?s love for music and dance. However, if I were to bring up this pop reference to someone who wasn?t Colombian they would mostly not understand me. Hinting at how popular culture in itself can be very secluded.
As a Canadian I grew up understanding and respecting other peoples cultures; however, I was unaware of the rich culture that had developed in Latin America. Lately, I have been listening to Enrique Iglesias as well as artists like J Balvin and Maluva. I love the rythym and flow to their music, it just makes me want to dance. Moreover, I find it very interesting to seek out subtle phrases or spanish words that are placed within some songs, and vice versa with english for songs that are predominantly sung in spanish. Listening to this music has allowed me to become more conscious of other cultures, and has opened my mind up to other forms of music, as well as film through series like Narcos. I am very happy to had dived into the world of Latin American pop culture and I will continue to enjoy it with friends and family.
Right now I’m really digging the song Motorsport by the Migos featuring Cardi B and Nicki Minaj. I would say Motorsport is considered as Pop culture since it has the most popular rap group at the moment, The Migos, feminist rap icon Ms.Nicki Minaj who has been queen of the rap gamer for the past ten years, and Bacardi B a.k.a Cardi B who is one of the fastest rising young rappers today. Cardi is from the Bronx, New york, but she reps her Latin roots as her mother is Trinidadian and her father is Dominican. Her music diversifies the culture and conversation around popular rap music by bringing in a new voice for underrepresented Latina rappers. On her Motorsport verse she raps about being the “Trap Selena” referring to 90’s Latin pop icon Selena then references Daddy Yankee when she says “Dame mas Gasolina skrt!” These references to the past shows that she respects the artists who came before her and helped pave the way for her and other Latin artists in North America. Cardi is a star in the making and this song is putting her on the map!
I recently watched the film “Sin Nombre” about a Honduran girl who gets re-acquainted with her dad and embarks on a journey to America with hopes of a better life. Apart from being based around a desire to go to America, which is sometimes prevalent amongst certain communities all over the world, the movies devotes a lot of time examining the dynamic of gangs, gang violence and the personal lives of gang members. I think that the reason this film can be classified within the realm of “popular culture” is because it deals with a number of popular issues, such as gang violence and illegal border crossings. These issues have somehow transcended solely Latino communities, and are therefore relevant and engaging to all global communities. I also think that the general public is transfixed by some issues that have been made popular and trendy by the news of the day. Frequently, you can browse and read stories in the news that relate to gang violence and immigration issues. This certainly contributes to movies like Sin Nombre gaining in popularity and achieving viewership within non-Latino communities. It is always enthralling to witness the portrayal of a particular issue through a lens other than you typical one, and I think that lately, it has become especially trendy to attempt to find media that can be considered “from-the-source” when examining an issue – even if it is only for pleasure.
“One Day at a Time” is a comedy TV series provided by Netflix. It tells the story of a Cuban family comprised of a veteran single mother, her older lesbian daughter, her younger son, and her first-generation immigrant mother; among various other supporting characters. “One Day at a Time” explores several different intersectional layers of Latinidad. It engages with both a celebration and criticism of the Latino condition. The show delves into food, culture, religion, gender, sexuality, coming of age, approaches to mental illness, and family. “One Day at a Time” focuses on presenting archetypes of common Latino characters, adding to them very deep, complex, and colorful characterization that elevates them into extremely charming, and highly relatable, characters. “One Day at a Time” holds conversations about unlearning the stigma towards mental illness and homosexuality so systematically present and ingrained into Latinidad. It treats with freedom of religion, and how the Latinx community can shed away religious fundamentalism and replace it with the coexistence of different religious ideologies. Among other themes, “One Day at a Time” mainly deals with what is it to be a family. What it means to be a cohesive, warm, supportive, and honest unit that works through the difficulties of life and being a person so different and distinct with others, a challenge to the homogeneity idealized by the older Latinx community. “One Day at a Time” is popular culture through the exploration of these themes. It appeals to these shared aspects of Latinidad, showcasing an immense relatability to both Latinx and non-Latinx.
“Bailando” by Enrique Iglesias and “El Pardon” by Nicky Jam are two of my favorite songs. I am not that familiar with Latin pop culture but i enjoy listening to quite a bit of Latin-influenced music. Artists like Enrique Iglesias and Shakaria rise to the top and become very “mainstream” and can be enjoyed by everyone. Songs like these can be seen as popular culture because of the appeal to such a wide audience well showcasing their Latin roots through musical expression. In the music video for “El Pardon” it demonstrates the struggles of the reality of the youth living in Latin America and the hardships they face. Songs like these are good because they are gateway songs to other Latin artists.
Growing up, Latin American and Spanish music were always playing at home whenever I came back home from school. My parents taught me to appreciate different cultures around the world like they did, but it wasn’t until last year when I seriously started paying attention to the Spanish and Latin American pop culture. Some time ago I decided to get familiar with some of Pedro Almodovar’s work. He’s one of the most famous Spanish directors, and his work often gets recognition from movie critics worldwide. His movie “All About My Mother” won an Academy Award for “Best Foreign Language Film” as well as multiple other accolades. The movie deals with many prominent and topical issues in the world, like AIDS, faith, transsexuality, and explores complicated relationships between family members. This movie definitely gave a push to the Spanish language cinema in terms of its commercial appeal, as it was a major box office hit. Almodovar’s other work has also garnered a lot of praise, particularly “Volver” which was also a hit with critics and the mass audience, and Penelope Cruz went on to be the first Spanish actress ever to be nominated for the Academy Award. Almodovar, along with some other directors from Spanish speaking countries, like Alejandro González Iñárritu, are keeping Spanish-language cinema in the headlines, continuing to get praise from both critics and general public.
