【To Be Continued...】How to Live a Good & Meaningful Life?

Everybody is trying to make their life as meaningful as possible like a mark before their last breath in this world. Since we all know that we will die some day, people are trying many different kinds of ways to make their life meaningful before they leave. Although nothing really has a meaning in this society, people give it to them. Therefore, varies of people live their life differently based on how they are shaped since they are a baby. However, myself, personally have some ideas about how to have a good and meaningful life,too. One similarity between my ideas and others' ideas is that they all are from the dominant culture. These dominant culture could be corporate, folk, or other large subculuture.

*My Ideas I
*My Ideas II

*Other People's IdeasI
*Other People's IdeasII

*Definition of Corporate Culture, Folk Culture, and Other Large Culture.

*Examples of … (Dominant/Marginal/Prohibited)

*Music Video I (Corporate Culture & Messages)

(Dominant/Marginal/Prohibited)

*Music Video II(Corporate Culture & Messages)

(Dominant/Marginal/Prohibited)

*Films/Movies (Corporate Culture & Messages)

(Dominant/Marginal/Prohibited)

*Films/Movies (Corporate Culture & Messages)

(Dominant/Marginal/Prohibited)

*Conclusion

Reading Other People's Analysis on Videos...

>>>Dinorah

I completely agree with you overall your analysis. Especially "All You Need is Love"!! Because throughout the whole song, they kept saying "all you need is love" to create an image of simple things are easy to do. But actually is more complicated than it is even though everybody have the ability to do it! So, I think you have a great analysis over all the videos!!! xD.

-Bao Lin

>>>Dylan

I agree with your analysis on "All You Need Is Love", because the perspective was from a famous rich band, which is not what everybody is in the society. They kept repeats the same theme, all you need is love, but in reality, people who needs more help on "money", of course need money more than love!Nice analysis!

-Bao Lin

>>>Sam

I do agree with you on the part that he said having money is not everything, but not having it is. It is really contraditing itself by saying you need money to be able to have a good life, btu at the same time, saying money can't buy everything. So is definately a contraditive point in the video!

-Bao Lin

Messages on the Good & Meaningful Life from Popular Culture - Part 1

“Lip Gloss”-Lil’ Mama

1. What is the song basically saying about how to live a good life? Paraphrase the main idea.

The song is basically saying how you should look like in this society to be able to fit in (to have a good life). In the very beginning of the music video, she is trying to fit in to the “cool crowd”, so she will be poppin’. After she got the lip gloss, she changed totally from self-diffident to self-confident to represent she fits in the group now, and she is cool. Throughout the whole video, it constantly sends the message to people that they have to look good and cool by using expensive products to be able to have a good life (power) in this society , because they fit in the group and they are being part of the popularity. Also it helps you to get sexual attention from the opposite sex and being the representative of the same sex at the same time.The pop culture in this society is sending out the message that YOU have to follow the trend and update yourself to be able to get the center attention. Or else, you will not be on the same level as the other. In other word, you will not be attached to the society that you are in.

2. What lyrics particularly speak to that perspective? Use quotes as evidence.

The whole video consistently speaks to this perspective because they are concluding what things should be like into people’s eyes. “I say my lip gloss is cool. My lip gloss be poppin’, I'm standing at my locker and all the boys keep stopping”. These sentences in the lyric indicate that people follow the trend because it helps them to look poppin’ and it helps them to attract boys in the school. In other word, the “lip gloss” is a way to help people to get the center-attention from the others. Significantly, people are filling the emptiness of their own life to make it meaningful.

3. How do the video images support, re-orient, or challenge the dominant theme of the lyrics? Analyze.

In the video, when they show the images of Lil' Mama on the computer, and voting for the class president, and even the teacher wants it, it shows that using expsenive product really helps you to get the center attention and power/authority over the others. In this society, sometimes things are hard to determine what is right/wrong or good/bad. Therefore, the pop culture determines it for you and keeps sending out the message of what is RIGHT or GOOD to everybody. When something is in the trend, everybody follows. People act this way because they get the feeling of being part of, and they have something in common as the others. That's what cool is all about. More importantly, people born with the thought: I have to have what somebody else has. Most people in this world live with other’s opinion, and they cannot really separate themselves away from what others’ think. People live a good life base on other people’s comment and when others said is good, then people will automatically feel good about it. Thus, people will keep speaking to this perspective to help the other to feel better about them like putting a mask on the real self.

