Teenage Dream

America is a land of stereotypes. One group in particular is the subject of much discrimination against them, teenagers. While teenagers are all different, the basis of what all teenagers seek in their lives is popularity, success, and love.

Popularity is a key aspect to high school life. In almost every television show, movie, or book, teenage characters seek to gain popularity. Teenagers think that having a successful high school career is becoming popular; their view of popularity revolves around the aspects of love and success.

Love comes in two forms in high school; one is the love of friendship. Many teenagers seek to have as many friends as possible; they think that the more people that like them, the more loved they will be. The other type of love is the romantic type. Since high school can be witness to a teenagers first experiences in romantic love, it can become overwhelming and take over their entire lives. While these forms of affection can be beneficial, they can often be taken to far and to the extreme. Young people can destroy any real forms of love; they often abandon true friends for more friends and a real relationship for a more involved one. The dream teenagers have for themselves is to have the most friends or to find their “true love”, emulating a Disney movie.

Success in school can also drive teenagers to extreme emotions and actions. Whether through academics, fine arts, or athletics, teenagers can become to involved in their work. The desire to be the best in any aspect of ones life is a common American trait; it is also one of the driving factors of American industry and economy. This trait, for better or worse, is fostered first in the education system of America.

Understanding the teenage mind allows one to better interact with them; furthermore, the teenage experience in America is something shared by all citizens and a unifying factor. All Americans are required to attend at least some high school, thus high school becomes a common thread that unites the people of the United States.

Iron Man & the Neo-American Dream

Superheroes represent the ideal life of an American. In a since, superheroes have become the new standard for how Americans view their lives. Comic books, superheroes, and their movies are the new “American Dream”. One of the most popular comic book superheroes is Iron Man, who represents the epitome of this new American dream with his wealth, intellect, and morals. His popularity comes from his embodiment of the neo-American dream.

Perhaps the most sought after goal of Americans is wealth; Iron Man represents this idea of wealth very well. He is an eccentric multi-billionaire weapons manufacture. Many people are infatuated by his status of wealth and place the Iron Man image on their lunchboxes, t-shirts, and other merchandise. The second factor to his popularity comes from his intelligence. Children and teenagers, a major superhero market segment, have spent their entire lives in pursuit of academic excellence so it only makes since they would feel drawn to someone they wish to imitate. His intelligence is also shown in his humor and wit. His last attribute, his morals, is the defining factor of not only his popularity but also his relatability. He is a man who wants to do the right thing but has sometimes struggled.  After all, his company profited off of war and once sold weapons to a terrorist group. However, it cannot be denied that he is dedicated to justice. He risks his life every day in defense of people who cannot defend themselves.

Through his influence, Marvel has used this widely popular superhero to instill morals to a new generation of fans. Iron Man represents the dream that parents have for their children and a dream that children hope to achieve. Everyone wants to be financially successful with an intelligence that includes a decent sense of humor and to be ethical. The neo-American dream is pioneered by superheroes and other decent role models in America.

Victory and Rivalries

Sports play a pivotal role in the culture of America. As with any sport, the main goal for a team or individual is victory; this desire to win fosters an incredibly competitive spirit of rivalry within American society. These rivalries are born out of the desire to win and become the best. Rivalries and the road to victory, otherwise known as the playoffs, influence culture both negatively and positively.

Many problems arise with the intense rivalries in America. Among these are divisions among the populace that cause social strife, ranging from teenage rivalries to regional hatreds. Unfortunately even young children are exposed to this conflict. This practice is further heightened in high school athletics. Necessity for victory and intense rivalry is found in almost every high school sport, from cross country to volleyball. But the sport most guilty of increasing the emotions of players and fans to an uncontrollable level is football. With this passion, fans are prompted to riots, fighting, and sometimes murder. These intense feelings begin as early as children’s Pop Warner leagues and continue to the NFL level.

While these rivalries may be taken too far, they can have another effect besides segregation. While one team’s winning will not unify the nation, these intense feelings associated with victory can unify a small microcosm of those related to the team. A high school playoff game can unite an otherwise apathetic school body. Many activities vie for the attention of the school; from band to cheerleading to other interests, a school can become divided very quickly. However, the school is still unified by one identity and one name. School pride can spread across a campus like wildfire and unify a divided campus.

The positive and negative effects of pride, rivalries, and a drive to win are woven deeply into American society. American culture puts a great emphasis on victory above all else. If one is able to understand this part of the American psyche, they will better interact with the community they live in.

iGeneration: Part 1 of 2

Technology is constantly changing. With every major change, a new era of civilization is ushered into the world. The cotton gin allowed America to mass produce textiles; the light bulb illuminated houses at night; and computers now bring a vast array of information to almost anywhere in the world. The latest stage of human technological development centers around two major points. The first major point is the rise of smart devices, popularized by the technology company, Apple.