My knowledge of Latin culture is rather limited, but I have watched (and really enjoyed) The Book of Life, a Mexican movie by Guillimo de Toro that was mostly based around the celebration of The Day of the Dead. The movie deals with difficult topics for a children’s movie, such as death, gender roles and unfair expectations, as well as introduces a Western society to a holiday that holds strong roots in Mayan culture. Although the ideas behind the Day of the Dead have incorporated some of the Catholic ideals from the Spanish Conquistadors, seeing death as a next stage of life rather than eternal suffering or nirvana, is something that is uncommon in North America. It also suggests that death is not tragic but simply a part of life, and as long as the dead are remembered/honoured, it does not have to be sad.
Growing up in a Turkish household Latin American popular culture was not a big part of my life, thus the only real exposure I had was through music that reached an international audience here in Canada. Shakira and Enrique Iglesias are two artists that are even the favourites of my relatives in Turkish because they have such an international reach. Also artists like Daddy Yankee who has had international hits like Gasolina and more recently Despacito which is the number 1 viewed video on Youtube already. I think why Latin American music engages such a large audience is because you don’t need to necessarily understand the lyrics to enjoy the energy of the song and the beat. There is also so much Latin American influence in large areas of the United States that even non-Latin American artists have been influenced by the music, and so I think we are accustom to the type of music to begin with. Music is a form of popular culture that is easily consumable by an international audience without the necessity of translation or cultural context which is why I think it is so easily considered to be popular culture.
Latin American music has originated from countries that include Spain, Portugal and Africa. Growing up I spent a lot of my family holidays in Spain. During my time there I often went to fiestas which exposed me to what is considered to be similar to Latin American Culture. Growing up, I have listened to Enrique Iglesias and Shakira. But their songs have always been westernised by these artists singing in English. In the last year or so, there has been an increase in the amount of Latin American culture available to the wider worlds. Songs such as Despacito and Mi Gente and Reggaeton songs have become widely popular. Not only in Latin America countries, but across the globe. They were ranked top in the world music charts, and this shows how the larger society have engaged as many different people from different backgrounds are taking a deeper interest in Latin American culture.
I recently watched the Argentine movie Relatos Salvajes, and I believe it is a perfect example of what different versions of popular culture strive to be; the movies is composed of six different short stories, each focusing on a different segment of the argentine population, and relating how an individual member of each of these experiences problems, and the means employed by each one to arrive at a solution. Although each story and each character is extremely different, all address more general concerns relating to corruption, marriage, violence, greed, revenge, etc.. which lead spectators to connect on a level not permitted by normal interactions, united by a widespread sense of cynicism; all this is facilitated by humor, and the jokes are themselves popular, because they draw on situations any person living in Argentina could understand.
I was not raised in a family that consumed or paid attention to contemporary popular culture; my parents are early-day Boomers from landed-gentry backgrounds on the Cotes d’Armor and County Monaghan, and they insisted on an ascetic, technology-free private education for my formative years. The only music I knew until 12 years of age or so was that which I learned on the Violin and Uillean Pipes (and the classic rock my father would play in the car); my first experience of popular music came in the form of Carly Rae Jepsen at a Middle School dance event and it totally threw me off guard. I spent the next few weeks ravenously researching genres and sorting through which ones I liked or didn’t; I eventually decided that the optimal forms of counter-culture had existed in the Pacific Northwest from 1985-95, due to the nature of Cobain and Vedder’s message (timeless, relevant words of protest from a generation shackled to the excesses of its parents) and the grunge movement’s disregard for the power structures that encircled their art form.
One example of the disparity between popular culture and the larger society which surrounds it I came across was the 1972 Jamaican crime film “The Harder They Come” featuring the legendary Jimmy Cliff. The film embodies not only the struggle of life in Jamaica, but also the difficulties one must face in the music industry. The main character, Ivanhoe, desires a record deal to pursue a career in music. While the film draws attention to a number of themes, including money, violence, romance, religion and personal freedom, it seems there is a natural tendency for the viewer to sympathize with Ivanhoe, to the extent that his first-person experiences are based on real events and thus make these scenes simply invaluable. The film’s significance with regards to popular culture also stems from the fact that it was extremely impactful in bringing reggae music to the world. While some may argue that bringing culture into the mainstream hurts its value and the fact that its audience is less of a niche market, others may debate that it benefits the artists to create a more inclusive environment. There was certainly a positive outcome for the film.
Popular culture nowadays is increasingly projected through internet media of social media platforms. I believe what makes a piece of cultural production ‘pop’ culture is its accessibility and wide viewership that transcends normative barriers and fault-lines within a broad population. In this sense, Canadian society is exceedingly expressing itself through social media platforms, due in large part to the multi-media infratructure that these platforms innovate: one can share short text statements, embed videos, music, images and provide links to other websites where more media is available. As such, popular culture references the collective consciousness of a particular time and place and society. I access social media multiple times per day, and I believe it has evolved into the most potent form of popular culture ever to be made available.
One recent representation of Latin American pop culture is the chart topping song Despacito. The song written by Latin American artists Luis Fonsey and Daddy Yankee became a global hit after Justin Bieber did a remix of it in 2017. Ironically, most of the viewers do not really understand the lyrics however they are a portrayal of the Latin American ideas of seduction and shows its almost oversexualized mentality. The song essentially explains the act of slowly seducing a girl and getting closer and closer until the connection leads to sex. The song also shows how great the effect of Latin American is becoming on other cultures around the globe, after it broke out there have been several other Latin American songs which became chart toppers on global song charts. Interestingly enough, speaking to my Italian relatives who are less open-minded culturally, even they were listing to Spanish songs instead of Italian or English songs.