I would like to dive into two pools. 1950s: Pop Culture Explodes in a Decade of Conformity They feared that wild-eyed, godless communists (those who believe in a system of government in which the state controls the economy and production methods and owns all property) would invade their schools, marry their daughters, orin their darkest nightmaresdrop atomic bombs and turn the country into a nuclear wasteland. The Warners film Black Legion (1937) featured home-grown fascists and associated them with both the Nazis and the American Ku Klux Klan. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s is one of the most well . A zombie; a reanimated corpse appears to be a global phenomena. Ever since Americans gained their freedom from the British Empire, there seems to beone large fear ingrained in American culture: that freedom will somehow be taken away. America's population soared during the decade, from 150 million Americans in 1950 to over 178 million in 1960. Mufasa. 1940)Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. America was at peace once the conflict in Korea (1950-53) ended. Simple posts on twitter with tumblr photos of camping and adventure get thousands of retweets and favorites a day. V for Vendetta does this, but so does The Lion King,which traces Scars rise to power through the exploitation of the hyenas hunger. A good essay. I hope you are not implying something anti-Semitic. Thank you for your feedback. Another way he shows nonconformity . They saw themselves, just as the Confederacy did, as successors of George Washington and the American Revolution. I was born in the 1970s (closer to the end of the war than we are now from my birth) and I grew up watching films like The Great Escape, Damn Busters, Where Eagles Dare and so on, right down to television fluff like Allo Allo. And from the fact that we live in a highly narcissistic society where people tend to disparage things that dont directly affect their egos. The economic prosperity of the United States at the beginning of last century created cultural industries.The term cultural industry was created by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer (1944; 1993) to mean the creation, production, and distribution of goods and services that are cultural in nature and usually protected by intellectual property rights. Unless we remember and continue to tell the truth of the atrocities of the Nazis, history will repeat itself, because as many here have said, we all have the potential to be Nazis under the right circumstances. This show follows a group of doctors and the challenges and triumphs they face. Du Bois (c. 1911) by Addison N. ScurlockSmithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. Michael Eisner (C.E.O. There also used to be an exhibit on the Back-lot Tour dedicated to Villains We Love to Hate including Darth Vader and Amon Goeth. Popular TV shows of the period like Leave It to Beaver (195763), Father Knows Best (195463), and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (195256) all reflected back to America this calming sense of happy normalcy. Especially in films. Some examples of non-conformists include Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders, members of the Occupy Wall Street Movement and high school subcultures such as punk or goth. More socially liberal movements embrace nonconformity as a rejection of bourgeois principles which are believed to oppress others. Have worse things happened since? When you were born in the 1970s, there were two fascist governments in Europe: the Generals in Greece and Francos government in Spain. I am Divergent. They could really make starwars films with a fine line defining what is light side and what is dark, but then it wouldnt be a film for 12 year olds I guess. This is an interesting piece of writing. They are not the zombies of TWD or Shaun of the Dead. America's sports craziness was further encouraged by the country's first sports weekly, Sports Illustrated. Thus, the purpose of this article is not to argue that Star Wars is about WWII, but to define core American values, the way in which WWII re-defined them, and the way in which pieces of popular culture like Star Wars use the lessons, themes, aesthetics, and/or figures from WWII to make contemporary statements on the dangers of conformity. This was true even in the 1970s when George Lucas first made his films, and Lucas uses WWII aesthetics to communicate his negative thoughts on the direction of his contemporary America. One comment I would like to make is that there is a very thin and blurry line between freedom and nonconformity in American cultural values and also politics. They exist to meet their baser needs; similar to a number of societies members who are passive, inert, awake half, numb to existence when going to work or school. Al-Razi was a Renaissance man of the Islamic Golden Age who lived from 854 until 925 CE. Americans call their presidents Mr. The Transcendentalist belief of the Importance of Nature is shown throughout the media. . We have this recent historical story where we overcome the evil of the Nazis in WWII and we use that story to erase stories prior to that where our society was guilty of genocide. Movies like The Hunchback of Notre Dame feature this theme of racial intolerance explicitly and feature the gypsies as victims as they were also victims of Hitler. However, when the girl with orange shorts, hammer, and Apple iPod comes in, she is completely different. Tyler the Creator is a hip hop artists who often shows the transcendentalist characteristic of non conformity. Whatever comes about is unknown to many of us for we can only hope for the best and expect the worst