The term iGeneration, or iGen for short, most literally refers to the generation of children growing up with Apple products but can also refer to anyone living in this era of readily accessible information. The iPhone was not the first smartphone, but it changed the way the world viewed them. Ever since the first iPhones were released, the smartphone has only been gaining popularity. Devices like the iPhone, iPad, and iTouch have brought the world into a new phase of learning. The internet is now accessible anywhere one can get a phone signal. Even though the internet contains falsities, it also contains an infinite amount of true information. This rise of accessibility of information correlates with other political and social movements (i.e. Edward Snowden and his NSA leak, or documentaries showing how McDonald’s makes their chicken nuggets) that suggest a common theme within the new millennium, freedom of information. Whether the information is government spying practices, or how to tie a tie, this new generation believes that information should not only be declassified but also easily accessible.

This accessibility craze was ignited by Apple and its products. Both adults and children who wish to, can now access the internet from some device. Apple’s influence in this new wave of thinking cannot be denied, given their stock-market success and the fact that they keep releasing new versions of their product.

iGen is the current phase of American culture; and by understanding Apple’s influence in this new generation, people can relate to those involved with the new phase of cultural development. Freedom of information and ease of accessibility is key to the future success in America.

iGeneration: Part 2 of 2

Technology is constantly changing. This changing technology also impacts the way Americans communicate. From the invention of the telegraph to the invention of the telephone, technology advances communication. Perhaps the greatest influence of the iGeneration movement has been the birth of social media.

The origin of modern social media begins with the company Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg began his social media company not knowing the effects it would have on American society. This company is one of the many adorning the world wide web. From Instagram to Twitter, people are infatuated with this new form of communication.

The main goal of all social media sites is that through the internet, people can interact with friends and family members no matter the distance between them. Companies approach this in different ways. Instagram, for instance, attempts to illustrate the lives of the user through images and pictures. On the other hand, Twitter tries to capture the human experience into 140 characters or less.

Both good and bad things can come from this social media take over. Pros include being able to stay in touch with long distance family and friends as well as using social media to spread information faster than through individual texts or phone calls. Finally on the pro list is the ability to have an interconnected world.

Cons include a new sense of permanence and the augmentation of cyber bullying. What is meant by a sense of permanence is that anything one posts, private, public, nice, or hurtful, is now a searchable document upon the internet. Words become increasingly harder to take back and extra caution must be employed. Also many people, especially teenagers, lower their values when they type something online instead of saying it in person. This new cyber threat has lead to many lives being taken through suicide.

As with any new innovation, kinks still have to be worked out. There is no perfect solution where one is able to eliminate the bad of social media while keeping the good intact. America as a society must put forth a conscious effort to purge social media of its shortcomings, so that it can enjoy the benefits of this new form of communication.

The History of Jack-O’-Lanterns

Millions of Americans dress up and celebrate the holiday Halloween each year. One of the many traditions tied to Halloween is the carving of pumpkins. This carving of faces, pictures, or characters turns the pumpkin into a jack-o’-lantern. Because of their capability to express one’s individuality and creativity, jack-o’-lanterns are a symbol of American culture.

Fall is a season of harvesting. Through this agricultural practice, pumpkins have become a symbol for the season of fall and of all the autumn holidays. The origins of the jack-o’-lantern can be traced back to Ireland. As the tale goes, an unsavory Irishman by the name of Stingy Jack went drinking at a tavern one night and he invited the devil himself to come along. And as his name implied, Stingy Jack did not want to pay for their drinks. Instead, he convinced the devil to turn himself into a coin to pay for the drinks again reverting to his namesake. Then instead of paying for the drinks, Jack put the coin into his pocket. One would think that the devil would just turn himself back into his regular form, but jack put the coin next to a silver cross. The proximity to the cross forbade the devil to transform out of the coin, so he had to strike a deal with Stingy Jack to get free. He promised to leave him alone for one year; however the next year, Jack trapped the devil again. This time he forced the devil to promise to never take him into hell. The devil complied, and Jack set him free. So when the time came for Jack to die, he neither went to heaven nor to hell. God said he would not allow such a horrible person into heaven. So Jack was sent back to earth with a burning coal to light his wanderings. He later put the into a carved turnip and roamed the earth. Families would set carved potatoes and turnips out on their windowsills and doorsteps to keep Jack and other spirits away.

But what about the pumpkins? The practice of carving the turnips and potatoes was brought to America by immigrants who discovered the native gourd to be much better for carving.

This tradition may have been brought over from Ireland, but it has become an American icon over time. America is a land of immigrants so it only makes sense that some of her traditions would be derived from these immigrants. Furthermore, this tradition allows for an infinite number of styles and motifs to be carved. Americans love to be unique, and this tradition allows them to be creative and special.