[bob]

</font><blockquote><font>quote:</font><hr><font>Originally posted by wireland:
[QB] fulfill certain folks longing to get back to "simpler times", QB]</font><hr></blockquote><font>okay what I’m trying to say is that this is the main assumption. Is there anything in Durkheim that suggests that people don’t like being in the state of ‘anomie’ and they want to change?

I guess it’s pretty evident given that people seem to be forming alternative social groups outside the family.

I’ll get back to you once I do my research and know what I’m talking about.

[bob]

yeah I know,
I’ll let you know what I come up with. I’m going to have to choose either one

[bob]

thanks man, yeah it makes sense to me.

it seems to me that anyway we try to connect alienation (or anomie) to reality tv viewing always depends on one thing: that people know they are being opressed and wish they could do something about it. Looking back at the definition of alienation above that seems to be just about it.

I came upon an article when looking for sources today and here are the three things that i highlighted

-one aspect that all of the reality tv shows had in common was their competitive nature
-…the attitude that best seperate regular viewers of reality televion from everyone else is the desire for status. Fans of the shows are much more likely to agree with statements such as "Prestige is important to me" and "I am impressed with designer clothes"
-Reality tv allows Americans to fantasize about gaining status through automatic fame

the second point there seems very Marxist. Rising from the proletariat to the borgeoise.

If you can fit some of this in to a Durkheim explanation that would be great.

[bob]

EXPLOSIVO

(those of you who get the joke laugh… now)

[bob]

I have a friend who moved to Sask from PEI. we made fun of the way he said "house" and "out". Since he was from charlottetown and must have said it all the time it came out like "Sharltown".

There are 10 provinces (for sure) and 3 territories (last I checked).

For you US people what’s up with Washington, D.C. what is the point of D.C.???

What’s up with Puerto Rico? it’s not a state but you own it right

[bob]

here’s the actual description for the assignment

Topic: Reality television (i.e. Survivor, Big Brother, Fear Factor, etc.) is a feature of popular culture that is receiving both postive and negative evaluation from television audiences. In this assignment your goal is to demonstrate your understanding of a particular sociology concept by elaborating and using it to contribute to an understanding of the attraction or rejection of television audiences to reality television in contemporary society. Specifically your task is to

– Elaborate and use Marx’s views on the sources of alienation in modern society to explain the apparent attraction or rejection of reality television in contemporary society; OR

– Elaborate and use Weber’s views on the sources of alienation in modern society to explain the apparent attraction or rejection of reality television in contemporary society; OR

– Elaborate and use Durkheim’s views on the sources of anomie in modern society to explain the apparent attraction or rejection of reality television in contemporary society.

---

‘your goal is to demonstrate your understanding of a particular sociology concept’

this is the key part, the most important part is that I show understanding of one of the concepts. My prof said that she could have chosen anything but went with ‘reality tv’.

wireland >> just let me know what your idea is in regards to survivor and anomie. Anything will help.

robert >> thanks it’s a start. I had a similar idea about people living vicariosly.

Using Durkheim seems like it would be the most interesting. I can think of some ideas but it seems like everything is a bit of a stretch and I don’t know how I can back them up.

-Reality tv lets us view people’s lives as a neat little package (we actually become sort of like the capatalist) it’s like: "Here is this person from here, he/she has 3 kids and he’s lazy" the people become characictures[sp?].

I think the same idea could be used to explain people who follow the lives of movie star, musicians, or the royal family, or whoever.

I dunno it’s hard to put it together. How can being alienated make people love or hate reality tv? hard to make a connection for sure. Maybe I’m not understanding alienation as good as I should. I think the appeal is about escapism but it’ll take some bending to fit that in.

Thanks for your help guys, keep it coming.

[bob]

Just got the album yesterday, YEAH! yeah I got the pop too. I get sounds like this at the end of songs when I make discs from mp3s sometimes.

[bob]

bump.

[bob]

Wilco – Summer Teeth (I can’t believe how good this is)

I bought 4 radiohead cds from a friend of mine for $20 bucks a while back and I really want to give them a listen but I don’t seem to be getting the chance. I really only know Creep, high and dry, just, fake plastic trees, i might be wrong, national anthem, idioteque, and a few others. I don’t really know where to start.

[bob]

Oh yeah and I bought a shelf that holds up to 640 cds and I put all of my cds on it with room to spare for some paperbacks, 7", tapes, and graphic novels. It’s really beautiful (’cause it’s got all my cool shit on it) I should take a picture

[bob]

Juts got in the mail today:

Superchunk – The Freed Seed 7" (Seed Toss & 3 sebadoh covers)
Dinosaur Jr – YLAOM Vinyl (I don’t know why I bought this just felt like I should have it. Strange etching in the vinyl says something like "I could hear it screaming but couldn’t tell where it’s mouth is")

These should be coming any day now

Pavement – Slanted & Enchanted, Luxe & Reduxe
Pavement – Slow Century DVD
J Mascis – Free so Free
Doug Martsch – Now You Know
Mike Johnson – (Whatever the new albums is called)
Silkworm – Even a blind chicken finds a kernel of corn now and then
Silkworm – Libertine

I also bought a couple of paperbacks from ebay
Jack Kerouac – Dr. Sax, Dharma Bums, Big Sur
Kurt Vonnegut – Player Piano

[bob]

Explain it, please.

Is there a difference between the winter and non-winter versions? (I assume the non-winter version is the one on westing)

I don’t know if these are goddamned but I like these.

1) Gold Soundz
2) Shoot The Singer

[bob]

happens to me too. Dry humping dreams. can I say dry humping?

Anyway, back to my dream. I totally wanted to kick Robin Williams’ ass.

[bob]

nothing to worry about Malc I don’t think I had a classic "sex dream" either. Maybe if I had more sex in real life. Hmm, good hypothesis. To the lab…

[bob]

<strong> </font><blockquote><font>quote:</font><hr><font>You better just enjoy the luxury of sympathy, if that’s a luxury you have!" BTS
</font><hr></blockquote><font></strong>

I just had one of those strange coincidences I was listending to Velvet Waltz on MP3 and when I went to read this thread just as I read you’re quote that lyric came on. One of the most eerie coincidences I everhad.

[Author]

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