in times of distress. Photograph of Billie Holiday (ca. Tell that to the families of the victims. Free thought has helps people speak their mind without fear of getting in trouble. They were this absolute evil that we had a decisive part in destroying. Die Hard), or where British actors play comical sidekicks (with a tip of the hat to Hugh Grant). To report a Copyright Violation, please follow Section 17 in the Terms of Use. I agreed with everything. That sound takes her straight back to 1941 and she becomes a scared 10 year old girl, cowering under a table under the stairs and then being dug out of the rubble of her home by neighbours. The Empires uniforms also clearly emphasize the theme of oppression. Transcendentalism in Pop Culture by Mario Colozza - Prezi Modern children stepping into Al-Razi's laboratory, imaginary sceneOriginal Source: 1001 Inventions. The parallel of the rise of the Third Reich and the rise of the Empire is certainly present, I remember watching a TV special where Lucas described this as his original intent. When talking about the Emperor, Lucas said in 1981, He was a politician. This idea was applied to the Protestant Reformation as well when Reformed Christian denominations such as Presbyterians, Methodists, Puritans, and Baptists separated from the Church of England (believed to be too culturally Catholic) in the 16th Century; some groups eventually moving to the American continent to practice their non-conformity. Among the most popular shows were Gunsmoke (195575), Wagon Train (195765), Have Gun Will Travel (195763), Make Room for Daddy (retitled The Danny Thomas Show in 1957; ran 195365), Father Knows Best (195463), and 77 Sunset Strip (195864). . [CDATA[ In a scene where it is announced that Hitler has won the Chancellery, the matriarch of the films protagonist family worries, What about those who think differently? With the fear of overlords and movement towards non-conformity, Id like to touch on the point of Communism. Holiday's career began in Harlem, but her voice took her all over the world. Without Holidays cultural contributions, American music wouldnt be what it is today. In A New Hope, Governor Tarkin appears to be the ultimate Nazi callously destroying Leias planet, presumably home to billions of beings, without a second thought, just to make a point. I wish I could have gone into more detail but there are several articles on here about that series and the politics contained therein. Transcendentalism | Teen Ink Rather than accept her fate, however, she enrolled in an illegal underground institution: Warsaws Flying University. Non-Conformity - transcendentalism The job is showing up at the factory, following instructions, meeting spec, and being managed. Pop Culture, Subculture, and Counterculture | Introduction to Sociology Conformity has important social implications and continues to be actively researched. The choice to cast Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort is also important because he had been so well known as the Nazi commandant Amon Goeth in the Holocaust film Schindlers List. Jenkins, Lee. No quick survey can do justice to the variety and energy of 1950s popular culture. No, it WAS the most important event in the 20th century. As her popularity grew, though, so did the adversity. Long before the advent of film, television, or the Internet, the circus delivered the world to people's doorsteps across America. Its within living memory not a long time ago. The world is very grateful for him following his dreams. She is breaking the conformity. Al-Razideveloped techniques for distillation, without which, we wouldnt have some of todays biofuels! This mock-up of the original 1984 commercial is a perfect example of non-conformity because the in the world presented in the commercial, everyone dresses the same, acts the same, and believes in the same thing. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Master of Library and Information Science, Master of Archives and Records Administration, BS in Information Science and Data Analytics, Student Professional Association Memberships, Center for Information Research and Innovation, Online Learning Consortium Quality Scorecard, INFO 220 Resources and Information Services in Professions and Disciplines, Bachelor of Science in Information Science and Data Analytics, Gateway PhD in Library and Information Management, A school within the College of Professional and Global Education, INFO 220 - Resources and Information Services in Professions and Disciplines. English mathematician Alan Turing, whose brilliance is now evident all around us, was persecuted in his own time, and his life was cut short. Billie Holiday. As soon as you see an iron cross, swastika or golden eagle you know who the villains are without too much time wasted, this moves the plot forward with ease. The ability to conform to norms when you intend to conform is a talent and skill that can be refined with experience and effort. For a company like the Walt Disney Company which encourages imagination and celebrates difference, conformity is a scary concept. Yes, I believe I mention the Hunger Games. The next large-scale threat to American liberty in the eyes of the Americans of the late nineteenth century was the spread of Communism: a political/economic philosophy, based on the ideas of Karl Marx and Frederich Engels, which called for forced economic equality through violent revolution. This entry consists of two articles, the first, Newsfilms and Documentaries, on how war and the military have been por, John F. Kennedy This is a very interesting article. Everybody seemed perfectly happy until Leia started causing trouble. Popular culture events might include a parade, a baseball game, or the season finale of a television show. He doesn't have thousands of workers helping to give him the songs that have earned him so much success, he does it himself, because he believes in his vision and his creativity. Television came into its own in the 1950s. Nonconformity Quotes (102 quotes) - Goodreads Transcendentalism in Pop Culture by McKenna Davis - Prezi ." There is a suggestive thread of nonviolence in the series (dont give in to your hatred), which is a deeply nonconformist value in our society, but this is contrasted with a theme of powerful violence as an answer to problems. The answer is simple: because villains, especially Nazi-like villains, give Americans a clear sense of what we stand for by presenting them which what humans are supposed to stand against. Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America. For example, the American belief in equality leads many members of this culture to be very casual, even with those in a position of authority. Well, its not just about what happened in Germany. Who does Scar promise to get rid of? The moment that he begins to think for himself, he is threatened with re-education and this superiors wonder when he first started showing signs of nonconformity. This would be an interesting discourse on nonconformity as it is, but the fact that the First Order is visually compared to the Third Reich through similar aesthetics to those listed above, raises the stakes of Fins newly found individuality. Often, there is a temptation to gloss over these facts, or even laugh at Nazis. At any rate, thanks for an interesting read. 6. Perhaps Darth Vader, when he kills Sidius and saves Luke, both breaks the Sith mold and conforms to the prophecy he was slotted into as a child the prophecy which weighed on him in such a way that it tipped him towards the dark side. Ah-ha~. The evil German doctor trope alone could fill many more paragraphs, but one thing is certain. You can really see this myth at work in other works of American pop culture in the terrible film The Patriot, in the much better though ideologically muddled TV series Sleepy Hollow, in the many Hollywood films where British actors play straw-men villains while out-acting their American counterparts (e.g. V for Vendetta was originally written as a critique of Margaret Thatcher and the film has removed a lot of the British nuances and was used as a metaphor for the Bush administration. The Artifice is an online magazine that covers a wide spectrum of art forms. In a way, it is the fact that they were defeated which makes them an ideal overlord because Americans know they they can be defeated. Im thinking of the attempt to conquer Canada in the War of 1812, the Civil War, the conquest of the West during the Indian Wars of the 19th century, the presence of slavery in the US as late as 1865 even though the supposedly Evil (British) Empire outlawed the slave trade in 1817, etc. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Many social conservatives would argue that they are the ones who are counter-cultural nonconformists today. And, of course, this kind of history was written by the winners. U.S. senator Joseph McCarthy (19091957) of Wisconsin led an anticommunist witchhunt that eventually led to blacklists in the movie industry. Fortunately, a friend offered to act as a character witness. But he pretended to be a really nice guy. 3 In 2005, Lucas explains that It [Star Wars] was really about the Vietnam War, and that was the period where Nixon was trying to run for a [second] term, which got me to thinking historically about how do democracies get turned into dictatorships? Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Profanity is also always present in his music, but he claims he does not use it to seem "cool" or "hard", in fact, in a SpeakEasy interview he explained his constant use of the F-word by saying: I really dont know why, the word sounds cool. Now, in this other well crafted article, the Star Wars universe of Episodes IV, V, and VI is likened to Vietnam era America. What do the hyenas fear? The Cold War filtered into all areas of American life. I have a particular personal interest in exploring topics related to nonbinary gender identity. Meanwhile, in an example of both left and right sides of the political spectrum embracing nonconformity as an action of Liberty, many leftists who embraced Marxism at this time saw the bourgeois as current overlords and saw their participation in Communism as nonconformity against that culture. The game and its components were liberally sprinkled with Nazi insignia and my mother later confided that she really wasnt happy about my obsession with it: having grown up during WW2 she regarded the Nazis as the epitome of evil and said that she literally felt a bit queasy any time she saw a swastika. Quotes tagged as "nonconformity" Showing 1-30 of 102. How BothLeft & Right Claim V For Vendetta As Their Own.. The New York Yankees' decade-long dominance of professional baseball was the big story, followed closely by the increasing integration (blacks were no longer banned) in baseball and other sports. Lucas broke Star Wars by changing the Force from a power achieved through self-mastery, into a genetically conferred superiority complex. Period. Gender Nonconformity in Pop Culture: Asked to create a timeline on a humanities-related topic of our choosing for a Fall 2020 Digital Humanities course, I selected gender nonconformity in pop culture, a somewhat broad and tricky topic as the terminology and understanding of gender identity outside the binary is an evolving one, especially as it concerns culture and