4. What else do you notice that's interesting? Look for internal contradictions, aspects of the message that resonate with other messages from the pop culture, points that connect to your own perspective, etc. Analyze squared.

After watching the video, I found few things that are contradictive about the people who are following the trend and the video itself. The first thought it came to my mind was that, even though the “lip gloss” makes you look good and it helps you to be the center-attention of everybody, isn’t it just a “mask” that helps you to cover your real self? In another word, only the ones who are bad, that’s why they cover it. It also reflects that people in this world often like the fantasy more than reality. This shows that people who try to be noticeable are the ones who are afraid to face reality, so do you look good/cool anymore?

Another thought that I have about the video is that “then what?”. Even though you got what you want and people admire who you are, THEN WHAT?! IS IT REALLY THAT GOOD WHEN YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE ON THE TOP? Sometimes when you are the #1 of something, you lose a lot because you are the only one. So is it really worth it to have the center attention from everybody?

Also an interesting thought that I have was what is really happiness that makes your life meaningful? When you were a kid and just asking for a toy to now that you are trying to have the best looking, why you are not happy anymore when you have the toy? Isn’t that happiness once when you were young? Or are there values in happiness?

Some contradiction about the video is that the lyric, “It ain’t my fault but I can upgrade you, show you how to use nice things with nice flavors”. In the video, the girl is using an expensive product to show she is cool, and that’s the method that helps her to get the center attention. It also said that she is going to upgrade others, which had show the contradiction that she wants to be the center attention (only one), but at the same time, she wants to be part of the cool crowd in the beginning.

The distinction in the video reflects that people often want to be center attention, but at the same time, they want to be part of the group. When you are being part of, you are in the crowd, not the only one anymore. Then how should we distinguish being part of, and center attention then?

【Revised Draft】What do the people around you say about living meaningfully?

When I walked on the street and asked the people who is passing by questions about life such as how meaningful is your life or what are the aspects of your life that makes it meaningful, I got varies of answers. The way I put them into categories is to divide the answers from individual to group. The most common answers that I got from the people on the streets are: families, friends, and happiness [a sense of belongings]. But there do have some unique answers such as: God, music, fashion, photography [dreams and achievements]. When people mentioned meaningful, it usually means something that you appreciate and it “means” something to you like a mark that makes it unique in your life.

One man that I interview on the street who is in middle class said, “My kids, because they are part of me.” Another man who is cleaning the windows that I interview the other day had said similar answers, “family and friends.” Also a few people said, “It [happiness] is the first thought that comes to me right away when I just hear the question.” I see the pattern here that most people who is in middle class, they usually answer: family, friends, and happiness. I think most of the middle class said that because they are appreciating what they have and they do not necessary have to look for something that they might not be able to reach to, such as to be richest person in the world. Their attitudes towards the meaningful of life are pretty simple and prevalent in the worldwide population, because not everybody can reach the highest social class. In addition, most of the middle class are carrying the “burden” with them such as taking care of the kids and make them to be educated person, so theses “burdens” are preventing them to go on their own to look for the meaningful of life individually. The specific pattern that I see from the people who response, “family, friends, and happiness” is that these people are the ones who think a meaningful life is to having a relation with somebody else to be able to make their life and somebody else’s life meaningful. Not necessary they are seeking for meaningful by themselves, but they are looking for meaningful by being part of somebody else.

While 2/3 of the people I spoke to indicated family, friends and happiness, the other third had various other points of view. One old lady who is a nurse of an old woman who has disabilities said, "convey God" and another woman that passed by me said, "What you make good and bad. What's good is good, what's bad is bad." Also there is one lady had said, “happiness and finding your bliss”. All these response to meaningful life shows that they are kind of individual. It does not seem like it has to be contact with somebody else to make their own life meaningful. They seem to be going on their own on what they really want for their "own" life, because they have a typical obligation such as God and bliss. Also when the old women response to "what's you make good", it shows that everything is depending on your own self in your life. Not necessary have to be with someone to achieve goals, but individually by yourself. In addition, one newspaper man that I interviewed said, "love, because that's what make peace". The patterns that I am seeing here is that, some people like to make their life meaningful by themselves and it has nothing to do with somebody else. The man who is selling the newspaper thinks that "peace" is what it makes life meaningful which had show individual find their way of life to have some meaning by having dreams or hope. All these people are differing from the previous ones, because these people are the ones who like to be independent and go on their own other than with somebody else. It does not mean these people do not have a family or friends, but it seems they like to do things individually in order to make life meaningful for them.

