Final Blog Post!

-What is a Hipster?
My first post, looking at what I initially thought about hipsters. This post is heavily influenced by Leland, but I think that's okay because I really hadn't thought much about hip before reading his book.

-The Perfection of Imperfection
This post is about the Beats. I was a bit ticked off by the Beats and the way the idolized the imperfect, and I address that a tiny bit in this post. I mostly picked this post because I think it's fairly well written and organized (and I sort of still cared about hip at this point :P).

-Singing the Song of the Trickster: Ramona Flowers
My absolute, without a doubt, favorite blog post of the semester. I had so much fun writing this one and I think it's at least half-way decent! ;)

Why I selected these three posts:

I think these three posts are good representations of my writing over the semester—I think all three of them are fairly organized posts and solidly written, but I think they also show how my ideas about hip changed over the semester. The first post sort of just goes along with what Leland says (mostly because he *was* my contact with “hip”), but I think the second post maybe explores a bit where I had some issues with Leland. The third post explores my favorite aspect of hip—the trickster figure. I think all three posts are good demonstrations of the time and effort I put into this class, as well as good examples of solid writing.

How my ideas about American popular culture have changed since the beginning of the semester and what I’ve learned from this course:

I don’t know that this course has necessarily changed my ideas about American popular culture. I’m definitely a lot more informed about the history of hipness in American (especially relating to racial and gender issues) than I was before I took this course, but I can’t really think of any really specific and concrete ideas that have changed. I guess maybe I was a little appalled at the history of cartoons and how racially insensitive and inappropriate they could be. I do know that I’ve learned a TON of stuff in this class—although the history of hip could be a bit dull at times, I really enjoyed learning about how particular racial minorities mingled together to create a whole new culture (with little subcultures). I’m also extremely fascinated by the trickster figure. Now that I know about that figure, I’ve seen it played out in so many different ways—in my own life, in music, movies, history, etc.

How I would evaluate my performance in class this semester, as well as my strengths and weaknesses as a writer and thinker:

I think I did a pretty good job in class this semester. I know I’m not always the most talkative in class, but I do follow the discussion (even when I feel like it’s over my head!) and try to talk if I think it will add to what is already being said. I think one of my biggest struggles as a writer and thinker is organization: I often feel like my thoughts are just a big muddled mess inside my head, and I think they often come out on paper that way! However, when I can come up with solidly organized essays, I think they tend to be pretty strong. I don’t know that I’m necessarily good at this, but I do enjoy doing analytical work. I also find that if I’m passionate about the subject matter, I can almost always write something fairly decent!

If I were to give myself a grade for this class that is reflective of my performance, I would give myself…

a B. I worked hard and put forth a good effort this semester, but I did miss two weeks of class at the beginning of the semester so that put my participation points down a bit, and I’ve had a hard time learning to balance work and school, which I think caused this class to suffer. I’ve had a bit of a difficult time staying current with blogging, and although my first two essays were graded as solid B’s, I don’t think either one was really amazing. I enjoyed this class for the most part (the topic of hip is starting to get kind of old now), and will be sad to see this semester come to an end.

Annotated Bibliography for Essay #3

CARAMANICA, JON. "Pop Sirens Flirt With Today And Yesterday." New York Times 20 Feb. 2011: 9. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.

This article compares and contrasts Avril Lavigne to other great female divas of her generation—Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. He believes that Lavigne’s musical fame is suffering in the wake of Lady Gaga.

"i enjoy being a girl." People 65.18 (2006): 180-185. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.

People magazine examines three influential, yet tomboyish, musicians (Avril Lavigne included). Throughout the article, these women explain how they’re in touch with their feminine side, despite often appearing as tough and a bit angsty.

Halperin, Shirley. "AVRIL LAVIGNE." Entertainment Weekly 929 (2007): 21-22. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 19 Apr. 2011.

This article goes a bit into Lavigne’s personal life—has she outgrown her complicated or does some of her in-your-face music just go to show that she still has a lot to learn about being an adult? The article mentions Lavigne’s childhood, her tendency to party a bit and her favorite music.

LAUREN DAVID, PEDEN. "A NIGHT OUT WITH: Avril Lavigne; Punk Rocker, Pop Queen And Tomboy All in One." New York Times 10 Nov. 2002: 1. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.

This article explores Avril’s early career and relationship with her band. She talks about being a vegetarian, the downsides to being famous and her “punk” sense of style. Even though she has changed drastically over the course of her short career, I think a look at those first few years is important to understanding why she’ll continue to be a prominent figure in hip.

Leland, John. Hip: The History. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2004. Print.

