JU 1 Yaxin JU MAC143 09/26/2018 Media pleasure and taste culture Introduction The term taste refers to the ability to make an insightful judgment about artistic and aesthetic matters like media products. Taste culture is described as a subculture that shows the preference of a certain group for a specific product. Factors that may influence membership of these groups include age, ethnic group, gender, social class and residence or country of origin. Media pleasure There are several media texts or products that are available in today’s society. Some of these products are appealing not to the entire society but to just a certain group in a subculture. For instance, I like hip-hop music, specifically explicit hip hop music. The one song that I really enjoy – media pleasure – is the song “meat cleaver” by Brotha Lynch Hung. However, listening to and watching hip-hop music video makes me feel guilty since they portray images and a message that totally against the ways of my culture. Generally, hip hop music is a genre of music that is mostly enjoyed by the young generation - the teenagers in America. This is so because it shows images and conveys messages that appealing to the young Americans. Hiphop culture has widely spread among a certain group of young people. It is portrayed by certain features or activities like Djing, break dancing, graffiti, and MCing. The teenage group in the society likes media content that portrays sexual images and messages, drugs and gang violence. Hip-hop is the genre that promotes all these. It promotes the pleasure of immorality that is appealing to the eyes of its fans. Criteria for evaluation of taste culture According to the Christian culture that I belong, Hip hop music is considered as a music genre that promotes immorality and ways that are against the will of God. For instance, the song “meat cleaver” by Brotha JU 2 Lynch Hung is completely against the way of life of my church community. the criteria of filtering the type of music to be listened by the church is mostly focused on the aim and objective of the musician and the song, in which religion does the artist belong, the artists way of life or culture, and finally, the relationship the artist and the music has to the church community. Despite the enjoyment I get from this hip-hop music, it has so many features that are not acceptable to the church community that I belong. The church views this music as satanic and it is the last item or not even existing in most members’ hierarchy of taste. This makes me guilty of consuming hip-hop products. The first feature of this music is the fact that it portrays women as objects for sexual satisfaction. This is totally against the teachings of the church. The church advocates for sexual purity as a way that brings the congregation close to their heavenly father. My love for unethical music is a sin in the eyes of the Lord according to my religion. Another objective of this music is to promote gang violence. Examples of these are the circumstances of the deaths of hip hop artists like Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. Violence is against the teachings of the church. The church community promotes love and peace in the society. This Hip hop music also shows satanic images, signs, and messages in the video clips. For instance, the song meat cleaver conveys a message of murder and cannibalism. The church does not promote the practice of humans killing and eating internal organs of human beings. This culture only existed in very small communities that resided in African forests. There is the theme of crime in this music, which is against the commandments of God that are being upheld by the church. The theme of drug pleasure is widely promoted in these hip-hop videos. According to the teachings and culture of the church, drug abuse is among the things that man should avoid in order to behave in the manner of a righteous being. Analysis of my pleasure The aspect of this music that I enjoy despite the possible social stigma, is that it creates a freedom of choice on what to listen or view as a teenager. It makes me view the world as a place where one can do whatever he or she wishes without being judged by any other being. It makes me fit in the teenage group and this creates more comfort than trying to fit in the subculture of my church community. However, what I view in these music videos is only known to myself and I would not feel comfortable to disclose this to my parents, or my church congregation. JU 3 The images in the videos provide visual body satisfaction for me. The message of drugs and sexual pleasure conveyed is quite appealing to me. The visual satisfaction I get from viewing images of stripping women and who are not well dressed. The exposure of nudity in some scenes makes it cool to view these videos. The enjoyment of drug and substance abuse shown is a cool stuff to the young generation. Watching how the artists enjoy smoking and the drinks they take makes me admire their way of life. Conclusion Generally, media pleasure is among some of the most dangerous sources of addiction that may ruin one's life when not well controlled. My love for the Hip-hop songs, especially, the song by Brotha Lynch Hung, has made me admire the hip-hop culture so much and envy the lifestyle of the hip-hop artists. Despite the enjoyment accrued from these media products, it's very vital for one to be able to assess the direction these materials are taking him or her. As for me, I would love to uphold my church community’s culture and I’m working towards changing my ways. • Attend your small group session in Week 5. (If you do not attend that small group, you can not complete this entry. To earn those points, you can complete one of the EC entry’s listed below). • Take notes when your peers discuss their guilty pleasure papers, paying attention to the roots of their guilt and their pleasure. • Select two of your peers to focus your diary entry on. • Write two paragraphs (one for each peer) in which you o identify and reflect on your peers’ guilty pleasures o explain how their discussion was familiar to your experience and/or how it was different from yours. o Your discussion must identify and discuss specific elements of their guilty pleasures and yours. • Use the grading checklist below to make sure you have satisfied all requirements. • Upload your e-copy by 10:00 am Tuesday, 10/2. Include a hard copy in your diary folder and turn your folder in during Small Group Session #3. content of other students in class.
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