English 2100: Identity and Representation

A community that I am in and enjoy being in is the SEEK community in Baruch College. Baruch is one of the most recognized schools in the country and it is a  privilege to go to school here. However, a problem that I see here or more so it’s a change and not a problem  is, timing. We spend so much hours here and don’t make our schedule the first year. It’s not a problem but something that can be improved on. We have big hour gaps that we really can’t go anywhere but stay in the city and do whatever. However, I think that that is just something that we need to adapt too. Take advantage of the resources given to us. I greatly  appreciate the community in helping me get a good education in college. At first, I found it annoying about how we had to do all the things we did like in the summer academy, but now I realize how that benefited me in a great way. I just went with it and hoped to the best. I pushed myself more to do the things I needed to do because I really wanted to be in this school. Now I am in one of the best schools. I remember that in one of the info sessions we had for SEEK and David Rosen was there so he told us to look at the summer academy as in investment. Ever since, I use that to motivate me to always keep striving and keep going. SEEK is about giving back and I know for sure I will be giving back to them. Without them I be here today at Baruch. That goes the same with a lot of my classmates. SEEk will always be a community I’m proud of and enjoy being in. Just deal with what comes with it.

5192 minutes, 236 episodes, 138 ex partner, 25 occupations, 10 years all adding up to one epic story and show called FRIENDS. FRIENDS is one of the greatest sitcoms of all time and im sure youve seen it and if not you have definitely heard of it. All of the world the show was broadcast and it still airs on tv at certain times and is available on Netflix by popular demand even though the show has been off the air for a while now. The first episode aired on September 22, 1994 and the finale was May 6, 2004, 10 years of relatable comedy between a group of friends who like to argue, fight, laugh, help eachother deal with their problems and not let each other feel alone at times. Even though the show has aged, there isn’t a minute in friends that doesn’t make you laugh. If you haven’t watched it, I seriously recommend you should, and if you have, Were they really on a break? 

My favorite show is the office whenever i’m bored, wanna laugh, or upset I can watch this show and be happy. It’s a show truly for everyone its hilarious and has a cast you truly feel apart of and care for . You have Jim and Dwight who in the show hate each other near the end you find out they truly care about each other. I like that lesson and the viewer definitely see it a lot with other characters throughout the show. Dwight and Jim put their differences aside and become friends wether that be selling paper or helping each other plan a wedding.  This show is so easy to relate to wether its an annoying boss, annoying friend, and or funny friends it has it all . I feel theres a character   that everyone can identify with. All my friends that watched the show always go back to it and rewatch. I can say that personally I watch it a lot too. It the fact that no matter what i’m doing or how i’m feeling that i can watch the show and be happy. It something i love to do and do almost everyday.

One of the most iconic shows in my opinion is The Office. It has accumulated a lot of fans throughout the years and rightfully so. The Office is basically a fake comedic documentary. It’s set up as if there is a documentary going on about a boring office in Scranton, Pennsylvania so many actors pretend they don’t know they’re being filmed.

The setting may seem boring since it is just a paper company named Dunder Mifflin but  the people within it are what really make the show. The rivalry between coworkers Jim and Dwight continues through seasons and bring comedy to a usual day at the office. They play pranks on each other like putting their belongings in jell-o or creating a fake treasure hunt within the office which leads no where. Since Dwight is seen more on the unintelligent side he is more gullible than most members and therefore susceptible to a lot of pranks from Jim. Other characters such as Meredith are just wild on their own. I mean the lady is quite literally crazy. She is not only portrayed as an alcoholic but in one episode where the characters are celebrating a bridal shower Merediths actual son is a male stripper at that very bridal shower. She then proceeded to be surprised for two seconds and then supported him and told him to “keep going”. The amount of randomness in the show is what keeps it so interesting to me because one would never expect that from a mother.

The Office is just a show that I can even rewatch multiple times. Shows like that are ones that I believe are the best because you can enjoy them multiple times over.

Pop music has been part of the popular culture for decades. Its a form of music that can appealed to anyone from any race. It is the type of music that tend to be on top of the charts like billboard 100 and it has become the poplar culture for today’s world.

One person that influence the field of pop music is Billie Eilish. She is a new to Hollywood and is a 17 year old singer and songwriter who has brought a twist to pop music. Her musics has been on the Billboard Top 100 chart for weeks and she has become the first female artist to have 14 singles to be on the top 100 chart.

Her music consists of songs that are deep and twisted, but still having a pop music to it. It is not just towards young audiences, but also towards old audiences. She is widely known for her song called “Bad Guys.” Thousands of kids have been using this song to make videos on Tik Tok which is a social media plat form, where one can post lip signing videos. or funny scripts.

The song “Bad Guy” starts off with a dark beat but still catchy. It is like a story line from a princess movie, but instead of it being the story of a princess, its a story of the villain movie that has a twisted happy ending. Her pop music videos are disturbing, dark and has a lot of effects. It is a Halloween theme type of video. Which why, her music has become so popular in the pop culture and it has become of the moist known type of music.

Her music is so different that it brings a whole new meaning to pop music, and it made it even more popular. It has brought pop music to the top of the charts.