media. The Zombie Nazis are participating in exclusion to maintain their conformity. People create social media accounts just to post pictures of beaches or forests and what is crazy about it is that people actually follow and like them. It is important to remember that real-life Nazis who committed atrocities were complex and sane individuals who made choices. The 1950s are most often remembered as a quiet decade, a decade of conformity, stability, and normalcy. His involvement in denuclearization efforts led to accusations of being a foreign agent, and he was charged when he refused to register with the government. Even though many felt they were breaking the mold and doing the non-conformity thing by becoming Communist, it was the conformity to fear of Communist overlords and rules that caused much of the destruction echoing still from the 20th century. The force choking grip or the fact that the audience doesnt see his face for most of his tenure as Star Wars villain? They make us feel good about ourselves. When Rey desperately holds out Lukes lightsaber to an older, sadder, tired Luke, she is speaking on behalf of the younger generation saying We still need you. We need your courage, your optimism, your uniqueness, and even your recklessness. Kanye West is a hip hop artist who has gotten much attention over the last few years because he is so openly self confident and believes that he can create and do anything that he sets his mind to and that is how he shows the Transcendental tenant of self-reliance. It shows them to be vulnerable and it embarrasses them. Why make the Nazi connection to the First Order so explicit with a huge rally and Nazi-like banner before committing mass-genocide by wiping out an entire system? Learn about another American music pioneer, Thelonious Monk, by visitingMonk At 100. A guy, or in this case a raccoon, that could slack off of work because he "doesn't feel like it" and gets away with it each and every day. Social liberals, while embracing a collective good, might be more likely to oppose collective nationalism, racism, or corporatism. You can insult the Nazis without offending anyone. Dont get me wrong, I think your article is well written and I find the Nazi trope in fiction very interesting, but I disagree with the message of conformity. Since Walt founded the company, Mickey has been battling authoritarian, power hungry, or mindless villains in his cartoon shorts. . Transcendentalism Within Pop Culture by Daniel Michael Espitia - Prezi "I love the way you say my name and how you laugh at all the stupid things I say." Kiki and Tombo, Kiki's Delivery Service. Dr. W. E. B. Rock and pop music"pop" is short for "popular"are part of popular culture. Excellent work! Grey's Anatomy is an ABC original show that has taken over the internet and lives of many over the last few years. For most Americans, the 1950s saw a return to normalcy after the crazy war years. Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America. https://neonhero.wordpress.com/2010/06/06/mainstream-commercial-nihilism-cant-be-trusted/. Even their marching was completely unified. When Curie, neSkodowska,was a girl in Poland, she excelled at scientific studies, but was prevented from attending a traditional university by the restrictive, sexist educationalpolicies of the occupying Russian Empire. But ultimately, he comes down on the side of arguing that we could use a little less conformity. Professional football finally outstripped college football in popularity. They have their storm-troopers and commanders coal scuttle helmets and clicking big boots. Im thinking of the attempt to conquer Canada in the War of 1812, the Civil War, the conquest of the West during the Indian Wars of the 19th century, the presence of slavery in the US as late as 1865 even though the supposedly Evil (British) Empire outlawed the slave trade in 1817, etc. She died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1959. One of the biggest points and guidlines to transcendentalism is nonconformity. In spite of these successes, his views on religion would be considered heretical. Tyler also doesn't let his fame get to him, he remembers who he is and keeps his family, and friends close. What is it about the fictional masked figure which strikes fear and awe into the hearts of fans for generations? Great links between sci-fi movie and contemporary politics. In Reason and Emotion (1942) the studio shows audiences how Nazi ideology uses emotions to create mob-rule and those who use reason to question this ideology are put in concentration camps. Teens today glorify the beauty of the world and that is proven by the thousands of posts and pages that revolve around breath taking scenery. Darth Vader is #3 on the AFI (American Film Institute) list of top film villains right after Hannibal Lecter and Norman Bates. I think Lucas rooting the stories in the global mythological tropes identified by Joseph Campbell went a long way to insuring that they spoke to ideas beyond their commercial circumstances, but I also cant pretend that this isnt a capitalist product designed (especially at this historical moment) to make buckets of money. I dont wish to turn this into a competition but what things? Snoop Lion's song "The Good Good" off of his Reincarnated album is the perfect example of enjoying the simple things in life. Some of those more personally affected are still alive today. Laughter and the voice of the person you love. The song describes a day that he spends with his girlfriend and how "days like these are days I love." Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it. He was a pioneering figure in the world of medicine and wrote prolifically on subjects including alchemy, philosophy, and astronomy. No need to slip into relativism. Popular culture is, in the historic use of term, the culture of the people .". Importance of nature helps people be intact . The informal college was operated in secret, with ever-changing locations to avoid detection. Du Bois is an American hero. ." Nazis represent the ultimate threat to American values even though their regime was defeated. President instead of Your Excellency, for example, and can even be on a first name basis with bosses. Curie is one of the most influential scientists in the last 100 years, having discovered radium, polonium, and even coining the term radioactivity. It might not be surprising to the reader that many core American values can be traced to Americas founding. The Nazis in the Indiana Jones films are ridiculous pantomime villains. To be honest, I wish they would have made The Force Awakens less black & white. ), Jeffrey Katzenberg (head of film division), Peter Schneider (head of animation, Alan Menken (composer), and Howard Ashman (producer and lyricist) are Jewish. This quote shows how he uses his self confidence to be self-reliant. 21 Examples of Pop Culture - Simplicable Nonconformity. National Socialism, as a socially conservative form of Socialism, which is close to Marxism in its control over private property, represents an attack on Liberty from all angles. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/culture-magazines/1950s-pop-culture-explodes-decade-conformity, "1950s: Pop Culture Explodes in a Decade of Conformity With content from Barbican Centre, the SF Jazz Center, and more, Marie Curie in her laboratory, located rue Cuvier, circa 1908 (1908) by Henri ManuelMuse Curie. Think about the villains we love to hate. Hmm. Encyclopedia.com. The TIE Fighter roar was inspired by the Stuka siren according to an interview with Lucas a long, long, time ago.. This exists at the level of nations and often transcends nationality such that it can be considered global. : ). Watch the video below to learn about his life, work, and legacy. How Alan Turing laid the foundations for AI: The Turing test explained (2019-05-15)Barbican Centre, Billie Holiday at the Downbeat, NYC (1947) by William Gottlieb. Other than cowboy films and their portrayal of the Native American, what other bogeyman has been so extensively covered? It operates independently with the writers collaboratively building and maintaining the platform. Another example of Kanye's self reliance was his 2008 performance at the Nokia Theatre. Because the democracies arent overthrown; theyre given away. If the Empire is supposed to represent America or a dangerous future for America, the use of Nazi aesthetics, such as the use of the name Storm Trooper, make a clear statement to the audience of the kind of black-and-white totalitarianism that could potentially lie in store. The resulting interactive object includes a selection of somebut certainly not allinstances of how these identities have been represented since the 1800s or so, along with brief analysis and commentary on those representations. Katniss is different becasue unlike most girls she hunts outside of her districts boarders and is the "bread winner" for the family since her father died. However, in his own time, the dominant institutions declared Galileoa heretic his support of the idea that the Earth moves around the sun contradicted the church. One of the challenges that we face as a culture is how to digest the messaging of a piece of entertainment/art, coupled with the difficulty of parsing the role of the messenger in the ultimate impact of the message. Is it the haunting breathing? Another Hollywood film which was released before WWII, but spoke to American fears of overlords was MGMsThe Mortal Storm (1940) which explicitly dealt with the rise of Hitler. 2013. The term popular culture refers to the pattern of the more accessible cultural experiences and attitudes that exist in mainstream society. Major Non-conformance - this is a significant failure to meet quality requirements and major standards such as ISO 9001. To many, author and civil rights leader W. E. B. What Are Examples of a Non-Conformist? - Reference.com In this way, the Warner Brothers were making a statement about white supremacist overlords at home who fear people who are different and dont allow free thought within their ranks. Superman fought Nazis, and a new hero called Captain America was born to fight Nazis and famously punch Hitler in the face. Conflict and conformity, culture and technology ruled in rock's early Another wonderful and insightful article. He glorifies the smallest things and describes how they make his day perfect. and the Nazis in many of those films are compelling and essential villains (yes, in great uniforms). "In some settings, conformists strengthen social bonds, whereas dissenters imperil them, or at least introduce tension," he notes. I live in San Jose with my partner and our beloved pet rabbit. From a more social conservative/religious point of view, nonconformity has Biblical origins. He didn't need all of that extra help to make his performance seem incredible, he knew he would make it extraordinary all on his own. This is shown in every aspect of his career including his distaste for being titled to a specific genre of music because it creates expectations for his music, which he says is all about free spirit. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Hydra from Captain America, Nazi villains in Indiana Jones, etc. Bear Grylls has a show called man vs wild were he goes on adventures and survives on his own. Transcendentalism in pop culture - Padlet