I think some of Leland’s views on hip will be quite useful for my paper, so I’m planning on using him.

Martens, Todd, and M. T. "AVRIL'S NEW, OLD ATTITUDE." Billboard 119.10 (2007): 24-26. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.

This article explores the twists and turns Lavigne’s music has taken over the course of her career. Lavigne talks about the songs she picks for singles, as well as the age-bracket her music is aimed at. It also talks about her stage performances, and how that changes with the ebb and flow of her music.

Smatterings of Hip

I found this article while searching for something hip to write about. It's a couple years old, but I don't think much has changed in the footwear-line of hip since then (at least that's been my experience).

And here are a couple videos for your listening pleasure:

I think Avril Lavigne has the potential go do some big things. She's hip and her latest single is awesome.

And since Scott Pilgrim is the hippest comic-book musical out there, and this song rocks, I've included it too.

The Feminine Mistake?

“If women get less notice in hip’s chronicles, it is in part because they have been there all along” (Leland, 243).

“As a rejection of roles like good husband or dutiful daughter, hip has pushed steadily toward androgyny or sexual ambiguity. The male revolt, whatever its hostilities to women, has done its most lasting damage to the borders of masculinity” (Leland, 257).

The position that Leland takes on the role of women in Hip’s history seems to be a rather confused and muddled mess. Almost like he wasn’t sure himself what role they play. I think he does recognized that, just like some of the men in Hip, it’s hard to pin down exactly what their particular roles were, even though they did have them.

I think we have to realize that women most certainly did play a role in the formation and continuation of hip (after all, without women, would there be men?), but I think their power was subtle and underestimated. I think Leland is right when he says, “where women tampered with the package, their hip gestures were subtle and coded” (252). When they could prove themselves, women were accepted as Hip. I think they were able to get their ideas across in much more delicate ways, so I think their power was sometimes underestimated as well.

Although Hip is sort of a men’s playing field (despite the fact that “if hip has a gender, it is female” (Leland, 242), I don’t think it’s a misogynistic group. Women were able to influence and shape a dominantly-male culture in profound and life-changing ways. They were able to absolutely change a culture using their words and actions, but because they were often subtle and delicate, they mostly flew under the radar.

Billy Collins is a poet, and poets are hip... right?

Here's a poem from Billy Collins' latest book, Horoscopes for the Dead.

What She Said

When he told me he expected me to pay for dinner,
I was like give me a break.

I was not the exact equivalent of give me a break.
I was just similar to give me a break.

As I said, I was like give me a break.

I would love to tell you
how I was able to resemble give me a break
without actually being identical to give me a break,

but all I can say is that I sensed
a similarity between me and give me a break.

And that was close enough
at that point in the evening

even if it meant I would fall short
of standing up from the table and screaming
give me a break,

for God's sake will you please give me a break?!

No, for that moment
with the rain streaking the restaurant windows
and the waiter approaching,

I felt the most I could be was like

to a certain degree

give me a break.

Cartoons and Race in America

“Race and ethnicity were perfect material for animation: they were real and unreal, as thin and contingent as a veneer of greasepaint” (Leland, 191).

“Cartoons speak the unspeakable. Time, space, gravity, solidity, and essence all yield to the needs of rhythm… everything is negotiable, a hustle. By their nature cartoons are against nature” (Leland, 187).

While most cartoons seem to have, or at least try to appear to have, humor at the forefront of their message, race is also something that they sell, and it’s something that shouldn’t be ignored.

Betty Boop is a young, Jewish woman, who seems to find an unusually disturbing amount of pleasure in taking advantage of babies and their unusual talents. Babies appear in blackface and the only thing that satisfies their screaming is watermelon. Babies of other races appear as well and are made to show off their shallow little tricks. An Indian baby, with a braided ponytail and toy rifle, shoots at toy soldiers.

Of course Betty Boop is an exploited Jewish woman, but why did the cartoonist then turn around and have her do the same thing to innocent babies—babies of other races as well as her own? The babies’ tricks are to some extent endearing, but it isn’t really funny at all. Leland says that “the effect was not just to fix the characters but, in the other direction, to turn ethnicity loose, signifying on the fixed myths of race. When the characters changed shape, even the most ossified racial templates were forced to change with them” (193). As much as people want to change their race, it can’t be done. The ugly stereotyping that has a history with many races CAN be changed, but not through cartoons such as this Betty Boop one. Leland quotes Chuck Jones as saying “you must love what you caricature” (193), but there isn’t any love these cartoons—only harsh and crude racial stereotypes.

The Soggy Bottom Boys...

are, I would argue, some of the biggest tricksters in the business.