A Cup of Joe

In basic terms, mass customization is the concept of a notable company expanding into the global economic market. American companies, specifically fast food and U.S. clothing companies, have been infamous for following this concept since the 1980s and 1990s. What has been the result? Well, the average person living in China can enjoy a nice and juicy Whopper for a lunch break. Yet, there is one American company that has become the exception to the fast food/clothing line success: Starbucks.

Starbucks is deemed as one of the greatest success stories and this could be credited to its use of mass customization. Starbucks began as a private, coffee shop company that with only 6 retail outlets. It now stands an American icon. The company’s unique economic practice of entering into joint ventures has resulted in drive thru services, food menus, sales in grocery stores, bookstores, schools, airlines, cruise lines, and even hotels. Furthermore, it has become a prominent international icon as well. On a global scale, Starbucks operates 1,300 international outlets. The bulk of its international success is due to its market expansion into Asia.

　
So, what’s big deal about Starbucks success and its use of mass customization? Well, the fact is that both of these subjects are features of popular culture. In Starbucks utilizing mass customization, there have been cross roads in cultural, political, and economic arenas. In fact, they have been more of consequences. The cultural and political consequences go hand-in-hand. Being an international company, Starbucks faces the risk of operating in volatile political and cultural regions. It was a target of internet boycott campaigns claiming it donated profits to Israel; the country was under international scrutiny for the Gaza War. The economic consequence has been protests on its international labor practices. At one point, the company was under fire for the $2.50 daily minimum wage of its Guatemalan coffee bean pickers. The example of Starbucks gives even more evidence of the complexity of popular culture.

　

　

Works Cited

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/4279688/Starbucks-smashed-and-looted-as-anti-Israel-protests-turn-to-violence.htmlhttp://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/132354507.htmlhttp://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/coffee/662.html

Watch This!

The 2010 Super Bowl, the OHester Fest, and Miley Cyrus’s Wonder World Tour Concert. What do these things have in common? They’re all spectacles, or events, that people have indulged money and time to watch or participate in. Yet, there is a spectacle that everyone can participate in every single day and year round as well. Besides from listening to a song, watching an artist’s music video has become a spectacle in itself.

For something that is merely popular to become a spectacle, it has to take over the social context of society. Well, music videos have done this. An artist’s music video is not just a visual representation of their style. A music video seems to always bring up social debates such as whether a singer a good or bad artist, whether they are creative or typical, or if their music is relatable in any fashion. On that note, a music video doesn’t truly need to relate to life, but even the lives people dream to have. For example, having “stacks of money to blow,” according to rap artist, Drake.

With music, there is a music industry, which is the economic component to this spectacle. It is no question that music exists for the people to have some form of expression or relation. However, artists spend up to millions just to film a music video. What an artist is wearing, what kind of car is driven, what city the video is filmed in makes music videos a spectacle. Furthermore, it seems that music videos represent what people want to be. Images of wealth and power make people want to watch a music video. A music video is one that will be seen on a global scale, so image matters.

Sometimes, a spectacle can become political. For example, some of the major debates during the 2010 World Cup was that it was unfair to exclude countries from the games because of their political standing the international community. Because music videos are watched on a global scale, what an artist expresses can become a political issue. For example, Kanye West’s video “Love Lockdown” brought upon debates about the images of Africa. Some international newspapers deemed Kanye West as a disgrace to the music industry for basically stereotyping Africa and Africans.

Relating to popular culture, music videos have an affect on the social, economic, even the political aspects of our society. Maybe watching a music video is not the initial thought of something that is a spectacle. However, like other spectacles, music videos began as something entertaining and trivial. Yet, it seems that it has turned into something complex enough to be categorized as part of popular culture.

Nice Phone

In the past, a cell phone was purely used for talking to someone in another area; it was a basic means of communication. In the mid to late 1980s, the first generation of cell phones were installed in cars, using the DC outlet of a car battery to hold its charge. However, the cell phone has been revolutionized. Now, there is an expansive variety of cell phones to choose from, like the Samsung Tint, a simple flip phone from MetroPCS, to the famous Android X from Verizon Wireless. In addition to having a cell phone, there are a number of cell phone carriers available to the public. Cell phone companies like Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, and AT&T are the most recognizable to name.




So, what’s the difference between choosing an android phone to a simplistic flip phone? The amenities, of course. For example, the Android X, the latest phone from Verizon Wireless, is nothing less than extraordinary. To name a couple of features, it fashions one of the largest internal memories, 8 gigabytes, for emails, text messages, applications; it captures the most precise camera images with its 8.0 mega pixel camera, it has advanced speech recognition(you can literally speak to create a text message),and it even has desk documents, like Microsoft Word, so you can type up an upcoming paper on your very own cell phone.



In the past, it was a luxury to have a phone to talk to a distant friend or relative. Even in times of an emergency, not everyone had a cell phone handy to call for help. The transition occurred that having a cell phone was a necessity. It is one item that almost every person physically possesses traveling anywhere, even down the street to the local grocery store. Furthermore, it has transformed into a valuable asset. Having features such as mobile internet access on one’s cell phone is a requirement for most people, even the 16-year-old high school student.



In a sense, your cell phone represents you as an individual. This seems like a far-fetched statement, but giving it more thought, it is relevant. Having a cell phone like the Droid X equates to the message that either an one is wealthy or lucky. Questions pop up like how you could afford such a phone, what kind of job you have, to who bought your cell phone. It has even become a part of casual conversation. A simple question such as what kind of phone you have turns into a longer conversation to what are the best phones, the most affordable phones, the most expensive phones, to which companies provide the best service. Cell phones have not only become a useful device or a luxury; they have simply become a commodity to which life would not function without them.

