Music
Isn’t music one of the greatest things ever created, having such a variety of different styles there is no one in the world who doesn’t have at least one favourite style. From classic jazz to death metal there is something for everyone to enjoy and love. Although in most cases a variety of music tastes enjoyed by people can be derived from the culture they come from and people they hang out with. For me I have two main tastes in music, 80s and 90s rock and movie scores. For a long time cultural appropriation within music has been hotly debated. Cultural appropriation is when a person takes elements from another culture without paying tribute to their authenticity and value, for me its hard to understand fully what people claim to be cultural appropriation within the music I usually listen too. Now whether or not that’s because I listen to music that doesn’t get claimed to be cultural appropriation or I don’t care what people think about it, it may sound harsh but honestly I don’t care if you think some Bruno Mars song is cultural appropriation instead of cultural appreciation because everyone is entitled to their own opinions and the opinions based around this topic don’t apply to me. I listen to music not because its based around my culture or how I grew up but based on what I like and then again my whole playlist is from songs between the 70s and the 90s, most musicians that are being accused of cultural appropriation are still producing music and mainly focus on rap, pop and r&b (all styles I don’t listen to). For the most part my opinion on this applies for cultural appreciation, if artists such as Eminem divert praise for his music to cultures that inspired his music than the more for him but I honestly can’t write a lot about this topic as I feel it doesn’t apply to me. It just sounds like people get their feelings hurt when someone of another culture creates music that becomes successful enough that they look for a reason to target them.
TV
For me I don’t watch television as in sitting on the couch Infront of a tv with the differing shows on each channel. For me I consume a lot of online content with shows that were on tv but have since finished or the current seasons aren’t out, for example I recently finished all seasons of the tv show the Blacklist but I did it nearly 6 years after it first aired and from the comfort of my own desk or bed. While yes I have watched a few shows that initially aired on tv I tend to watch a lot more content create specifically for YouTube. I have also watched a number of Japanese animated shows (yes the forever cursed Anime! ). What does it tell you about the world in which you live? Now what does it tell me about the world that I live in? unfortunately Due to the lack of actually watching many tv series these days I honestly cant say how shows tell me about the world I live In. most the shows I watch are scripted shows meant to bring enjoyment to the viewer in the same way a movie does but in a longer form while I stay way from “reality tv” shows as in my eyes they are some of the most scripted, dumb, unenjoyable shows I have ever seen. The reason for global success/ failure for a show differ wildly, for some reason (I cant honestly explain) game of thrones is one if not the most popular shows in the world (may it rest in peace) despite most people (I have spoken to at least) saying they dislike a majority of the seasons, yet is one of the most recognisable and loved series in the world. Sometimes I can’t tell if people enjoy a show simply because it came from a western country,
Shrek
Week 3 Blog
Recently I decided to watch Shrek, one of the greatest movies of all time and I must say it still holds up to this day. I remember watching this movie as a kid finding it one of the most enjoyable movies to watch and must say it still is only nowadays, I understand most of the jokes being made. The choice of licensed music is on point with all of the music being enjoyable to listen to while also adding to the story of the movie and the original score can be uplifting and intense in particular when escaping the dragon after rescuing princess Fiona. (id say spoilers but lets be honest if you haven’t seen this movie you clearly didn’t have a good childhood) chemistry between the actors is on point with Michael Myers, Eddy murphy, and Cameron Diaz, (Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona) with the trio able to bring laughter to the audience and vulnerability to the characters in a variety of scenes. The story, although when thought about extensively at its basic level is still a basic fairy tale structure it doesn’t feel like the standard fairy tale movie as it goes for (and successfully) subverts the audiences expectations as a satire of fair tales leaving the audience with a lasting impression of the film as it is memorable for its wit and jokes panning classic fairy tales. This movie is a classic with compelling characters, excellent actor, some of the best choice of licensed music, an intense and heart-warming original score, jokes that make kids chuckle and adults laugh out loud and mature themes that teaches kids to be themselves. I cannot recommend this movie enough to people of all ages but then again everyone I know has already seen it.
Shrek was made by DreamWorks with a partnership with Pacific Data Images, who are located in California. The intended audience is children however there are plenty of jokes and themes that appeal to an adult audience. As for cultural knowledge, ultimately you don’t need a vast cultural knowledge to make sense of the movie as a whole however there are some jokes and action set pieces that can enhanced with a little bit of cultural knowledge. You could consider the fairy tales treatment by man as a cultural divide between the races featured in the movie as well as the distain and hatred towards Shrek simply because he is an ogre.
Dechlans Blog 