Weekly Analysis 2

I decided to focus my weekly analysis on the issue of texting while driving. If you drive down many highways, you will see signs that discourage people from texting while driving. Some states have gone as far as passing laws against the use of cell phones on the road period. However, that is not to say people will actually abide by those rules. There have been times, when I have seen people, texting, talking on the cell phone while putting on makeup and driving. I have also seen people, staring down at their cell phone keyboards and their hands in most cases are not even close to the steering wheel. And then there are the “crazy ones”, who like to "sext" and drive. “Sexting” is a new teen word for sending revealing pictures to your significant other. I keep trying to imagine how they do it. But, how do you text in a moving car? I guess they guide the steering wheel with their knees, while holding the blackberry, droid or smart-phone in their hands. The driver's eyes must flit back and forth between the road and the cell phone's screen. I really don’t have problem with this, as long as these maniacs are posing danger only to themselves, but that is not usually the case. (Van Osdol, 2007), states that, “A recent insurance survey found that teens say texting is their #1 distraction on the roadways. Another recent study found that over one-third of all young drivers send text messages while driving, with one-fifth of all drivers texting at the wheel of their cars”. There have been too many innocent lives lost on our highways due to this silly habit of texting while driving. I believe that the human mind is most effective when it is focused on one task, not two and let alone three or four at the same time. I also feel that driving, is a very difficult task to undertake. It doesn’t matter how good you are at driving, even Nascar drivers, can attest to the fact that, it is safer to focus on the road than juggle between driving and texting. The main issue is that, when driving you have to look ahead, behind and sideways because while you may be a safe driver, the person in front of you, behind you, or on your side, may not necessarily be as vigilant. Defensive driving taught me to always assume, and anticipate the other driver’s actions. Now, how can you possibly watch all four sides of your car, text and drive at the same time? It is just not realistic, and I feel that, all states will at some point be forced to enact laws to outlaw texting while driving.




References:

Van Osdol, P., (2007): "Team 4: Driving, Texting Just Don't Mix Well." WTAE Channel 4 Action News. May 2, 2007.

Weekly Analysis 2

The first icon contemporary icon I chose is Who Wants to Be a Millionare, television game show, which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of consecutive multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The program originated in the United Kingdom, where it was hosted by Chris Tarrant. I chose this game because when this game show started airing on the ABC network in the US, it became an instant hit television series.

The other contemporary icon I chose is the animated series, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, which was created, produced, and hosted in live action bookends by comedian Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including the titular one. The show, based on Bill Cosby's remembrances of his childhood gang, focused on the lovable, oversized Albert, with his signature rumbling exclamation "Hey hey hey!", and his friends. This show although old is still very popular especially among people who grew up in the 70s -80s. It was also popular because it primarily spoke to African-American youth in low-income families, a segment of the population previously ignored by Saturday morning programming. However, the show had an impact on children across the United States, regardless of race. Even my young self, growing up in a relatively poor to middle-income family in Zimbabwe, remember the show as always having an educational lesson emphasized by Cosby's live-action cameos. Cosby's Kids had an upbeat attitude and were eager to learn, in spite of their apparent poverty. This I believe, is what made the show popular world-wide especially in poor communities, because the kids in those areas could relate to the struggles, Fat Albert and his friends were going through.

The last contemporary icon I chose is Care Bears which are a set of fictional characters created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. The cartoon characters became so popular that they appeared in their own television series from 1985 to 1988, in addition to three feature films. Each Care Bear comes in a different color and has a specialized sign on its belly that represents its duty and personality. The Care Bears are now part and parcel of American Pop culture and people buy them as Christmas gifts or to show loved ones that you care. They can also be seen in hospital beds, especially the ones which specialize in taking care of children because they are so huggable.

Artifact

Pop culture to me is the identity that goes along with being up to date with current styles and trends. Popular culture encompasses morals, beliefs, opinions, thoughts, and other influences. It is essentially a term that is used to describe the popular trends of a given society. Since popular culture is also the study of celebrities, trends, and subjects that are popular with the people of that nation or common interest, it is relevant to understand it especially in a business environment, because most marketing strategies rely on current and future popular consumer shopping trends.


A good example of a pop culture artifact is a television. Since it first became commercially available from the late 1940s, the television set has become a common household communications device in living rooms, bedrooms and offices, particularly in the first world, as a source of entertainment and news. I chose this artifact because I believe that I, like most Americans have some form of addiction to watching TV. It is amazing to imagine how much time we all spend watching TV.