To live a meaningful life, the similar aspects between individual and group is that they both are identities that tell people who they are in this society. It does not really matter they say family or God; it gives people a sense of who they are in this world.

【First Draft】What do the people around you say about living meaningfully?

When I walked on the street and asked the people who is passing by about how meaningful are their life or what are the aspects of their life that makes it meaningful, I got varies of answers. Some of them are short and some of them are kind of interesting. The most common answers that I got from the street people are: families, friends, and happiness. Although the answers are simple and short, I think it is still meaningful to them, because these are identities of who they are. When people mentioned meaningful, it usually means something that you appreciate and it “means” something to you, such as identities, having a family or friends that really identify who you are.

When I got one-word answers from the people on the street, I usually think the answers are simple, but deep. Because I do not really know what they really mean by the one word answer, “happiness”, “friends”…etc. But I do think they are still meaningful, because they said it. Although they seems like they did not really thought about the answers, I think they do enjoy and know what they are doing since it just comes out from their mouth when you asked. Refer back to identities, by saying families and friends it gives them a sense of who they are in this planet. By saying what is meaningful in your life, people usually think of the "marks" in their life, such as marriage, jobs, and money...etc. All these aspects of people’s life that makes it meaningful because it is something that they will not forget in their life and they are appreciating what they have. Thus, in order to live a meaningful life, it relates to identities of the person.

One man that I interview on the street who is in middle class said, “My kids, because they are part of me.” Another man who is cleaning the windows that I interview the other day had said similar answers, “family and friends.” Also a few people said, “It [happiness] is the first thought that comes to me right away when I just hear the question.” I see the pattern here that most people who is in middle class, they usually answer: family, friends, and happiness. I think most of the middle class said that because they are appreciating what they have and they do not necessary have to look for something that they might not be able to reach to, such as to be richest guy in the world. Their attitudes towards the meaningful of life are pretty simple and prevalent in the worldwide population, because not everybody can reach the highest social class. In addition, most of the middle class are carrying the “burden” with them such as taking care of the kids and make them to be educated person, so theses “burdens” are preventing them to go on their own to look for the meaningful of life individually. The specific pattern that I see from the people who response, “family, friends, and happiness” is that these people are the ones who usually thinks a meaningful life is to having a contact with somebody else to be able to make their life and somebody else’s life meaningful. Not necessary they are seeking for meaningful by themselves, but they are looking for meaningful by being part of somebody else.

While 2/3 of the people I spoke to indicated family, friends and happiness, the other third had various other points of view. One old lady who is an nurse of an old women who has disabilities said "convey God" and another women that passed by me said, "What you make good and bad. What's good is good, what's bad is bad." Another lady had said, "happiness and finding your bliss." All these response to meaningful life shows that they are kind of individual. It does not seems like it has to be contact with somebody else to make their own life meaningful. They seem to be going on their own on what they really want for their "own" life, because they have a typical obligation such as "God" and "bliss". Also when the old women response to "what's good is good", it shows that everything is depending on your ownself in your life. Not necessary have to be with someone to acheive goals, but individually. In addition, one newspaper man that I interviewed said, "love, because that's what make peace." The patterns that I am seeing here is that, some people like to make their life meaningful by themselves and it has nothing to do with somebody else. It usually related to obligation and interest when is individual. The man who is selling the newspaper thinks that "peace" is what it makes life meaningful which had show individual can find their way of life be meaningful, too. All these people are differ from the previous ones, because these people are the ones who like to be independent and go on their own other than with somebody else. It does not mean these people do not have a family or friends, it just seems like they like to do things individually in order make life meaningful to them.

To Be Continued...