A Popular culture movie I would choose would be Avatar. This movie was filmed back in 2009 and it was directed by James Cameron. The movie took about ten years to make and it is two hours and forty-five minutes long. The film cost about $280 million to produce. The film is about Jake Sully who is paralyzed from the waist down. He is send on a mission who was supposed to be completed by his twin brother, but his brother was killed. Jake was sent on this mission to learn and become one of the avatars so that the outside people can get in and they would destroy the insides people home. Jake eventually learned everything he was supposed to. He even fell in love with an avatar called Neytri. Since Jake was paralysd he could not use his legs but as an Avatar he could run, jump, and do anything with his legs. However, He then realized that he had to choose between a world he used to live in and a world he now feels safe and he calls home. He decided to stay because he gained their trust and he had to protect them. This movie is known by a lot of people. It has had a total of 112 nominations winning two Golden Gloves and three Oscars. Avatar is a movie that anyone can watch and it is easy to understand. It’s been ten years since the movie came out but people still watched it. Because so many people have watched Avatar, three new Avatar movies have been confirmed to come out in the next few years.

Instead of listening to music while I work out, I prefer to listen to podcasts. However, I don’t listen to just any podcasts; I listen to podcasts about famous unsolved murders. Listening to unsolved murder stories pumps my adrenaline up even more while I’m at the gym. I mostly like them because they are very informative, but also because it helps me look forward to working out. I started to listen to podcasts because of my sociology teacher, but then I continued to listen to them after his class ended. I must admit, I easily get freaked out by scary stories and movies, but listening to creepy podcasts in the gym, where there are plenty of people around, helped me become less scared. Also, listening to podcasts helps expand your imagination because instead of a movie or show, you must imagine what is being said while listening to a podcast. The first podcasts I listened to were solved murders. I liked having a happy ending to the story. I would even guess in the beginning who I thought the suspect would be and see if that matched with who really committed the murder. Then, I got tired of solved cases because there was a pattern of who the suspect could be. That led me to listen to unsolved cases, which allowed me to solve the case myself. It also left me creeped out and constantly thinking about the case. Unsolved murder podcasts quickly become addicting and instead of watching a series, you end up listening to them all day and night. Not only did I listen to them in the gym, but I also would listen to them on my commutes and even to sleep. Listening to podcasts is so convenient because you don’t need the internet to listen to them. You can download them beforehand and listen anywhere at any time. I recommend getting into podcasts because there are so many genres out there, and they’re great for learning and entertainment.

Unsolved podcast channel: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unsolved-murders-true-crime-stories/id1122804248?mt=2

My favorite all-time show is The Office. I’ve watched this show 4 times already and I watch at least 2 episodes every day. Yes, it is very time consuming but I watch my episodes before going to bed. In a way, it soothes my mind and helps me sleep so I enjoy watching it. As I rewatch the episodes, I began to grab the show’s sense of humor and the episodes become funnier. The Office is a very well known show and it’s a show that many many people enjoy.

After a couple of times of watching it, I began to understand and resonate with each character. The characters I will forever admire is Jim and Pam. This tv couple has stolen my heart, their relationship is so pure and genuine. They’re an example of what love is and although they just show their life on an office setting, the show provides us with small acts of love and care that are simply adorable and admirable. I also have to stay that the character Dwight is also my favorite, he is hilarious and most definitely me when I’m grumpy.

I will never get tired of this show, I’m such a fan.  It is very sad to know that The Office will no longer be on Netflix starting 2020, therefore, I am trying to watch it the most I can now. They are also rumors that there will be a reboot of The Office for 2021. This show signifies culture because it shows life of an American worker and it is simply the best.

Cool Sound to Listen to

Something that I love online is YouTube videos of meditation. When you are going through a lot or just want to meditate you can go online and YouTube it. I do this because sometimes I can get stressed or procrastinate a lot and these videos help a lot. My favorite person to do meditation is Michael Sealey. He also reads bedtimes for grownups and even though that might sound silly it is nice for me because it helps me sleep. Before test I listen to test anxiety meditation videos. When I am having trouble doing my homework or assignments I listen to meditation for procrastination and it helps me concentrate. To sleep I listen to meditation for Negative energy and to stable your chakras. I love when mediation or story videos have the sound of rain in the background.

Study music that is also good is lofi beats by chilledcow which streams live all the time. I listen to lofi hip hop beats when I an assignment that doesn’t need too much concentration. I suggest listening to Beethoven when you do need music to concentrate.

Music really governments my life. I find it very cool that music can have so much emotion. Music will be there for any mood you have. I have party music, study music, and workout music. Knowing so much music connects you to so many people. I suggest going to YouTube or whatever platform you use. I would love it if you guys comment on my post and let me know what music you listen to.

There’s many pop culture out there that really catch my attention nowadays but one thing in particular that interested me the most and something we can ALL learn from is the “Rate me” episode of the series “Black Mirror”. The basic idea of the episode is that people in this virtual community rate each other based on the smallest things they do and have. The biggest goal of this community is have the highest rate. The high the rate the more “likable” you are. Watching this episode really made me relate to how social media can have an effect of people’s confidence and self-esteem. In this virtual community in the “Rate Me” episode, people were constantly looking for the validation of other people and trying their best to filter themselves to fit into society and being liked. It’s crazy because this behavior occurs in real life especially in the junior high- college age groups. These young people nowadays are constantly trying to be someone they’re not in order to fit in and be accepted by everyone. But unfortunately that’ll never be the case. The episode ended by the main character receiving a low rating but, not caring about what others have to say about her. Being transparent and crystal clear about your character isn’t something to be ashamed of. No matter if you don’t receive the validation you want. I’m not going to lie, when I was younger in junior high, I attempted to change the person I am to be liked by others. I went through a lot of insecurity and my self-esteem was extremely low. But it wasn’t too long till I  realized that other’s opinion don’t matter at all. Therefore, I  want the youth to take an hour of their day to sit down and watch this episode. This pop culture can really open eyes and teach social media users to love their selves the way they are. Out of the billions of people in the world there’s only ONE version of you that’ll ever exist. Think about it.

Thank you.