Don't Bullshit

That I, I, I, I'm so hard

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so hard

So hard, So hard, So hard, So hard



Dwight Macdonald, a notable American writer and film critic, made an interesting observation about popular culture. Macdonald described four objectives for something to become popular: it has to be promoted to the general public, it is employed by a higher class of people, it isn’t an expression of the common people. That seems to describe the entire music industry. The words you read above is from a song by the multi-platinum artist, Rihanna. Now, either you love Rihanna and think she is a genius or you may think Rihanna is a talentless “artist” who only became successful due to a couple of good beats and some computer technology to help her seem like she can hold a note.



Macdonald did not only describe popular culture only in terms of entertainment but in propaganda as well. How could something become popular when it's used for propaganda? This is possible; in fact, it happens everyday. It can even happen twenty-four hours a day with the right resources. What am I referring to? Well, news broadcasting, specifically, American news broadcasting. American news renders the same slogan, the war against terrorism. If this is not the opening line of a news broadcast, it will definitely be mentioned at some point. Repeatedly hearing this kind of news had made an effect; in one survey, about fifty-four percent of Americans believe some civil liberties need to be sacrificed to have protection from terrorism. The most recent controversy in the U.S. media was about the “World Trade Center mosque.” How did protesting against a mosque become popular? To clarify, I will use Macdonald’s formula.





First, to make something popular, it has to be promoted to the general public. Well, news is something people generally watch. This headline would catch anyone’s attention: “The World Trade Center Mosque.” A number of news stations, from Fox News to CNN, reported about plans of a mosque being built in the same location of the former World Trade Center. Of course, the reaction was shock and outrage. Yet, this information was wrong. In actuality, in a lower Manhattan neighborhood, there were plans being made to build a community center, which would house an auditorium, a library, a day care facility, restaurant and cooking school, and yes, a mosque. Additionally, it wouldn’t be in the exact same area as the WTC; it would stand two and a half blocks away.



Second, to be popular something will be supported by a higher class. Well, in this scenario, Republicans were the biggest promoters for opposing “the mosque.” When this story hit the fan, Republican Sarah Palin found her voice in the controversy. She continuously talked about how building “the mosque” would be a slap on the face to 9/11 families and break their hearts. Not too long afterwards, Palin had a flock of followers and the daily news portrayed outraged protestors.





Third, something popular doesn’t express how the people generally feel. After weeks of news broadcastings about protests against the WTC mosque, another side of the story faintly sparked. Some news stations tried to report the truth about the so-called mosque. Some even tried to subtly reveal that maybe politicians like Palin were using the story to gain popularity.



Macdonald’s point is that popular culture later becomes “mass culture.” The difference is that the mass culture doesn’t provide people with any kind of relation or expression. It simply makes people the consumers of something that doesn’t pertain to life at all. Popular culture takes on social, political, and economic aspects, which is the beauty of its complexity. Yet, when something complex becomes simple and repetitive, it is far from beneficial for the general public.

Pass the Pipe

Laying back on a plush purple couch, listening to tranquil Mediterranean music, the sounds of very distinct conversations occur. Simple discussions about one’s work week to conversations in Arabic are mingled with the aroma of Mediterranean dishes that everyone is enjoying. All the while, you and a couple of friends are relaxing, smoking hookah with your flavor of choice, apple-mint.


This is the scene that has become a popular trend among people across the country. Hookah, which is an ancient form of smoking, originated from the Middle East and parts of Asia and has grown in popularity in the United States. Specifically, it has become a new relaxing hobby for people between the ages of 18-24 years old. Of course, college students are the notable consumers of hookah; there are a number of “hookah lounges” around college campuses in many states. The increasing trend of smoking hookah has also caused for the opening of new “hookah lounges.” At a Mediterranean hookah lounge, the cultural feel is unique. The complexity Mediterranean dishes and music are a product of cultures like India, Iran, Turkey, and other regions. Unlike a noisy club or an ordinary bar, these lounges offer a relaxing kind of environment, as it is obvious from the above description.


It’s simple, all you need is a hookah stand (which you fill the base with water), a hose, a pipe, and a bowl to place to the flavored tobacco and a heated charcoal. Even more proof of hookah’s popularity, anybody can purchase their own hookah either online or at local shops. Websites like customhookah.com offers a variety of different hookahs ranging in size, color and decoration. In addition, the website advertises a number of different flavors and a small fee for a box of charcoal, if needed. Buying a hookah stand, without the flavors and charcoal, can range in price from twenty to a hundred dollars, depending on size and quality the consumer wants.


So, it sounds pretty good: a safe, relaxing, accessible, increasingly popular trend. However, there is a catch. Critics of this new hobby have voiced concerns about the health risks of hookah. Hookah is perceived as a safe alternative to cigarette smoking. However, this is not true. Groups such as the American Lung Association and the World Health Organization, are warning that hookah is the same old tobacco product, using a different device. For one, since hookah is smoked through a pipe rather than a filter, like a cigarette, a person is smoking longer. In fact, they are smoking forty-five minutes longer, which delivers 36 times more tar, 15 times more carbon monoxide, and seventy percent more nicotine than a cigarette. Can anyone say lung cancer? However, despite the attempted backlash, sales on hookah has skyrocketed. Hookah is a communal hobby that is catching on and it doesn’t seem as though it will be dying down anytime soon.